Theoretical Frameworks
With this understanding of what common LIS An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. research methods can look like, we will now take a step back to consider theoretical frameworks. Theories are ideas that intend to explain something about the world. A theoretical framework The theoretical lens that a researcher uses to ground their research. Examples include critical race theory, critical pedagogy, etc. , then, is applied to your study and acts as its foundation. Put another way, the theoretical framework is the glue that holds your research together. The theoretical framework guides and informs all major aspects of a study, from the objectives and research questions to the methodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data. and analysis. It can also provide concepts and definitions relevant to your topic.
The framework you choose is likely to be meaningful to you or resonate with you in some way. It reflects your beliefs and understandings about knowledge systems, as well as what type of perspective you feel should be adopted in the study of your topic. Given your research interest, think about what theoretical understanding could be applied to better situate your questions and potential findings The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” . Are you studying how information circulates among members of a marginalized community? You might consider standpoint theory for your framework. Are you researching how racialization impacts library workers? You could apply critical race theory A theoretical framework that race is a social construct and is structurally embedded in our legal systems and policies. The term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw and comes out of scholarship in legal studies. or racial capitalism A theoretical framework that posits race plays a central role in shaping social and labor hierarchies within a capitalist society. This framework was put forward by professor Cedric Robinson in the 1983 book Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition. as your framework. Or perhaps you are exploring how instruction librarians conceive their goals as teachers, in which case constructivism, critical pedagogy A theoretical framework that posits learners should examine and challenge power structures and patterns of inequity. By understanding an individual’s critical consciousness, they can begin to combat oppression. Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is considered a foundational text in thinking about critical pedagogy. This book pushes back against the “banking” model of education and encourages a “problem-posing” educational model., or another educational framework could be adopted.
Existing literature will be a good source for identifying frameworks that other researchers have adopted. Often, you won’t have identified a theoretical framework until after conducting a literature review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article. and reading across published work. It will be very useful to consult work done outside of LIS as well. This is illustrated in two Librarian Parlor posts: one on discovering a framework through conversation and one on merging theories to inform practice-oriented research. Both posts are helpful examples of the process the authors used to identify and select a theoretical framework, and there is no right or wrong way to do so; it can involve speaking with colleagues, reviewing the literature, attending a conference presentation, or any other source of inspiration.
Sometimes a theoretical framework and a research methodology will be closely linked. Other times, the framework will act as a guiding lens for your research in a more general sense. In either case, you would seek to adopt and apply the theory from start to finish in your study, with attention to how it can shape and inform areas such as your research questions, methodology, recruitment and interaction with participants, and findings. For instance, the concept of immaterial labor can be applied to explain how and under what conditions goods such as information and knowledge are produced, and it can be particularly relevant to libraries given its focus. Once you are familiar with a framework, begin applying it by considering each element of your research project with the framework in mind. Ask yourself:
- How does this theory inform or illuminate my topic?
- What would it look like for the different components of my research, including research questions, method, data collection, and potential findings, to reflect this theory?
- If my study as currently planned does not reflect this framework, could it be made to do so?
Ultimately, remember that the theoretical framework you select should resonate with you and your topic, and it won’t be beneficial to use a particular framework just for the sake of having one.
Topic 2 References
Betz, Gail. “Merging Theoretical Research with Practice-based Research.” The Librarian Parlor. November 20, 2019. https://libparlor.com/2019/11/20/merging-theoretical-research-with-practice-based-research/
Douglas, Veronica Arellano. “Growth through Relationship: From Conversation to Research Project.” The Librarian Parlor. May 2, 2018. https://libparlor.com/2018/05/02/growth-through-relationship-from-conversation-to-research-project/
Theoretical Frameworks
With this understanding of what common LISLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. research methods can look like, we will now take a step back to consider theoretical frameworks. Theories are ideas that intend to explain something about the world. A theoretical frameworkTheoretical framework The theoretical lens that a researcher uses to ground their research. Examples include critical race theory, critical pedagogy, etc. , then, is applied to your study and acts as its foundation. Put another way, the theoretical framework is the glue that holds your research together. The theoretical framework guides and informs all major aspects of a study, from the objectives and research questions to the methodologyMethodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data. and analysis. It can also provide concepts and definitions relevant to your topic.
The framework you choose is likely to be meaningful to you or resonate with you in some way. It reflects your beliefs and understandings about knowledge systems, as well as what type of perspective you feel should be adopted in the study of your topic. Given your research interest, think about what theoretical understanding could be applied to better situate your questions and potential findingsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” . Are you studying how information circulates among members of a marginalized community? You might consider standpoint theory for your framework. Are you researching how racialization impacts library workers? You could apply critical race theoryCritical race theory A theoretical framework that race is a social construct and is structurally embedded in our legal systems and policies. The term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw and comes out of scholarship in legal studies. or racial capitalismRacial capitalism A theoretical framework that posits race plays a central role in shaping social and labor hierarchies within a capitalist society. This framework was put forward by professor Cedric Robinson in the 1983 book Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition. as your framework. Or perhaps you are exploring how instruction librarians conceive their goals as teachers, in which case constructivism, critical pedagogyCritical pedagogy A theoretical framework that posits learners should examine and challenge power structures and patterns of inequity. By understanding an individual’s critical consciousness, they can begin to combat oppression. Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is considered a foundational text in thinking about critical pedagogy. This book pushes back against the “banking” model of education and encourages a “problem-posing” educational model., or another educational framework could be adopted.
Existing literature will be a good source for identifying frameworks that other researchers have adopted. Often, you won’t have identified a theoretical framework until after conducting a literature reviewLiterature Review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article. and reading across published work. It will be very useful to consult work done outside of LIS as well. This is illustrated in two Librarian Parlor posts: one on discovering a framework through conversation and one on merging theories to inform practice-oriented research. Both posts are helpful examples of the process the authors used to identify and select a theoretical framework, and there is no right or wrong way to do so; it can involve speaking with colleagues, reviewing the literature, attending a conference presentation, or any other source of inspiration.
Sometimes a theoretical framework and a research methodology will be closely linked. Other times, the framework will act as a guiding lens for your research in a more general sense. In either case, you would seek to adopt and apply the theory from start to finish in your study, with attention to how it can shape and inform areas such as your research questions, methodology, recruitment and interaction with participants, and findings. For instance, the concept of immaterial labor can be applied to explain how and under what conditions goods such as information and knowledge are produced, and it can be particularly relevant to libraries given its focus. Once you are familiar with a framework, begin applying it by considering each element of your research project with the framework in mind. Ask yourself:
Ultimately, remember that the theoretical framework you select should resonate with you and your topic, and it won’t be beneficial to use a particular framework just for the sake of having one.
Topic 2 References
Betz, Gail. “Merging Theoretical Research with Practice-based Research.” The Librarian Parlor. November 20, 2019. https://libparlor.com/2019/11/20/merging-theoretical-research-with-practice-based-research/
Douglas, Veronica Arellano. “Growth through Relationship: From Conversation to Research Project.” The Librarian Parlor. May 2, 2018. https://libparlor.com/2018/05/02/growth-through-relationship-from-conversation-to-research-project/