The Distinctions Between Theory, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework
Abstract
Health professions education (HPE) researchers are regularly asked to articulate their use of theory, theoretical frameworks, and conceptual frameworks in their research. However, all too often, these words are used interchangeably or without a clear understanding of the differences between these concepts. Further problematizing this situation is the fact that theory, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework are terms that are used in different ways in different research approaches. In this article, the authors set out to clarify the meaning of these terms and to describe how they are used in 2 approaches to research commonly used in HPE: the objectivist deductive approach (from theory to data) and the subjectivist inductive approach (from data to theory). In addition to this, given that within subjectivist inductive research theory, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework can be used in different ways, they describe 3 uses that HPE researchers frequently rely on: fully inductive theory development, fully theory-informed inductive, and theory-informing inductive data analysis.
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Themes are not the face value of the data, but they are the result of an analytical and comparative process exercised by the researcher to present the data in a meaningful form.
“Varpio et al. (2019) observed that themes are not the face value of the data, but they are the result of an analytical and comparative process exercised by the researcher to present the data in a meaningful form.”
From A Step-by-Step Process of Thematic Analysis to Develop a Conceptual Model in Qualitative Research (2023) · cites this paper as Varpio et al. (2019)
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Stigma of sickle cell disease among Indian tribal population: A multi-centric qualitative study
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How to … bring a JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) lens to your research
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“Theoretical frameworks are a “logically developed and connected set of concepts and premises ... that a researcher creates to scaffold a study” [22].”
Self-citationTheory in quality improvement and patient safety education: A scoping review
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- Authors
- Varpio, L., Paradis, E., Uijtdehaage, S., & Young, M.
- Affiliations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (US)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- McGill University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Varpio, Lara
- Venue
- Academic Medicine
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2019-11-12
- Volume
- 95
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 989-994
- ISSN
- 1040-2446 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2983904256
- Cited by
- 681
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 117 · 2025: 130 · 2024: 118 · 2023: 136 · 2022: 103 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 49.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Academic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Methodologies in Health Research and Practice
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Research and Methods
- Keywords
- theory, theoretical framework, conceptual framework, health professions education research
- MeSH terms
- Concept Formation, Health Occupations, Humans, Models, Theoretical, Research Design, Qualitative Research
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