Reason & Rigor
How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research

Second Edition

Sharon M. Ravitch - University of Pennsylvania, USA
Matthew Riggan - University of Pennsylvania, USA

Courses:
Evaluating & Understanding Research | Qualitative Research - General Interest | Research Design

January 2016 | 264 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Designed for novice as well as more experienced researchers, Reason & Rigor presents conceptual frameworks as a mechanism for aligning literature review, research design, and methodology. The book explores the conceptual framework—defined as both a process and a product—that helps to direct and ground researchers as they work through common research challenges. Focusing on published studies on a range of topics and employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, the updated Second Edition features two new chapters and clearly communicates the processes of developing and defining conceptual frameworks.

Available Formats

ISBN: 9781483340401	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $126.00	Bookstore Price: $100.80
ISBN: 9781506332284	Electronic Version	Suggested Retail Price: $78.00	Bookstore Price: $78.00

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Conceptual Frameworks

Conceptual Frameworks Explored and Defined

Elements of a Conceptual Framework

Organization of this Book

Concluding Thoughts: Using Conceptual Frameworks

Chapter 2: Why Conceptual Frameworks?

What (and Where) is Theory?

Whose Theory is It, and Where Does It Come From?

What is a Literature Review, and What is It For?

The Case for Conceptual Frameworks: Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 3: Origins of a Conceptual Framework: The Birth of Grit

Background and context: An overview of the work in focus

The argument

Origins: Conversations with the dead and the living

Formulating the concept: From conversing to inquiring

Forming and advancing the argument

Chapter 4: Excavating Questions

“Excavating” Research Questions

About the Author

Background and Context: An Overview of the Work in Focus

The Argument

Conceptual Frameworks and Research Design

The Co-evolution of Conceptual Frameworks and Research Design

Conceptual Frameworks and Research Design: Concluding Thoughts

Reflection Questions

Chapter 5: The Role of the Conceptual Framework in Data Collection and Fieldwork

Who You Are, How You Think, and What You Study

About the Author

Background and Context: An Overview of the Work in Focus

The Argument

Hyphenated Selves as a Theoretical Framework

The Hyphen as Method: Positionality and Practice

Conceptual Frameworks and Fieldwork: Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 6: Conceptual Frameworks and the Analysis of Data

Examining the Influence of an Ever-Emerging Conceptual Framework

About the Author

Background and Context: An Overview of the Work in Focus

The Argument

From Argument to Analysis

Transcription as Data Analysis

Evolving and Shifting Frameworks of Analysis

Conceptual Frameworks and Data Analysis: Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 7: Expanding the Conversation, Extending the Argument: The Role of Conceptual Frameworks in Presenting, Explaining, and Contextualizing Findings

About the Author

Background and Context: AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK IN FOCUS

Being in Conversation With Theory: Influences on Thought and Action

The Argument

Conclusion

Chapter 8: Reflections on the Making and Re-making of a Conceptual Framework - William K. Dunworth

Developing a Conceptual Framework

Challenges in the field

Revisiting Conceptual Frameworks: Turning Artifacts into Processes

“Everything is data”: Returning to the field

Revising the conceptual framework and integrating findings

Chapter 9: The Conceptual Framework as Guide and Ballast

Developing a Conceptual Framework

Starting Points: Self and Audience

Making—and Breaking—Your Plans

The Conversation: From Listening to Speaking

Strategies and Exercises for Developing Conceptual Frameworks

Identifying Your Interests, Beliefs, and Motivations for Doing Research

Examination of the “Conversations Already Happening”

Ongoing Questions and Concerns about the Research

Concept Maps

Research Memos

Research Journal

Reason and Rigor

Good introductory text on conceptual frameworks for doctoral candidates.

Dr Natalie Bishop

Library Science, Gardner-Webb University

December 2, 2020

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I recommended the first edition to my PhD students and will also recommend this edition which has two new chapters, both of which add depth to subjects. In particular the addition of reflection questions at the end of each chapter encourage the student to think beyond the text and apply the theory to their own research.

Dr Jillian Pooler

Postgraduate Department, Peninsula Schools of Medicine & Dentis

May 19, 2016

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Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

A new Chapter 3 focuses on how conceptual frameworks are developed, profiling Angela Duckworth's seminal work on grit, and addresses the question on the minds of graduate students preparing for the dissertation process: How do I get started?
A new Chapter 8 provides a student's perspective on the role of conceptual frameworks in the research process from beginning to end.
Additional visuals that illustrate key ideas and relationships provide a clear roadmap for the reader.
A revised Chapter 9 synthesizes the book's major themes and provides guiding questions and specific activities to help readers develop and use their own conceptual frameworks.
Updated references and literature in Chapters 1, 2, and 9 reflect the latest work in the field.

KEY FEATURES:

Coverage of how a conceptual framework helps match research questions with methods helps researchers think about collecting, analyzing, describing, and interpreting data.
Examples from research studies by highly-regarded researchers from different fields and disciplines—including Angela Duckworth, James Spillane, Michelle Fine, Frederick Erickson, and Margaret Beale Spencer—are paired with the authors’ own reflections on the research process to show how conceptual frameworks specifically inform research design, data collection, analysis, and writing.