The theoretical framework is the “b

The theoretical framework is the “blueprint” for the entire dissertation inquiry. It serves as the guide on which to build
and support your study, and also provides the structure to define how you will philosophically, epistemologically,
methodologically, and analytically approach the dissertation as a whole. Eisenhart defined a theoretical framework
as “a structure that guides research by relying on a formal theory…constructed by using an established, coherent
explanation of certain phenomena and relationships” (1991, p. 205). Thus, the theoretical framework consists of the
selected theory (or theories) that undergirds your thinking with regards to how you understand and plan to research
your topic, as well as the concepts and definitions from that theory that are relevant to your topic. Lovitts (2005)
empirically defines criteria for applying or developing theory to the dissertation that must be appropriate, logically
interpreted, well understood, and align with the question at hand.