What is the difference between a theoretical and an analytical framework?

Answer 1

The difference between a theoretical and an analytical framework, at least within the Social Sciences, is not always made. Sometimes even the term conceptual framework is used as a substitute but that can be considered a mistake. A conceptual framework only explains concepts not the relation between these concepts in terms of dependent and independent variables. That is exactly what a theoretical framework does in fact. It discusses through an overview of existing literature which theories exist to explain the relations between concepts c.q. variables relevant for your research. If you want to differentiate a theoretical from an analytical framework then the latter concerns a scheme of how you want to research in your particular case the relationship between concepts/variables. In other words: you end the paragraph on the theoretical framework with an analytical scheme/framework for the application of a certain theory or theories or any new theoretical combination of concepts specifically for your research case. Obviously the guiding principle is not only the theoretical framework but also the specific central research question. In fact, there is a close link between the sub-questions in your research and your analytical framework.

Answer 2

1. Literature review is a piece of writing that uses a guiding concept (e.g. research your objective, the problem/issue you're discussing, or the thesis) to give an account of what accredited scholars and researchers have already published. You write an analysis of what knowledge or ideas have been established on a particular subject, listing their strengths and weaknesses in the argument.

2. A Theoretical Framework is a collection of related concepts that guides your research, determine what things you will need to measure and/or what statistical relationship to look for. It is used in deductive, theory-testing studies. Much like a scientific lab experiment, you actually develop a theory, then find ways to research and measure the results instead of finding answers from scholars who have already done the experiment and published their results.

You might use a Theoretical Framework style of logical reasoning to guide you in researching your literary review, but you can't adapt the literary review, along with its statistics, as your personal quantitative research results in the Theoretical Framework experiment.