Theoretical foundation or Theoretical framework is one of the elements of scientific research that consists of reviewing texts, articles, books and all relevant material in the area or subject studied.
Also called bibliographic research, it consists of the selection of readings that refer to the subject covered in the study and the ability to interpret, discuss and dialogue with authors in that area, in an attempt to better understand the phenomenon studied.
The theoretical foundation is also important because serves as a guide for the analysis and interpretation of the data collected for the research, as these must be interpreted in light of the existing theoretical framework.
This step is important in scientific research and in course completion work. If well executed, it manages to give credibility to research and place it in the context of the scientific field. In this sense, it should seek reliable sources that offer quality information for research.
Normally, the theoretical foundation is used in two important moments of the research: in the elaboration of the initial project and in its final writing.
In the initial project, the ideas tend not to be very clear about the research objectives and only with its progress is it possible to evaluate what is important to put in terms of information. At these times, the role of the advisor is of fundamental importance to guide the student on which authors and texts to use (appropriate bibliography).
In the final essay, the theoretical foundation is taken as a comparison with the results obtained, to reflect if in fact the student was able to achieve his goals.
Learn more about Theoretical Reference.
How to make a theoretical foundation?
Theoretical foundation is a stage where it is necessary to be very careful not to make mistakes that could harm the quality of the research.
Therefore, some care is needed when preparing this phase, such as:
- observing the technical standards applied to scientific research (ABNT Standards, for example);
- the correct wording of this type of reading, as well as its proper reference;
- not fall into the error of plagiarizing the content that served as a reference for the theorization of the work;
- not be limited to the use of one or two authors to present the approaches previously made on the concept to be analyzed.
See also the meaning of the ABNT.
To assemble the theoretical framework, it is necessary, above all, to identify the key points of the work, that is, the main concepts that involve the object of analysis.
Next, the researcher must trace a path through the entire history of relevant research on the identified central concept. The next step is select the most significant authors who have studied this subject and present their different approaches. Comparing the work of different authors is also important, as it helps to enrich the theoretical foundation.
In short:
- Identify the main concepts of the work;
- Present a history of the main work already done on the subject;
- Identify the different authors' approaches to the concepts.
Example of theoretical foundation
Let's assume that the subject of a Course Conclusion Work (TCC) is about the cinematographic language of the modernist and postmodernist movements, for example.
To develop the theoretical foundation, in addition to looking at the topic, the researcher needs to define the problematization and objectives of the study. After this phase, you will be able to identify which are the main concepts of the work and begin the development of the background on the subject.
In the above example we can assume that the main themes are cinema, modernism and postmodernism. Before proceeding with the analysis it is necessary contextualize and theorize these concepts. For this, the researcher should look for content (books, articles, films, etc.) that deal with these issues and differentiate the various approaches already used by other authors.
The theoretical framework, as the name suggests, serves to provide a theoretical reference point of view on the subject to be analyzed.
See also the meaning of TCC and how to make the methodology for the TCC.