"Theoretical frameworks provide a particular perspective, or lens, through which to examine a topic. There are many different lenses, such as psychological theories, social theories, organizational theories and economic theories, which may be used to define concepts and explain phenomena. Sometimes these frameworks may come from an area outside of your immediate academic discipline. Using a theoretical framework for your dissertation can help you to better analyze past events by providing a particular set of questions to ask, and a particular perspective to use when examining your topic."1
Articles and books that incorporate theoretical or conceptual frameworks aren't consistently tagged with terminology that allows them to be easily fournd in literature searches. Searching for these terms in the full text of the articles may surface some. Superior indexing in some databases may include subject headings or descriptors that tag a work with its theoretical framework, but that is not very common. As there is no simple way to identify frameworks you might use for your own research project, persistent and creative searching in the literature, as well as extensive reading, may be your best option.
1 Bezet, Amanda. “Researching Theoretical Frameworks.” Accessed January 24, 2023. https://resources.nu.edu/researchprocess/theoreticalframeworks.
Additional Resources:
The Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper guide at USC is an excellent resource for understanding and applying theoretical frameworks.
Anfara, Vincent, and Norma Mertz. Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2006. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412986335.
The Theoretical Frameworks research guide at National University Library includes an online tutorial on researching theoretical and conceptual frameworks.
Grant, Cynthia, and Azadeh Osanloo. “Understanding, Selecting, and Integrating a Theoretical Framework in Dissertation Research: Creating the Blueprint for Your ‘House.’” Administrative Issues Journal Education Practice and Research 4, no. 2 (2014): 12–26.