Use when building or using conceptual and theoretical frameworks in qualitative research.
A conceptual framework organizes key concepts and their proposed relationships for inquiry. A theoretical framework anchors the study more explicitly in named theories. Frameworks can clarify focus—or force data if deployed insensitively.
The boundary is fuzzy in practice; be explicit about what you are doing.
In case studies, ethnographies, or thematic analyses, frameworks can:
In Glaserian classic GT, avoid importing a substantive-area framework before emergence. Literature prior to analysis can force categories. Instead, develop theoretical sensitivity through broad reading outside the substantive area and through memoing.
If a framework appears later, treat extant theory as more data to compare against your emergent theory.
Framework-first approaches can be appropriate when:
Use boxes for constructs, arrows for proposed influences, footnotes for contested links. Keep legends and definitions adjacent; avoid spaghetti diagrams.
Sensitizing concepts give direction without determining findings: they suggest what kinds of things matter (e.g., “career,” “negotiation”) while leaving content open.
If you start with sensitizing concepts, log every moment a concept did not fit—those moments often birth new categories.