The Use of Conceptualizations and Theories with Qualitative Methods

A clearly articulated conceptualization, conceptual framework, or theory is critical to well-designed and rigorously executed quantitative and qualitative research projects. Quantitative researchers generally use conceptual frameworks and theories to explain hypotheses, predict outcomes, guide data collection methods, and interpret findings. On the other hand, qualitative researchers use conceptualizations and/or theories as a theoretical lens by which they understand a phenomenon, selecting the appropriate qualitative approach, the sampling strategies, interview questions, analyze data, and interpret and present findings. In this chapter, I describe, with exemplars from my research, the ways conceptualizations and theories might be useful when using qualitative methods in SDOH research.