Creating a theoretical framework: On the move structure of theoretical framework sections in research articles related to language and linguistics

Abstract

This study analyzes the theoretical framework (TF) section of the research article. It is based on a dataset of 20 TFs from nine linguistics journals covered by the Web of Science in its Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), especially those related to applied and social aspects of linguistics. Adopting a contextualist view of rhetorical moves, this paper proposes a theory-centered perspective from which to examine the TFs of research articles. The proposed model - Creating a Theoretical Framework (CATF) - consists of three moves: Providing a theoretical background, Establishing a theoretical framework, and Sharpening the significance/focus of one's study that uses the framework. Each move is achieved by a combination of strategies. The results show that although the combination and sequence of strategies in each move may vary, certain strategy patterns occurred frequently. This paper offers pedagogical suggestions regarding the teaching of the TF section and concludes with remarks on connections between the CARS and CATF models.