Problems in Doing Research

Last issue, this column spoke to the need to insure consistency between the three basic models in every research project; i.e., the theoretical model, the design model, and the analysis model. While the concept of “insuring consistency” seems straightforward, the actual real world assessment of consistency is not easy. Theoretical substruction is one assessment technique for tracking consistency among the three models in a research project’. Theoretical substruction is defined as an assessment or critique process that systematically abstracts from the verbal, theoretical explanation of a research report, its major concepts, and propositions (relationships between concepts) and shows them in a pictorial structure. In other words, a pictorial framework is built from the verbal explanation of the theory underlying the research.