Use when building the conceptual or theoretical framework for an American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) manuscript. AERJ expects a clear framework that frames the question, guides the design and analysis, and elevates a result into a contribution to understanding. Strengthens the framework; it does not invent theory.
SkillScore91Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 6 of 22 without it.
Without skill27%
With skill91%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Response contains the bracketed section header 【Framework】.
Response specifies aerj-research-design in the 【Next】 section.
Response specifies aerj-research-design under the 【Next】 section.
and 15 more in the full report
14 fixed6 passed either way2 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+64 pp
Tokens
+20%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-29%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v120 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 14 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 14
Prompt
What are the six bracketed tags required when summarizing a theoretical framework structure for an education journal manuscript proposal?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Lists the required bracketed tags including 【Framework】, 【Constructs】, 【Propositions/Questions】, 【Contribution】, 【Does-work check】, and 【Next】.
Missed
Passed
case-19 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/15/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md88 linessingle file
Theory & Conceptual Framework (aerj-theory-and-framework)
AERJ rewards work that is theoretically grounded — a framework that frames the question, justifies
the design, and gives the findings meaning for the field. A strong result without a frame reads as a
report, not a contribution. The frame can be a formal theory, a conceptual model, or an interpretive
lens, depending on your methodological tradition and dominant education-research lens.
When to trigger
Articulating the conceptual / theoretical framework section
A reviewer said the paper is "under-theorized" or "atheoretical"
Connecting constructs to measures (quant) or to coding/interpretation (qual)
Stating the propositions, hypotheses, or guiding questions the study tests or explores
How to build the framework
Name the frame and its provenance. Whose theory or which conceptual tradition (learning theory,
organizational theory, sociocultural, critical/equity frameworks, development, etc.)? Cite its
strongest statement, not a textbook gloss.
Make it do work. The framework should generate the questions/propositions, motivate the design
choices, and shape what counts as evidence — not sit decoratively in section 2.
Define constructs operationally. For quantitative work, tie each construct to a measure/indicator
(hand off to aerj-data-analysis). For qualitative work, tie constructs to what you will look for and
how you will interpret it.
State the contribution to understanding. Are you extending, testing, complicating, or
integrating a framework? Be explicit; AERJ values conceptual advance.
Attend to equity and context. Where relevant, the frame should make explicit assumptions about
who, where, and under what conditions the claim holds.
The framework-does-work test
For each major design or analysis choice, write: "We do this because the framework implies ___."
If a choice has no such line, either the choice or the framework is underspecified.
Anti-patterns
A "theory" section that never reappears in design, analysis, or discussion
Borrowing a framework as decoration while the analysis runs on intuition
Hypotheses with no derivation from the frame; or qual coding with no conceptual anchor
Over-claiming a grand theory from a single bounded study