Final answer:
A theory is a conceptual framework that organizes knowledge and provides a blueprint for action. It arises from a rigorously tested and confirmed hypothesis and is fundamental for our understanding of nature.
Step-by-step explanation:
What provides a conceptual framework for organizing knowledge and providing a blueprint for action? Among the options provided - Theory, Model, Framework, Hypothesis - the one that best fits this description is a theory. The National Academy of Sciences defines a 'theory' as a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation. In other words, theories are the bedrock of our understanding of nature and provide broad, fundamental principles for explaining how things work.
In the scientific method, after making observations, a hypothesis is formulated. This hypothesis is then tested through experimentation, and based on the outcomes, it is either accepted, modified, or rejected. Eventually, through this process, a well-supported hypothesis can develop into a scientific theory. In disciplines like sociology, theoretical frameworks lay the groundwork to formulate theories, direct research, and help in making generalizations. Well-established theories in sociology, like structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism, provide explanatory frameworks for analyzing various aspects of social l