Literature Review One

Copyright 2012. Edwin Mellen Press. All rights reserved.
. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under
U.S. or applicable copyright law.
CHAPTER THREE
LITERATURE REVIEW
Fig. 3.1: Curiosity
Curiosity. The irresistible urge to .keep reading once everyone else

has long since moved Of).
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Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
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Copyright 2012. Edwin Mellen Press. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under
Introduction
What is a Reviel" of the literature?
A literature review is an account of what has been published on a

topic by accredited scholars and researchers. It discusses published
information in a particular subject area, and sometimes infonnation
in a particular subject area within a certain time period. More often
it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis.
In wTiting the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your
reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic,
and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing,
the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g.,
your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing or
your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the
material available. or a set of summaries. Besides enlarging your
knowledge about the topic. "vriting a literature review lets you gain
and demonstrate skills in two areas:
1.
Information seeking: the ability to scan the literature
efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a
set. of useful articles and books
2.
Critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of
analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.
Essentially therefore, a literature review can be just a simple
summary of the sourceS. but it usually has an organizational
pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a
recap of the important infurmation of the source, but a synthesis is
a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might
give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old
interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the
field. including m~jor debates. And depending on the situation, the
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literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on
the most pertinent or relevant.
Purpose
A literature review is written to highlight specific arguments and
ideas in a field of study. By highlighting these arguments, the
writer attempts to show what has been studied in the field, and also
where the weaknesses, gaps. or areas needing further study are.
The review should therefore also demonstrate to the reader why the
vvTiter's research is useful, necessary, important, and valid.
A literature review must therefore do these things
1.
be organized around and related directly to the thesis or
research question you are developing

2.
synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not
known
3.
identify areas of controversy in the literature
4.
fonmliate questillns that need further research
In engaging yourself with writing a literature review ask

yourself questions like:
1.
What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question
that my literature reyiew helps to define?
What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I
2.
looking at issues of theory? Methodology? Policy? Quantitative
research (e.g. on the effectiveness ofa ne'w procedure)? Qualitative
research (e.g., case studies)?
What is the scopc of my literature reviev,:? What types of
3.
publications am I using (e.g., journals. books, government
documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g.,
education, psychology, technology sociology, medicine)?
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4.
How good \vas my information seeking? Has my search
been \vide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material?
Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the
number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my
paper?
5.
Have I criticaliy analysed the literature I use? Do I follow
through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each
other in the ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and
summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and
weaknesses?
6.
Have I cited ,md discussed studies contrary to my
perspecti v e?
7.
Will the reader find my literature review relevant,
appropriate, and useful?
A literature review is a piece of discursive prose, not a list
describing or summarizing one piece of literature after another. It's
usually a bad sign to see every paragraph beginning with the name
of a researcher. Instead, organize the literature revie\v into sections
that present themes or identify trends, including relevant theory.
You are not trying to Iist all the material published, but to
synthesize and evaluate i! according to the guiding concept of your
thesis or research questiun.
But how is a literatul'e review different from an academic
research paper?
The main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new
argument, and a research paper will contain a literature review as
one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literature as a
foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute.
The fOCllS of a literature review, however, is to summarize and
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synthesize the arguments and ideas of others 'vvithout adding new

contributions.
Strategies for Writing the Literature Review

Find a focus
A literature review, like a ternl paper, is usually organized around
ideas, not the sources themselves as an annotated bibliography
would be organized. This means that you will not just simply list
your sources and go into detail about each one of them, one at a
time. No. As you read \"idely but selectively in your topic area,
consider instead what themes or issues connect your sources
together. Do they present one or different solutions? Is there an
aspect of the field that is missing? How well do they present the
material and do they portray it according to an appropriate theory?
Do they reveal a trend ill the field? A raging debate? Pick one of
these themes to focus the organization of your review.
Construct a working thesis statement

Then use the focus you' \e found to construct a thesis statement.
Yes! Literature reviews have thesis statements as well[ However,
your thesis statement will not necessarily argue for a position or an
opinion; rather it wiI! argue for a particular perspective on the
material. Some sample thesis statements for literature reviews are
as follows:
..
The Cllrrel1l Irc'lld in teaching pedagogy combines
technology and traditional use of the text.
II
More and more /eodership studies scholars are accepting
emotional intelligence as a subject worthy of academic
consideration.
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Consider organization
You've got a focus, and you' ve narrowed it down to a thesis
statement. Now what is the most effective way of presenting the
information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc.,
that your review needs to include? And inwhat order should you
present them? Develop an organization for your review at both a
global and local level:
First, cover the basic categories

Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must
contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or
background informatiun ::'L:ction: the body of the review containing
the discussion of sources. this should relate to the variables in your
study; and, finally, a summary of the review and the gap therein.
For a quantitative stud), or the quantitative strand of a mixed
methods study, write a review of the literature that contains

sections about the likralure related to the independent variables,
and dependent variables. Consider a literature review to be
composed of five components: an introduction, Topic 1 (about the
independent variable). Topic 2 (about the dependent variable),
Topic 3, (studies that .1ddress both the independent and dependent
variables), and a summar\ (Cresw'ell, 2009). Here is more detail
about each section:
I.
Introduce the reviev, by telling the reader about the sections
included in it. This passage is a statement about the organizations

of the section.
Review Topic I, \\ hich addresses the scholarly literature
2.
about the independent variable or variables. With several
independent variables, consider subsections or focus on the single
most important variable. Remember to address only the literature
about the independent \ariable; keep the literature about the
independent and dependent variables separate in this model.
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3.
Review Topic 2, which incorporates the scholarly literature
about the dependent variable or variables. With multiple dependent
variables dependent variables \\Tite subsections about each
variable or focus on a single important dependent variable.
4.
Review topic 3, which include the scholarly literature that
relates the independent variab/e(s) to the dependent variable(s).
Here we are at the crux of the proposed study. Thus, this section
should be relatively short and contain studies that are extremely
close in topic to the proposed study. Perhaps nothing has been
"Written on the topic. Construct a section that is as close as possible
to the topic or review studies that address the topic at a more
general level .
5.
Provide a summary that highlights the most important
studies, captures major themes, suggests why more research is
needed on the topic, and advances how the proposed study will fill
this need.
In qualitative studies, because of the inductive, evolving
methodological design, inquirers may define few temlS at the
beginning, though may advance tentative definitions. Instead,
themes (or perspectives or dimensions) may emerge through the
data analysis. In the procedure section, authors define these terms
in the procedure section as they surface during the process of
research. This approach is to delay the definition of terms until
they appear in the study and it makes such definitions difficult to
specify in research proposals. For this reason, qualitative proposals
often do not include separate sections for definition of terms, but
the writers pose tentative, qualitative definitions before their entry
into the field.
Organizing the body
Once you have the basic categories in place, then you must
consider how you will present the sources themselves within the
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body of your iiterature review. Create an organizational method to

focus this section even further. To help you come up with an
overall organizational i'r,ll11ework for your review, consider the
following scenario and then three typical ways of organizing the
sources into a review:
You've decided to focus your literature review on materials
dealing with schoo! kadership. This is because you've just finished
reading Bass and Bernard (J 998) works on Transformational
Leadership and you are concerned about school turn around. You
start with articles on transformational Leadership written in 1978
by James MacGregor Burns in his analysis of political leaders.
You then check out the vvorks of Bernard M. Bass (1985) which he
added to Bums' theory on Transformational Leadership. You also
look at how Bass and Bruce Avolio (2000) through empirical
study, mapped the most common leadership approaches of
managers and militar) commanders
and therefore placed
Transformational and Transactional Leadership on a continuum
and defined more stages it! the passage between the two leadership
approaches. This l11ake~; ) llU wunder whether as to how this frame
of leadership can be applied in schools in Kenya to bring about a
turnaround in management performance. This leads you to search
academic articles published in the last five years on
transformational leadership and school turnaround in Kenya.
a)
Chronological
If your review follows the chronological method, you could write

about the materials above according to when they were published.
For instance, first you would talk about the genesis of the term
Transformational Leader,hip b introduced in 1978 by James
rvlacGregor Burns in his analysis of political leaders and how his
conclusions centered on the differences between management and
leadership. You will them bring to the fore how he communicated
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the two basic concepts of "transformational" and "transactional"

leadership. You will the pick the works of Bernard 1'.1. Bass In
1985 and how it added to Burns' theory on Transfomlational
Leadership; a..'1d finally the studies in the early 1990's by Bass and
Bruce Avolio, and the recent aliicies on transformational
leadership as it applies to ~ch()ol turnarounds.
But there is relati\ely Ilu cOlltinuity among subjects here. And
notice that even if there \.vere other sources on leadership \\1"itten
recently, they were not about transformational leadership. Thus,
the review loses its chronological focus.
b)
Thematic
Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or

issue, rather than the progression of time.
Thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order.
For instance, a thematic review of material transformational
leadership might examine ho\\ to measure the schools' collective
leadership, a concept which indicates to what extent each source of
leadership (e.g. district leaders, principals and teachers) has
influence on school decision. and associated it with student
outcomes.
The subsections might cunsist of four dimensions which could be
further delineated into specific leadership functions:
(1)
'Setting directions' includes building school vision,
developing specific goals and priorities and holding high
expectations:
(2)
'Developing people' refers to providing intellectual
stimulation, offering individualized support and modelling
desirable professional practices and values;
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(3)
~Redesigning the organization' includes developing a
coliaborative school culture, creating structures to foster
participation in school decisions and creating productive
community relationships: and
(4)
'Managing the instructional programme' refers to the
establishment of stable routines, structures and procedures to
support change.
Here chronological cOI1<sickrations take the back stage.
c.
Methodological
A methodological approach differs from the two above in that the

focusing factor usual!} does not have to do Voiith the content of the
material. Instead, it focuses on the "methods" of the researcher or
writer. For the transformational leadership study, one
methodological approach would be to use a quantitative
correlational research design. The Mayer Salovey Caruso
Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT; ~'1ayer, Salovey, & Caruso,
2002) would be administered to the principals to measure the
variable of emotional intelligence. The second instrument, the
Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ5x; Bass & Avolio,
2000) would be administered to the subordinates to measure the
variables of transformational leadership style, transactional
leadership style, and laissez-faire leadership style.
No matter which method you choose, remember: Within each

section of a literature re\ iew, it is important to discuss how the
research relates to other studies (how is it similar or different, what
other studies have been done, etc.) as well as to demonstrate how it
relates to your own \vorl-:. This is what the review is for: don't
leave this connection (Jm!
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Criticaily reviewing the lileratllre

The review of literature aims to describe the 'state of play' in the
area selected for study. That is. it should describe the point reached
by the discipline of \-vhich the particular research study will form a
part. (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2007) An effective literature
review is not merely a summary of research studies and their
findings. Rathel', it represents a 'distillation' of the essential issues
and inter-relationships associated with tbe knowledge, arguments,
and themes that have been explored in the area. Such literature
reviews describe what hus been written about the area, how this
material has been recein:-d b} other scholars, and the major
research findings across studies. and the major debates in ternlS of
substantive and methodolugical issues. Uuha. and Lincoln. (200S)
discuss types of literature that are of particular use for generating
research ideas. These include: Articles in academic and
professional journals, Reports. and Books.
Of particular use are academic review articles. These articles
contain both a considered review of the state of knowledge in the
topic area and pointers \O\vards areas where further research needs
to be undertaken. In addition you can browse recent publications,
in particular journals, for possible research ideas. For many subject
areas your research advisor will be able to suggest possible recent
review articles. or articles that contain recommendations for
further work. Reports may also be of use. The most recently
published are usually up to date. again, often contain
recommendations that may form the basis of your research idea.
Books by contrast arc Jc:,,, up to date than other written sources.
They do, ho\vever, often ,:ontain a good overvie\v of research that
has been undertaken, which may suggest ideas to you.
Searching for publication is only possible when you have at least
some idea of the area in which you wish to undertake your
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research. One way of obwining this is to re-examine your lecture

notes and course textbooks and to note those subjects that appear
most interesting and the names of relevant authors. This will give
you a basis on which to undertake a preliminary search. When the
articies, reports and otile!" items have been obtained it is often
helpful to look for unfounded assertions and statements on the
absence of research (Raimond, 1993), as these are likely to contain
ideas that will enable you to provide fresh insights.
As part of your studies, you have almost celiainty already been
asked to 'revie\v the literature.' write a 'literature review' or
'critically review the literature' on topics surrounding your
research area. Indeed, challenge in the literature review process is
not because of the associated reading but because of the
requirement both to make judgments as to the value of each piece
of work and to organih' those ideas and findings that are of value
into a review. It is thesL' I wo processes in particular that people
find both difficult and time consuming.
Two major reasons exist for reviewing the literature Guba, and
Lincoln. (2005), The first. the preliminary search that helps you to
generate and refine your 1'I:search ideas. The second often referred
to as the critical review or critical literature review is part of your
research process proper. Most research textbooks, as well as your
research mentor, will argue that this critical review of the literature
is necessary. Although you may feel that you already have a good
knowledge of your re::,earch area, I believe that reviewing the
literature is essential. Research assessment criteria usually require
you to demonstrate awareness of the current state of knowledge by
your subject, its limitations, and how your research fits in this
wider context Crotty. \11. ( 19(8). In Bryman, (2007: 123) words:
There is little point in rein\ enting the wheel ... the work that you
do is not done in a vacuum. but builds on the ideas of other people
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who have studied the field before you. This requires you describe
what has been published, and to marshal the infonnation in a
relevant and critical way.
The significance of your research and ,vhat you find out will
inevitably be judged in relation to other people's research and their
findings. You therefore need both to 'map and assess the existing
intellectual territory' (Tashakkori. and Teddlie. 2003:2(4),
establishing what research has been published in your chosen area,
and, if possible, to try to identify any other research that might
cUlTently be in progress. Consequently, the items you read and
write about \:vil! enhance your subject knowledge and help you to
clarify your research question(s) further. This process is called
critically reviewing the literature.
For most research, your literature search will be an early activity.
Despite this early start, it is usually necessary to continue
searching throughout your research's life. The process can be
likened to an upward spiral, culminating in the final draft of a
VI'fitten critical literature review. In the initial stage of your
literature revie'w, you will start to define the parameters to your
research question(s) and objectives (Saunders et aI, 2007). After
generating key words and conducting your first search, you will
have a list of references to authors \\'ho have published on these
SUbjects. Once these have been obtained, you can read and evaluate
them, record the ideas and start drafting your review. After the
initial search, you will be able to redefine your parameters more
precisely and undertake further searchers, keeping in mind your
research question(s) and objectives. As your thoughts develop,
each subsequent search will be focused more precisely on materia!
that is likely to be relevant. At the same time, you will probably be
refining your research question(s) and objectives in the light of
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your reading. Reviewing the literature critically will provide the

foundation on which your research is built.
HI)"w Does the Literature Reyiew Differ For Qualitative and

Quantitative Studies'?
The precise purpose of your reading of the literature will depend
on the approach you are intending to use in your research. For
some research studies you will use the literature to help you to
identify theories and ideas that you will test using data. This is
known as a deductive approach in which you develop a theoretical
or conceptual framework which you subsequently test using data.
This is quantitative strategy. For other research studies you will be
planning to explore your data and develop theories from them that
you will subsequently relate to the literature. This is known as an
inductive approach and, although your research still has a clearly
defined purpose with research question(s) and objectives, you do
not start with any predetermined theories or conceptual
frarIleworks. This is qualitative strategy, Bryman (:W07). I believe
such an approach cannot be taken without a competent knowledge
of your subject area. It is, however, impossible to review every
single piece of the literature before collecting your data. The
purpose of your literature review is not to provide a summary of
everything that has been VvTitten on your research topic, but to
review the most relevant and significant research on your topic. If
your analysis is effective, new findings and theories will emerge
that neither you nor anyone else has thought about Alise, M.
(2008). Despite this, when you write your critical review, you will
need to show how your findings and theories you have developed
or are using relate to the research that has gone before, thereby
demonstrating that you are familiar with what is already known
about your research topic. Table 3.1 gives a summary of the
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difference
research
In
the characteristics for qualitative and quantitative
Table 3.1: Characteristics of Qualitative vs. Quantitative

Research
-- - - - - - - - - ,
.----.
LITERATURE REVIEW CHARACTERISTICS FOR QUALiTATIVE

AND QUANITATIVE RESEARCH
,-----QUALITATIVE
QUANT ITATIVE
RESEARCH
RESEA RCB
Nominal
Extensiv e
Give good reason for
Give go od reason for need
literature at the start of
need for study! give
for stud),; give explanation
the study
explanation for!
authenticate/
justification
fori auth
justificat:n.
Ion
CHARACTERISTIC
..----
Level of Citation of
the Literature at Start
of the Study
Rationale for use of
Rationale for use of

literature at the end of
Sustain!shore
up/reinforce/strength
the study
en existing findings
in tIle literature
OR
Adjust/revise/alteri
modifY existing
findings in the
ticate~/_~
Validate /bearoutfprov e!attest to prior

predicti ons ITom the
literatur
e
0R
'II
Disprove/counterirebut!
contradi ctfnegate/contest
prior pr edictions ITom the
literature
literature
---
Your reVIew also serves a number of other purposes. Many of

these have been highlighted by Flick, (2002) and include:
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To help you to refine further your research question(s) and

objectives; To highlight research possibilities that have been
overlooked implicitly in research to date; To discover explicit
recommendations for further research. These can provide you with
a superb justification for your own research question(s) and
objectives; To help you to avoid simply repeating work that has
been done already. To sample current opinions in newspaper,
professional and educational journals, thereby gaining insights into
the aspects of your research question(s) and objectives that are
considered newsworthy; To discover and provide an insight into
research approaches, strategies and techniques that may be
appropriate to your research question(s) and objectives.
The gist of the critical review
As you begin to find, read and evaluate the literature, you will need
to think how to combine the academic theories and ideas about
which you are reading to form the critical review that will appear
in your thesis. Your review will need to evaluate the research that
has already been undertaken in the area of your research project,
show and explain the relationships between published research
findings and reference the literature in which they were reported. It
will draw out the key points and trends (recognizing any omissions
and bias) and present them in a logical way which also shows the
relationship to your own research. In doing this you will provide
readers of your thesis with the necessary background knowledge to
your research questions and objectives and establish the boundaries
of your own research. Your review will also enable the readers to
see your ideas against the background of previous published
research in the area. This does not necessarily mean that your ideas
must extend, follow or approve those set out in the literature. You
may be highly critical of the earlier research reported in the
literature and seek to discredit it. However, if you wish to do this
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you must still review this literature, explain clearly why it is

problematic, and then justify your own ideas. In addition, by fully
acknowledging the research of others you will avoid charges of
plagiarism and associated penalties.
Obtaining and Evaluating the Literature

a). Carry out a search for relevant materials
Relevant materials will probably comprise a range of media:
$
books (monographs, text books, reference books);
..
articles from journals, whether print or electronic (but make

sure electronic journals have been subject to the peer
review process);
..
newspaper articles;
..
historical records;
"
commercial reports and statistical infonnation;
government reports and statistical information;
..
theses and dissertations;
..
other types of infonnation which may be relevant to your

particular discipline.
Much the best place to start the search is your own university
library if you are attached to a university. If you are not, find the
nearest academic library V','ith a good collection in your subject
area. Most academic libraries have well qualified and helpful staff
who will be more than happy to help you. Start by looking at their
OP AC (online public access catalogue) which is a database of their
resources. You could also refer to other relevant library catalogues,
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such as the British Library catalogue, the National Union

Catalogue (Library of Congress), and, through their URLs, other
iarge academic libraries. Most libraries will also have indexes of
periodicals, e.g., Business Periodicals Index, and abstracting
services, e.g. Dissertation Abstracts. Keywords are a good search
strategy, and here it is better to use specific rather than general
keywords and phrases.
The Internet-via search engines, metaseal'ch engines, subject
gateways and directories--has become a hugely popular place to
search, but there are also huge pitfalls.
Computer databases of the literature are now available in
libraries, and they quickly provide access to thousands of journals,
conference papers, and materials on many different topics to the
researcher. Academic libraries at most universities globally have
purchased commercial databases as well as obtained databases in
the public domain. Following is a discussion of the major sources
to journal articles and documents that you should consult to
detennine what literature is available on your topic.
ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is a free, online
digital library of education research and information sponsored by
the US government. This database can be found at
http:I;\,v\vw.eric.ed.gov, and ERIC's collection includes journal
articles, books, research syntheses, conference papers, technical
reports, policy papers, and other education-related materials. ERIC
indexes more than 600 journals, and links are available to full-text
copies of many of the materials. To best utilize ERIC, it is
important to identify appropriate descriptors for your topic, the
tern1S used by indexers to categorize article or documents. A useful
strategy for conducting an ERIC search is to locate recent journal
articles and documents on your topic. This process can be
enhanced by conducting a preliminary search using descriptors
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from the online thesaurus and locating a journal article or

document which is on your topic. Then look closely at the
descriptors used in this article and document and run another
search using these terms. This procedure will maximize the
possibility of obtaining a good list of articles for your literature
review.
Another free database to search is Google Scholar. It provides a
way to broadly search for literature across many disciplines and
sources, such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts,
and articles from academic publishers, professional societies,
universities, and other scholarly organizations. The articles
identified in a Google Scholar search provide links to abstracts,
related articles, electronic versions of articles affiliated with a
library you specify.
Academic libraries also have site licenses to important commercial
databases. One typically available is Pro Quest (http://proquest.
com), which enables a researcher to search many different
databases, and it is one of the largest online content repositories in
the world. For example, you can search ERIC, PsyINFO,
Dissertation Abstracts, Periodical Index, and many more
specialized databases. Because it taps into many different
databases, it can be one search tool to use before using more
specialized databases.
In summary, in searching computer databases the following
approaches are useful:
Use both the free, online literature databases as well as

those available through your academic library.
Search several data bases, even if you feel that your topic is
not strictly education, as found in ERIC, or psychology, as
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found in PsycINFO. Both ERIC and PsycINFO view

education and psychology as broad terms for many topics.
Use guides to terms to locate your articles, such as a
thesaurus, when available.
Locate an article that is close to your topic, then look at the
terms used to describe it, and use these ternlS in your
search.
Use databases that provide access to full-text copies of your
articles (through academic libraries or for a fee) as much as
possible so that you can reduce the amount of time
searching for copies of your articles.
If you are fairly new to research, you could do well to acquaint
yourself with the pitfalls of evaluating material on the Internet.
Evaluate the materials

Here are some points to consider when evaluating material (please
note that this is not an exhaustive list).
Initial appraisal from raw bibliographical data:
-r
What are the author's credentials, are they an expert in the

field? Are they affiliated to a reputable organization?
What is the date of publication, is it sufficiently current or

will knowledge have moved on?
If a book, is it the latest edition?
Is the publisher a reputable, scholarly publisher?
If it is a journal, is it a scholarly journal which has been

peer reviewed?
Appraisal based on content analysis:
Is the writer addressing a scholarly audience?

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Does the author review the relevant literature?
Does the author wTite from an objective vie\vpoint, and are

their views based on facts rather than opinions?
If the author uses research, is the design sound?
Is it primary or secondary material?
Does the author have a particular theoretical vievI'Point,

e.g., feminist?
\Vhat is the relationship of this v'Iork to other material you

have read on the same topic, does it substantiate it or add a
different perspective?
Is the author's argument logically organized and clear to

follow?
If the author is writing from a practice-based perspective,

what are the implications for practice?
The Construction of the Literature Review

Define the Problem
It is important to define the problem or area which you wish to
address. Having a purpose for your literature review will narrow
the scope of what you need to look out for when you read. A
literature review is a sunrey and discussion of the literature in a
given area of study. It is a concise overview of what has been
studied, argued, and established about a topic, and it is usually
organized chronologically or thematically. A literature review is
\vritten in essay format. It is not an annotated bibliography,
because it groups related works together and discusses trends and
developments rather than focusing on one item at a time. It is not a
summary; rather, it evaluates previous and current research in
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regard to how relevant and/or useful it is and how it relates to your

own research. Regardless of the type of study, several steps are
usefui in conducting a literature review.
Conceptualization of the Literature Review Path

A literature review means locating and summarizing the studies
about a topic. Often these are research studies (since you are
conducting a research study), but they may also include conceptual
articles or thought pieces that provide frameworks for thinking
about topics. There is no single way to conduct a literature review,
but many scholars proceed in a systematic fashion to capture,
evaluate, and summarize the literature (Creswell, 2009). This is the
recommended path;
1.
Begin by identifying key words, useful in locating

materials in an academic library at a college or university.
These key words may emerge in identifying a topic or may
result from preliminary readings.
2.
With these key words in mind, next go to the library and

begin searching the catalog for holdings (Le., journals and
books). Most major libraries have computerized databases,
and I suggest you focus initially on journals and books
related to the topic. Also, begin to search the computerized
databases, and I suggest you focus initially 011 journals and
books related to the topic. Also, begin to search the
computerized data bases that are typically reviewed by
social science researchers, such as ERIC, PsycINFO,
Sociofile, the Social Science Citation Index. Google
Scholar, ProQuest, and others. These databases are
available online using the library's Web site or they may be
available on CD-ROM.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Initially, try to locate about 50 reports of research in

articles or books related to research on your topic. Set a
priority on the search for joumal articles and books because
they are easy to locate and obtain. Determine whether these
articles and books exist in your academic library or whether
you need to send for them by interlibrary loan or purchase
them through a bookstore.
Skim this initial group of articles or chapters, and duplicate
those that are central to your topic. Throughout this
process, simply try to obtain a sense as to whether the
article or chapter will make a useful contribution to your
understanding of the literature.
As you identify useful literature, begin designing a
literature map. This is a visual picture (or figure) of
groupings of the literature on the topic, that illustrates hm>,'
your particular study will contribute to the literature,
positioning your o\vn study within the larger body of
research,
As you put together the literature map, also begin to draft
summaries of the most relevant articles. These summaries
are combined into the final literature review that you write
for your proposal or research study. Include precise
references to the literature using an appropriate style guide,
such as the American Psychological Association (APA)
style manual (APA, 2006) so that you have a complete
reference to use at the end of the proposal study.
After summarizing the literature, assemble the literature
review, structuring it thematically or organizing it by
important concept. End the literature review with a
summary of the major themes and suggest how your
particular study further adds to the literature.
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Questions a Literature Review Should Answer:

Asking questions such as the following will help you sift
through your sources and organize your literature review.
Remember, the literature review organizes the previous
research in the light of what you are planning to do in your
own project.
What's been done in this topic area to date? What

are the significant discoveries, key concepts, arguments,
andior theories that scholars have put forward? Which are
the important works?
On which particular areas of the topic has previous

research concentrated? Have there been developments over
time? What methodologies have been used?
t
Are there any gaps in the research? Are there areas
that haven't been looked at closely yet, but which should
be? Are there new ways of looking at the topic?
t
Are there improved methodologies for researching
this subject?
t
What future directions should research

subject take?
In
this
t
How will your research build on or depart from
current and previous research on the topic? What
contribution will your research make to the field?
Length
The length of a literature review varies depending on its purpose
and audience. In a thesis or dissertation, the review is usually a full
chapter (at least 20 pages), but for an assignment it may only be a
few pages.
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The Actual Writing of the Literature Review

This will take the following into consideration:
Writing the Introduction

In the introduction, you should:
Define or identUY the general topic, issue, or area of

concern, thus providing an appropriate context for
reviewing the literature.
Point out overali trends in what has been published about

the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence,
and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a
single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.
Establish the writer's reason (point of view) for reviewing

the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing
and comparing literature and the organization of the review
(sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain
literature is or is not included (scope).
Writing the Body

In the body, you should:
Group research studies and other types of literature

(reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according
to common denominators such as qualitative versus
quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific
purpose or objective, chronology, etc.
Summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as

little detail as each merits according to its comparative
importance in the literature, remembering that space
(length) denotes significance.
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Provide the reader with strong "umbrella" sentences at

beginnings of paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief
"so what" summary sentences at intermediate points in the
review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.
Writing the Summary/Cdtique of the Literature and the Gap

Therein
In the conclusion, you should:
Summarize major contributions of significant studies and

articles to the body of knowledge under review,
maintaining the focus established in the introduction.
Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the body of

knowledge reviewed, pointing out mqjor methodological
flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and
findings, and areas or issues peliinent to future study.
-r
Provide the gap your study proposes to fill.
l'
Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship

between the central topic of the literature review and a
larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific
endeavor, or a profession.
Revise x 3 or More!
Draft in hand? Now you're ready to revise. Spending a lot of time
revising is a wise idea, because your main objective is to present
the material, not the argument. So check over your review again to
make sure it follows the assignment and/or your outline. Then, just
as you would for most other academic forms of writing, rewrite or
rework the language of your review so that you've presented your
i11fol111ation in the most concise manner possible. Be sure to use
terminology familiar to your audience; get rid of unnecessary
jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you've documented
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your sources and formatted the reviev,j appropriately for your

discipline.
Audience
Literature reviews can have different types of audiences, so
consider why and for whom you are writing your review. For
example, a lot of literature reviews are written as a chapter for a
thesis or dissertation, so the audience will want to know in what
way your research is important and original. Highlighting the gap
in knowledge which your research aims to fill is particularly
important in this instance because you need to convince the reader
that there is an opening in the area of study. A literature review in
a proposal will similarly try to convince the audience of the
significance and worthiness of the proposed research, In contrast,
when you are writing a literature review for a course, your
professor may want you to show that you understand what research
has been done, giving you a base of knowledge. In this case, you
may not need to focus as much on proving where the gaps in
knowledge lie, but rather, that you know what the major areas of
study and key ideas are.
Finally: How to Write a Convincing Literature Review!
Step 1: Read a lot.

Sounds simplistic, but the fact is that yon do have to read a Jot, and
read with care and purpose, There are things that you can do within
the process to make your life easier, and the purpose of this short
document is to point some of them out. Hopefully, this will help.
However, there is no substitute for good, thorough, and hard work.
When you start your reading, start broadly. If you have an area you
are interested in, such as computers in education, multi-media,
distance education, web-based instruction, or some other specific
concentration, start your reading in those areas. Course assigned
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reading will help, but you will have to branch outwards and
inwards. Don't be afraid to follow an area that seems not to be
related to your area. You are trying to define your interests. Allow
yourself the freedom to do that. Here are some tips on how you
might branch out, and/or focus in:
a)
Look carefully at the references. Should the author raise a

salient point that interests you and they happen to cite
somebody, look up the citation and read the original source.
The original source will have its own references, follow
these. Repeat as necessary.
b)
Read from tangentially related fields. Don't be afraid to

look outside of the literature in education to other areas.
Educational Psychology, Human Resources, Computer
Science, and Communications Studies are but a fev" of the
related fields .vith important information related to our
field.
Step 2: Define the area.

The purpose of a literature is to review all of the relevant literature
on a particular topic. All of the Information. A daunting task, no
doubt. The reason we do this is to see what has been said about the
subject in order to couch our own research within the context of
the existing body ofliterature. We are trying to ADD to that body.
It is important to know what that body of knowledge says so that
we kIlO".,.' where our own work should go, and, ultimately, does go.
Keep in mind that when you are reviewing the literature, typically
you are looking at the literature that deals with your particular area.
So if you are looking at motivation in Learning situations, you
would focus on the literature on motivation, and not everything
ever written about learning.
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With that said, you will be reading a lot. No doubt about it.
However, there are a few things you could do to make your life
easier, and your work more focused.
a)
Define the sources you will iook to for information. With

the explosion in our access to information, this becomes
more and more important. At the beginning of your review
of the literature, state what indices, libraries, and other
sources you may have looked at. Indices might be, ERIC,
Psyc Lit, or other bound or electronic repositories of
printed information. Libraries other than your own can be
searched. Intemet access through Gopher or the WWW wiii
allow you to search libraries from here to Ice Land in the
North Pole. Tell your reader where you looked.
b)
Exclude things that are not relevant. When I was doing a

study on the impact of HIVIA IDS on the education sector, I
intentionally did not look at literature related to the medical
aspect of mv / AIDS. I did not need infonnation that was
not related to the impact of mY/AIDS on the education
sector. The point is, I saved myself time and effort in not
reading irrelevant, or inconsequential material. There were
references tons of references on the medical aspects of
mv /AIDS, but they were 110t critical references to my
study.
c)
Make no apologies. Don't teU me your literature review is

flawed from the beginning. Tell the reader where you
looked, what you excluded, but don't tell them that there
are hundreds of libraries \Nhere you didn't look. As a
reader, I depend on you, the researcher to make good
decisions.
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Step 3: Keeping track ofal! afthis stuff.

The hard part is trying to make sense of a body of literature that
you will read over a period of, literally, years. In that time, trends
will cha..'1ge, and new things will happen. It is your job to keep
track of all of this so when it comes time to \\'rite the literature
review, you (1) know what you are talking about, and (2) don't
have to re- read everything. Here are some tips on how to manage
all of this information.
a)
Copy articles. Whenever you read something that seems

impOltant, copy it and put it in a file. Even if you think it
may not be important, copy it any way. Importance may
grow on you.
b)
Write down all bibliographic infonnation on the copy of

the article. Or, copy the table of contents of the journal or
book. Double check when you copy the information that
you have all the bibliographic infonnation. I can't tell you
how frustrated I was when trying to write a reference list
when I had forgotten to get all ofthe infonnation.
c)
Note cards versus data bases. I know some people who take
notes on }"x5" index cards. Other people create databases
of information of all they have read. You decide what
works for you. The point is that you will need to keep track
of all of this in a fonn you can use. EndNote Plus is a piece
of commercially available software that is made
specifically for handling and f0l111atting bibliographic
information for ""Titers.
Step 4: Writing it up.

When writing a literature reVIew, keep in mind that you are
reviewing the literature, not summarizing it. For example, if
Gathenya, (1992) conducted a study which found that Principals of
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schools preferred administrative aspects to instructional leadership,

you \vant to say something like the foHowing:
Gathenya, (1992). found that principals preferred
administrative to instructional leadership.
You do not want to do this:
Gathenya, (I 992). conducted a study on types of
leadership in secondary schools in Kenya. She used
the Multifactor Leadership Instrument-MLQ5x to
assess the level of transformationai leadership in
selected principals from Rift Valley Province. 200
principals v,'ere broken were broken il1to three
groups based on the categorization of their schools.
Group one consisted of principals of National
schools, group two those heading provincial schools
and group three those in district schools.
The point is that in reviewing literature, you do not have to
summarize it. If I want to read it, I wilL There are exceptions. If
you are proving a patticular study, or disproving a particular study,
then you would want to give more information on the study than
the outcomes and the author with citation, But what you are trying
to do is prove a point, and you are trying to write well and cogently
within the confines of APA format. Use the literature as examples
to make your point.
Additionally, if you are citing a bunch of people who say the same
thing, summarize the basics of their point and cite them in a string,
For example:
While Gathenya, (1992). says that principals lack
transformational leadership skills, her findings were
questioned and disproved by a number of people
who found that there was a significant level of
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transfomlational leadership skills among schools

principals in Kenya (Ayiro, 2009;. Okumbe, 1999;
Goddard, 2004; Bush & Oduro, 2006).
For some areas of study, there are a large number of people doing
studies on the topic. For example, the literature is full of studies of
learner control. Some studies say that more learner control is
better, some say that less learner control is better. You can report
that through a narrative, but a chart indicating the authors of the
studies, the findings of the studies, and where the authors fall in all
of this could be helpful as well:
Authors
Type of study
Findings
Problems with the

study
Jones,
1999
2-tailed t- Test
Not
documentab
Ie
Killed the control

group.
Ullmer,
2001
Case Study
Users are
more likely
to like more
learner
control if
they are
bribed.
Author convicted of
subject bribing.
Williams,
1998
3x3x3
Preference
for less
learner
controL
Small sample size

(n=2)
Factorial
design
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Literature reviews don't have to necessarily be long, they just have

to be complete. Anything that you can do to help your reader
process this information, and possibly cut down on your own
narratives will be appreciated by your reader.
Conclusion
The most common mistakes people make are that they don't do
enough literature, or they do too much literature, or they
summarize the literature rather than review it. Remember that you
are trying to set the stage for your ovm \'.:ork, and that outside of
the dissertation, you \\rill never have more than about 2 pages in
which to do it. I would recommend that you read some literature
reviews to find out how others have done this. See what you like,
and what you do not like. The Review of Educational Research
(RER) publishes nothing but literature reviews. Additionally,
check library for dissertations done that have convincing literature
reviews. Also, I would give this book the very important caveat
that my opinions on what is a good literature review may be
different than somebody else's. These types of activities are nearly
always situational: What works well as a literature review for one
study may not work for another. Listen to what I have said, and
always be open to other ideas.
"\Vriting a summary of the Literature Review:

This is a written summary of the literature and describes past and
current infommtion and research done on the topic. It is organized
in topics and reports the literature based on themes or individual
studies. The literature review brings out the need for your proposed
study. It represents a critique of the literature encountered and the
Gap therein.
Below is an illustration from the an article;
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Ayiro, L. P. (2010). The role of social entrepreneurship in

HIV /AIDS management across the education sector in Kenya
Journal of European Industrial Training, 34(2), 167-182.
Summary or Critique Of the Literature and the Gap Therein.

The review of literature has produced reoccurring themes
emphasizing the negative impact of HIV and AIDS on the
education sector (Mkumba and Edwards, 1992; Venier, Ross and
Akande, 1997; IBRD/\VB, 2002; Nwolocha and Nwakoby, 2002;
Barnett and Whiteside, 2002b; MTT, 2003; Kelly, 2003b; Nyaga et
af. 2004; UNESCO, 2005a; UNAIDS 2006; Coombe, 2002). The
above studies were essentially impact studies with very little
research relating to the management of the response to HIV /AIDS
impact mitigation. The literature also suggested that
entrepreneurial management facilitates effective performance of
organizations (Stevenson, 1983; Stevenson and Gumpert, 1985;
Stevenson and Jarillo, 1990a; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Block and
MacMillan, 1997; Brown, Davidsson and Wiklund, 2001) that in
turn enhances organizational performance (Zahra 1991). Most of
these studies were conducted on profit making organizations. Very
limited research on entrepreneurial management has been
conducted
on
non-profit
organizations.
Entrepreneurial
management was contrasted with administrative management
(Stevenson, 1983, Kanter, 1985; Stevenson and Gumpert, 1985;
Stevenson and Jarillo, 1990a). Entrepreneurial management
focuses on innovation, flexibility, proactiveness, risk-taking
propensity (Kanter 1985), conversely, administrative management
is geared towards existing activities and holding things in place to
ensure continuation of already developed activities. However, no
study has attempted to contrast entrepreneurial management with
administrative management practices. This study attempted to
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infuse the two types and their respective outcomes in the area of
HIViAIDS.
I hope from the above summary you get the gist of \>,'hat a
summary of literature really entaiis. Good Luck!
Form of Referencing
In writing references, one is expected to use an accepted style

manual. Headings, tables, figures, and the overall format also
require use of a specific style manual. A style manual provides a
structure for citing references, labeling headings, and constructing
tables and figures for scholarly research report.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association, 6 th edition (APA 2010), style manual is the most
The
popular style guide in educational research. Other guides available

are the Chicago Manual of style, 15th edition (University of
Chicago Press, 2003), and The Modern Language Association
(MLA) Style.
In this book we adopt the American Psychological Association
(APA) mode of nomenclature as illustrated below.
References items are listed alphabetically at the end of the
research paper. In-text citations (also called parenthetical
citations) appear in the body of the paper and refer to items in the
References list. Elements will vary according to the source you are
citing.
Book in Print:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title. City, State: Publisher.
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Article in Print:
Author, A. A. (Year, month, day). Article title. Journal Title, v(i),
page -- page.
Electronic Article with a.o.i:

Author, A. A. (Year, month, day). Article title. Journal Title, v(i),
page -- page. a.o.i ( digital object Identifier): #
Electronic Article without d.o.i.:

Author, A. A. (Year, month, day). Article title. Journal Title. v(i),
page - page. Retrieved from Journal homepage URL.
Tips for In-Text Citations

1.
When you already mention an author in the text, cite only
the date. Ex: Mibei states that libraries are wonderful places to
study. (2009)
2.
When you do not mention the author in the text, include
author and date in the citation. (Mibei, 2009)
3.
For in-text direct quotes, add page numbers: (Mugenda,
1991, p.13) if each issue starts with page 1, include the issue
number in parentheses.
Book with One Author

Reference:
Ross, S. G. (2009). The birth offeminism: rVoman as intellect in
Renaissance Italy and England. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press.
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In -Text: (Ross, 2009)
Book "vith Two to Five Authors

Reference:
Ayiro L.P. & SangJ.K (2010) Leadership and Management in
Educational Institutions. USA: Lambert Academic Publishing.

In-Text: (two authors): (Ayiro & Sang, 2010)
Electronic Book
Pacek, N., & Thorniley, D. (2007). Emerging markets: Lessons/or
business success and the outlook for different markets. Retrieved
from http://common.books24x7.com. libproxy.library.'ivmich.eduJ
booklid_22049lbook.asp
In-text: (Pacek & Thorniley, 2007)
Book Chapter
Reference
Ron, W. P. (1976). ESP and memory. In 1.M.O. Wheatley & H.L.
Edge (Eds.), Philosophical dimensions 0/ parapsychology (pp.
154-184). Springfield, IL: American Psychiatric Press.
In-Text: (Roll, 1976)
Encyclopedia Article
Reference
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Freeman, A., & Christner, R. (2005). Personality Disorders. In A.

Freeman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of cognitive behavior therapy (pp.
280- 285). New York: Springer.
In-Text: (Freeman, 2005)

Do not spell out first names. Only use initials. With 6 or more
authors, use the abbreviation et al. Ex: (Jones, et al., 2006)
Journal Article with One Author in Print

Reference:
Ayiro L.P (2010). An Analysis of Emotional Intelligence and the
Performance of Principals in Selected Schools in Kenya. Journal
ofAdvances in Developing Human Resources, 11(6) 719-746.
In-Text: (Ayiro, 2010)
Journal article read online with DOl

Gaudio, J. 1., & Snowdon, C. T. (2008). Spatial cues more salient
than color cues in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) reversal
learning. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 122, 441- 444. doi:
10.1037/0735-7036.122.4.441
In-text: (Gaudio & Snowden, 2008)
Journal article read online without DOl

Carter, S., & Dunbar-Odorn, D. (2009). The converging literacies
center: An integrated model for writing programs. Kairos: A
Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, 14(1). Retrieved
from http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/
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In-text: (Carter & Dunbar-Odom, 2009)
Journal Article 'Two or More Authors in Print

Reference:
Ayiro, L.P., & Sang, J.K. (2011). The award of the PhD degree in
Kenyan universities: a quality assurance perspective, Qua!i~y in
Higher Education, 17(2), 163-178.
In-Text (two authors): (Ayiro & Sang, 2011).
In-Text (three to five authors): (Ayiro, Sang, Barasa, &
Eshitemi, 2010)
Magazine Article with One Author in Print

Reference:
Gibbs. N. (2009, November 30). Can these parents be saved? Time,
174(15),55.
In-Text: (Gibbs, 2009)
List all of the authors in the l sl citation, then use "et a1." for
subsequent citations: (Smith, et aI., 1994) Article title Journal Title
Magazine Article with No Author in Print

Reference:
Dashboard. (2007, June 1 I) Time. /69(24),20.
In-Text: ("Dashboard," 2007)
Magazine article read through an online database

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Park, A. (2009, September 14). A shot at cancer. Time, 174(10),

32-39. Retrieved from yvww.time.com
In-text: (Park, 2009)
Newspaper Article in Print

Ayiro, P.L., (2011, May, 24). Reforming Our Education
System for the 21 st Century Must Be Evidence Based. The
Daily Nation, pp.15
In text: (Ayiro, 2011)
Newspaper Article Electronic

Ayiro, P., L. (2012, January 29). The right way to reform our
education system. The Standard Newspaper. Retrieved from
lill.J2:I/vv\\\V .standard lnedia.co. ke/commen laries
In text: (Ayiro, 2012)
Newspaper Article with No Author

Reference:
What's news -. (2009, November 24). The Wall Street Journal, p.
Al.
In-Text: ("What's News -," 2009)
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Dissertations
Reference:
Mulligan, T. P. (2009). The relationship of music preference and
music function "pith coping ill universi~v students. (Doctoral
Dissertation). Retrie,/ed from Proquest Dissertations and Theses
database. CUMI No. 1876301581)
In-Text: (Mulligan, 2009)
Educational Resources Information Center Report (ERIC)

from ERIC-go'\'
Reference:
Gallup Rodriguez, A. (2009). Teaching grammar to adult English
language learners: Focus on form. If the article does not have a
D.O.1., list the homepage for the magazine. Give the URL of the
home page to avoid nonworking URLs and URL rot. If it is a print
dissertation, include the University name. Months are not
abbreviated.
CAELA Network Brief Center for Adlilt English Language

Acquisition; Retrieved from ERIC database. (EDSOS388).
Retrieved from CSA ERIC database.
In-Text: (Gallup Rodriguez, 2009)
Websites
Reference:
MIT Comparative Media Studies (2009). Research initiatives.
Retrieved from http://cms.miLedu
In-Text: ("Research Initiatives," 2009)

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Tips for formatting the Reference List

1.
Start your References list on a new page at the end of the

research paper.
2.
Include page numbers and continue the pagination in the

body of the paper.
3.
Include the running head on the References page.
4.
Center the word "References" at the top of the page.
S.
List references alphabetically.
6.
Double space all entries.
7.
Use hanging-indent formatting in the reference list.
8.
Capitalize only the first word of the title.
9.
Include the D.O.I. number (digital object identifier number)

when available.
Ross, S. G. (2009). The birth of feminism: Woman as intellect in

Renaissance Italy and England. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press.
Smith, R. C., & Jones, L. (1991) The phenology of mesotrophic
grassland in the Pennine Dales, NOlihem England: Historic hay
cutting dates, vegetation variation and plant species phenologies.
Journal ofApplied Ecology, 28,42-59.
Vanden, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference
elements in the selection of resources by psychology
undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.
Retrieved from http://jbr.org/artic1es.html
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BRAIN TEASERS AND STRETCHERS 3

1.
The use of the literature in a qualitative study tends to

differ from its use in a quantitative study in what way?
2.
The literature review procedure of going to a library and

scanning the table of contents of key journals for the last 10
years would be especially helpful in what aspects of
literature review?
3.
Identify the approaches useful in locating literature for a

literature reviev,'.
4.
You read the foHowing description of a study in a journal

article: "Smith (1993) identified three strategies department
chairs used in universities to help mentor faculty who
aspire to become good teachers: class visits, discussions
with master teachers, and organized classroom
discussions." This quote illustrates what type of source of
information for a literature review?
5.
If you are new to a topic and have not studied or read about
it before, it is useful to .begin your literature review by
consulting ,>vhat type of sources?
6.
If you were to set a priority on searching one database for

your educational literature review for a study, what
database would you search?
7.
For what reason would you be cautious about using papers

posted to Web sites on the Internet for your literature
review?
8.
Using the computerized ERIC system, what procedure is

often used to nan-ow a topic to locate a reasonable number
of ERIC documents?
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9.
In the qualitative research study, the literature at the

begilming of the study is intended for what purpose?
10.
The literature review in the beginning of a quantitative

study serves what puopose?
11.
What levels of AP A headings are typically used m

educational research?
12.
Identify how you would narrow your computerized ERIC

search to research studies so that you capture important
data-based studies on your topic.
13.
Define the meaning of a secondary source of information.
14.
Identify the aspects of a good abstract that are located in

this quantitative abstract at the beginning of a research
study. "This study explores the meaning of women's
education in Third WorId countries. Eleven women in
Kenya were asked to participate in this qualitative study.
Each woman had a life story to tell about her experiences in
education, and the themes developed from these stories
indicated
educational
experiences
shaped
by
marginalization, limited admission, hopeful aspirations, and
control by cultural dispositions."
15.
Take the following within-text reference to the literature

and rewrite it to represent a good model of a reference in
APA style.
Poor Model:"Fred Nafukho (2008, p. 45) showed that consumer

consumption at fairs ...
Good Model:
16.
Take the following within-text reference to the literature

and reVvTite it to represent a good model of a reference in
APA style:
148
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Poor Model:
"Several authors have concluded that consciousness resides within
a sphere of the brain where learning best occurs (Eshiwani, 1994;
Sang, 1996; Olembo cited in Oluoch, 1990)."
Good l\,'iodel:
17.
Define the difference between a study-by-study review of

the literature and a thematic review of the literature.
18.
Examine the foHowing poor model of an end-of-text

reference. ReiNrite the example so that it reflects
appropriate APA end-of-text reference style.
Poor Model:
Laban P. Ayiro & James K. Sang (2011): The award of the PhD
degree in Kenyan universities: a quality assurance perspective,
Quality in Higher Education, 17:2, 163- J78
Good Model:
18.
Take a topic of your choice and identify the steps that you
would use to conduct a computer search of the ERIC
database. These steps need not necessary be listed in order
for them to be correct.
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Literature Review One

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Copyright 2012. Edwin Mellen Press. All rights reserved.

Fig. 3.1: Curiosity

Curiosity. The irresistible urge to .keep reading once everyone else

A literature review is an account of what has been published on a

be organized around and related directly to the thesis or

research question you are developing

synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not

identify areas of controversy in the literature

fonmliate questillns that need further research

In engaging yourself with writing a literature review ask

synthesize the arguments and ideas of others 'vvithout adding new

Strategies for Writing the Literature Review

Construct a working thesis statement

First, cover the basic categories

methods study, write a review of the literature that contains

Introduce the reviev, by telling the reader about the sections

included in it. This passage is a statement about the organizations

body of your iiterature review. Create an organizational method to

If your review follows the chronological method, you could write

the two basic concepts of "transformational" and "transactional"

Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or

A methodological approach differs from the two above in that the

No matter which method you choose, remember: Within each

Criticaily reviewing the lileratllre

research. One way of obwining this is to re-examine your lecture

your reading. Reviewing the literature critically will provide the

HI)"w Does the Literature Reyiew Differ For Qualitative and

the characteristics for qualitative and quantitative

Table 3.1: Characteristics of Qualitative vs. Quantitative

LITERATURE REVIEW CHARACTERISTICS FOR QUALiTATIVE

Give good reason for

Give go od reason for need

literature at the start of

need for study! give

for stud),; give explanation

Rationale for use of

Validate /bearoutfprov e!attest to prior

Your reVIew also serves a number of other purposes. Many of

To help you to refine further your research question(s) and

you must still review this literature, explain clearly why it is

Obtaining and Evaluating the Literature

books (monographs, text books, reference books);

articles from journals, whether print or electronic (but make

commercial reports and statistical infonnation;

government reports and statistical information;

theses and dissertations;

other types of infonnation which may be relevant to your

such as the British Library catalogue, the National Union

from the online thesaurus and locating a journal article or

Use both the free, online literature databases as well as

found in PsycINFO. Both ERIC and PsycINFO view

Evaluate the materials

What are the author's credentials, are they an expert in the

What is the date of publication, is it sufficiently current or

If a book, is it the latest edition?

Is the publisher a reputable, scholarly publisher?

If it is a journal, is it a scholarly journal which has been

Appraisal based on content analysis:

Is the writer addressing a scholarly audience?

Does the author review the relevant literature?

Does the author wTite from an objective vie\vpoint, and are

If the author uses research, is the design sound?

Is it primary or secondary material?