Literature ReviewsDr. Wayne E. Wright

Royal University of Phnom Penh

Purpose of a Literature Reviews in a Thesis or Research Report

To learn what is already known about your research topic

To identify gaps in the literature where more research is needed

To justify to your own study Show that little to no research has been done on your

particular focus (topic, geographical area, type of research site, type of students, etc.)

To show why your study is an important one.

To demonstrate your skills as a scholar You have read and understood the research on your topic You are able to synthesize the literature and identify

gaps You can justify your own research as important

Major Steps in Preparing a Literature Review

1. Select a topic1. Modify your topic based on the available literature

2. Read the selected literature carefully in order to get a broad overview

1. Pay attention to the relationship of the literature to theory

2. Establish a specific purpose for your literature review

3. Take careful notes as you evaluate and interpret the literature on your topic

Adapted from Pan (2004, p. 3)

Major Steps in Preparing a Literature Review

4. Create a synthesis by reconciling the similarities and differences across the different studies.

1. Determine how the articles in your literature review fit together

2. Note the implications of the conclusions

3. Identifies areas in need of more research

5. Write a first draft, get feedback from others, and revise or rewrite your review

Understanding Different Types of Literature

Empirical Research -- (Reports of Original Research) Empirical refers to observation Empirical research = systematic observation

Researchers plan in advance What or who they will observe What specific things they will focus on Their purpose for focusing on these things How they will observe it

Quantitative Research Experimental and Quasiexperimental designs Analysis of large data-sets Survey Data

Qualitative Research Observations in social settings, participant observation,

interviews, focus groups, document analysis

Understanding Different Types of Literature

Things to pay attention to in empirical research articles The research questions and/or hypotheses Sampling procedures or Participant selection

How many were selected? Who was selected? Why were they selected? How were they selected?

The research site (location) The methods used to answer the research questions

Instruments used for measurement or observation Findings Conclusions Implications Limitations

“More research is needed …”

Understanding Different Types of Literature

Theoretical Articles Evaluate existing theories

Support them Oppose them Provide new insights or propose modifications

Important for your theoretical/conceptual framework portions of your thesis or research report

Literature review articles Explain what we know about a given topic from the research

literature Provide new insights Reconcile conflicts Identify the gaps in need of more research Can be very useful to authors of a thesis or research report

Author already identified the major studies and summarized the findings !

Anecdotal Reports

Provide accounts based on the personal experiences of the author

Lack the systematic observations of an empirical research article

Are typically found in books or magazines aimed at practitioners (teachers, administrators, counselors, etc.).

Can still be of value in a literature review But you should note in the review that it is anecdotal

Other types of literature

Dissertations and Theses

Policy Documents and Reports Original official policy documents Governmental agencies or non-government organization

reports

Newspaper or other media reports Can provide some factual (hopefully) information about

topic Opinion articles can highlight different views on a topic May describe (briefly) the findings of research on a topic

Other Types of Literature

Reports on professional practices and standards May provide information, commentary, and evaluations

of particular educational issues, policies, and practices.

Book Reviews Provides a brief overview and a critical evaluation of an

academic book Should not be used, unless you are unable to get a

copy of the actual book If you use in your literature review, you should indicate

it comes from a book review and provide the full source of the review.

Quickly Scanning a New Article

You should quickly scan an article Make sure it is relevant to your research topic Figure out how it relates to the other articles Get a basic idea of the research questions, methodology, and findings

Steps Read the title Read the Abstract Read all the section headings Skim the methodology section to see

# of participants Research site Methods and instruments used

Read the conclusion

If article is relevant, then make time to read it take careful notes.

Ways to find literature

Reference list of an article or book related to your topic

Google Google Scholar

Libraries

Databases

Identifying Type of Article from a Reference

Book Webb, L. D., Metha, A., & Jordan, K. F. (2003). Foundations of

American education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill- Prentice Hall.

Book Chapter (in an edited book) Wright, W. E. (2003). The success and demise of a Khmer

(Cambodian) bilingual education program: A case study. In C. C. Park, A. L. Goodwin & S. J. Lee (Eds.), Asian American identities, families, and schooling (pp. 225-252). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Journal Article Wiley, T. G., & Wright, W. E. (2004). Against the undertow: The

politics of language instruction in the United States. Educational Policy, 18(1), 142-168.

Types of Literature you canfind On-Line for Free

Journal Articles Free on-line journals Articles posted on-line for free by the authors or publishers

Research reports Government Non-governmental agencies and organizations

Policy Documents

News Articles

On-line encyclopedia articles (Wikipedia)

Opinion pieces, policy critiques, fact sheets, etc. Produced by a research center or think tank Produced by inividuals

Types of Literature you can Find On-line that are Not Free

Articles and other research available in subscription databases

Journals Publishers may allow you to see the table of contents,

or an abstract of an article, but you must pay to be able to download the article “Pay per article”

Newspaper and Magazine Articles Databases “Pay per Article”

eBooks Can buy and download entire books

Types of Literature you Can’t Find On-line

Books

Book chapters

Internal policy documents and policy guidelines

Practice

Read Literature Review section from Wright, W. E. (2004). What English-only really means: A

study of the implementation of California language policy with Cambodian American students. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 7(1), 1-23.

Pay attention to What type of research is reviewed How the reviewed is organized The different ways of talking about the literature How the different articles are pieced together and

synthesized How the literature review sets up and justifies the

author’s study

Practice

The Education of Girls Scan the relevant parts of the research article Determine the best way to classify (group) the

articles Discuss how the findings of each article contribute

to our understanding of girls’ education Identify some gaps in the literature Discuss some research studies that could be

conducted to address these gaps.