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Define and Explain The Purpose of Literature Review
Define and Explain The Purpose of Literature Review
education research
Literature reviews are important in dissertations and journal articles. According to Boote and
Beile (2005), literature reviews play a critical role in education research because science
remains, first and foremost, a cumulative endeavour. This write-up will define and explain
literature review while its role and importance in education research will be critically discussed.
Definition of terms will be provided and thoroughly examined and a conclusion will wound up
as a summary to the essay.
Definition of Terms
Literature review is defined by various proponents and scholars and definitions may be similar
across the disciplines, with new types and definitions continuing to emerge. At a basic level, the
term implies a survey of factual or nonfiction books, articles, and other documents published on
a particular subject. Fink (2004) defines literature review as a critical component of the research
process that provides an in-depth analysis of recently published research findings in specifically
identified areas of interest. Mankoff et al., (2013) explain literature review as an objective,
critical summary of published research literature relevant to a topic under consideration for
research. Hart (1998: 13) presents that literature review is, “the selection of available documents
both (published and unpublished) on the topic, which contain information, ideas, data and
evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfil certain aims or express certain views on
the nature of the topic …” According to this write up, literature review is therefore a summary,
analysis and evaluation of the literature on a particular subject and an explanation of what
research has already been performed for a research area.
The structure of a literature review should include an overview of the subject, issue, or theory
under consideration, objectives of the literature review, division of works under review into
themes or categories, for example, [works that support a particular position, those against, and
those offering alternative approaches entirely], an explanation of how each work is similar to and
how it varies from the others, conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their
argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the
understanding and development of their area of research (Boote and Beile, 2006).
Research Process
As is critical thinking, doing literature review is a developmental process in which each step
leads to the next (Machi and McEvoy, 2016:30). The research process involves following these
steps; selecting a topic by recognizing and defining a problem, developing tools of argument for
solving the problem, collecting and compiling information through searching the literature,
surveying the literature in order to discover the evidence and build up an argument, critiquing the
literature to draw up conclusions, and finally communicating and evaluating the conclusions by
writing the thesis (Ibid).
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Types of Literature Reviews
Dudovskiy (2016) acknowledges that there are many types of literature reviews most popular in
education and social sciences namely narrative, systematic, argumentative, integrative, historical,
methodological and theoretical. However, these have may some shared characteristics or
features. In some cases, the research question will drive the type of literature review that is
undertaken.
Topic Researchability
A major benefit of literature review is that it ensures the researchability of the proposed project
before 'proper' research commences. Locating of relevant literature forms the context or
background to provide insights into previous work (Blaxter et al., 2010: 124). Randolph
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(2009:13) corresponds that literature reviews assists in gaining an understanding of the existing
research and debates relevant to a particular topic or area of study.
Kazembe (2012) opines that a survey of relevant literature is necessary prerequisite to any study
to give insight in the subject matter. Such literature help in providing the theoretical framework
within which to work. For example, by the end of the literature review, the reader should have a
solid understanding of what theories are already known about the topic, what is not yet known,
and therefore a good idea of what exactly the current study is going to examine, and why.
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Researching on a particular topic may justify future research into a previously overlooked or
understudied area. Identifying inconsistencies such as gaps in research, conflicts in previous
studies, open questions left from other researches. Ridley (2012:6) summarises that “Research is
a small piece in a complicated jigsaw puzzle; it does not exist in isolation. It is dependent on
what others have done before and you will contribute to an ongoing story or debate.
Contextualizing your work; describing the bigger picture provides the background and creates
the space or gap for your research.”
Skill development
As viewed by Hart (2009), literature review contributes to the development of one’s intellectual
capacity and practical skills, because it engenders a research attitude and will encourage one to
think rigorously about the topic. Rhoades (2011:353) asserts that, “A great benefit of literature
reviews is that as you read, you’ll get a better understanding of how research findings are
presented and discussed in your particular discipline. If you pay attention to what you read and
try to achieve a similar style, you’ll become more successful at writing for your discipline”.
Conclusion
By carrying out literature review, a researcher demonstrates familiarity with a body of
knowledge and thereby establishes credibility with a reader. Well-crafted literature reviews are
the cornerstone of good papers, however it is not uncommon to find weak, or even absent,
literature reviews among submissions marking. An advanced-level literature review shows how
prior research is linked to a new project, summarizing and synthesizing what is known while
identifying gaps in the knowledge base, facilitating theory development, closing areas where
enough research already exists, and uncovering areas where more research is needed. Literature
reviews therefore can give an overview or act as a stepping stone. However, carrying out of a
literature review literature requires a lot of internet resources which may not be available to other
researchers in rural setting.
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Bibliography
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Okoli, C. and Schabram, K., 2010. A guide to conducting a systematic literature review of
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Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
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