RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

Lecture 3:
Literature Review
The Purposes of LR
 Introduces a theory:
◦ An explanation for expected relationships
◦ Describe the theory that will be used
◦ Suggests why it is useful theory to
examine.
◦ The researcher’s chief paradigm or
theoretical orientation.
◦ Is a theory/hypothesis being tested?
◦ Is the author attempting to refute some
paradigm or theory?
The Purposes of LR
 Provides framework for establishing
◦ the importance of the study
◦ research questions and hypotheses
◦ design the research project – exploration,
description, explanation or a combination.
◦ measurement and it composite (indexes,
scales, or typologies) of variable or
indicators.
◦ sampling
The Purposes of LR
 Shares with the reader the results of
other studies that are closely related to
the one being undertaken
 Relates a study to the larger.
 Ongoing dialogue in the literature.
 Filling in gaps
 Extends prior studies.
 Benchmark for comparing the results
with other findings.
The Use of LR
 At proposal level:
◦ Brief
◦ Summarize the major literature on research
problem.
◦ Shorter – say 20 pages in length
◦ Tells the reader that the researcher is aware
of the literature on:
 the topic.
 the latest writing.
The Use of LR
 At the end of the study:
 The literature is revisited by the
researcher
 A comparison is made between the
results and existing findings in the
literature.
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Identifying key words.
 Setting a priority to related articles or
books that are central to the topic.
◦ Read abstract/summary of article – purpose,
method and major findings.
◦ Read the summary and/or conclusions
◦ Skim the article
◦ Carefully reading if it is relevant.
◦ Try to get about 50 reports
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Searching for source of materials:
◦ most major library have computerized
databases e.g. ERIC(Education Resources Information Center),,
Proquest.
◦ available online (web) or on CR-ROM.
◦ conference paper reports
◦ dissertation abstract (University Microfilms)
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Collecting materials
◦ Locate recent journal articles/documents and
then work backward in time
◦ Refereed journal
 Designing a literature map - a visual picture
(or figure) of groupings of the literature on
the topic.
◦ Illustrates how your particular study will
contribute to the literature
◦ Positioning your own study within the larger
body of research.
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Literature map:
 Presents an overview of existing literature
 Organized in different ways:
 Hierarchical structure – a top-down
presentation of the literature, ending at the
bottom with the proposed study.
 Flowchart – unfolding from left to right with the
farthest right right-hand section advancing a
proposed study.
 Series of circle – each circle representing a body
of literature
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Abstracting studies - drafting
summaries of the most relevant
articles.
 Assembling the literature review,
◦ structuring it thematically or
◦ organizing it by important concepts
Steps in Conducting a LR
 Ending the literature with
◦ a summary of the major elements/themes
◦ suggest how your particular study further
adds to the literature.
Example of LR
Creswell, Seagren, and Henry (1979) tested the Biglan
model, a three-dimensional model clustering 36 academic
areas into hard or soft, pure or applied, life or nonlife
areas, as a predictor of chairpersons’ professional
development needs. Eighty department chairpersons
located in four state colleges and one university of a
Midwestern state participated in the study. Result showed
that chairpersons in different academic areas differed in
terms of their professional development needs. Based on
the findings, the authors recommend that those who
developed inservice programs need to consider
differences among disciplines when they plan for
programs.
Example of LR
Ginter, Duncan, Richardson, and Swayne (1991) recognize
the impact of the external environment on a hospital’s ability
to adopt change. They advocate a process that they call
environment analysis which allows the organization to
strategically determine the best responses to change
occurring in the environment. However, after examining the
multiple techniques used for environment analysis, it appears
that no comprehensive conceptual scheme or computer
model has been developed to provide a complete analysis of
environment issues (Ginter et al., 1991). The result is an
essential part of strategic chang that relies heavily on a non-
quantifiable and judgemental process of evaluation. To assist
the hospital manager to carefully assess the external
environment, Ginter et al. (1991) have developed the
typology given in Figure 2.1.
(Sudduth, 1992, p. 44)
Example of LR
 In this example, the authors:
 Referenced the study with an in-text
reference.
 Mentioned the problem (“a hospital’s ability to
adapt to change”)
 Identified the central theme (“a process that
they call environmental analysis”)
 Stated the conclusions related to this theme
(e.g.,“no comprehensive conceptual model,”
“developed the typology”)
Style Manuals of LR
 Style manuals provide guidelines for creating
a scholarly style of a manuscript , such as a
consistent format for:
 Citing references
 Creating headings
 Presenting tables and figures
 Using nondiscriminatory language
 Use an appropriate and consistent reference
style throughout.
 Make a complete reference to the source
using an appropriate style.
Style Manuals of LR
 American Psychological Association (APA Style
Guide)
 American Sociological Association (ASA Style
Guide)
 Modern Language Association (MLA Style Guide)
 American Political Science Association (APSA
Style Guide)
 A Manual of Style (The University of Chicago)
 Some journals have developed their own
variations of the popular styles.
Style Manuals of LR
 The most important style considerations
involve:
 In-text references:
 Appropriate form for types of references
 Pay attention to the format for multiple citations
 End-of-text references:
 The style manual – alphabetized or numbered
 Cross-check that each in text reference is included in the
end-of-text list
 Headings
 How many levels of headings : 2 – 4 levels
 Refer to the style manual for the appropriate format for each
Problem of LR
 Researcher is not able to review but
reporting.
 Determine how much literature to
review:
◦ Qualitative study – the LR might explore
aspects of the central phenomenon being
addressed and divide to topical areas.
◦ Quantitative study – contains sections about
the literature related to major independent
variables (IV), major dependent variable(s)
(DV), and studies that relate the IV and DV.
Problem of LR
 Plagiarism : The theft of another’s words
and/or ideas – whether intentional or
accidental – and the presentation of those
words and ideas as your own.
◦ Guideline to avoid plagiarism:
 Cannot use another writer’s exact words without using
quotation marks and giving a complete citation.
 It is not acceptable to edit or paraphrase another’s
words and present the revised version as your own
work
 It is not even acceptable to present another’s idea as
your own – even if you use totally different words to
express those ideas