The Review of

Related Literature
1. It is the important step in the research
process.

1. It gives the investigator/researcher a complete

understanding of what is known about a given
topic.

1. It is essential because effective research must

be based upon past knowledge.

1. It involves the systematic identification,

location, and analysis of documents containing
information related to the research problem.

What is Review of Related

Literature?
1. To determine the similarities and differences of the
findings between the past and present studies.

1. To gain insight into the apects of the problem that are

critical and controversial.

1. To provide the investigator a background regarding

the aspects, which have been studied and not yet
studied.

1. To assist the researcher on what to do on the

components of the research process.

1. To give the researcher the ideas to proceed with the

study until its completion.

Why there is a need to review the write-ups,

reading and studies related to the present
study?
1. It provides the conceptual or theoretical framework
of the planned research.

1. It provides the researcher with information about

past researches related to the intended study. This
process prevents unintentional (or unnecessary)
duplication of these past researches and leads him
into what needs to be investigated.

1. It gives the investigator a feeling of confidence

since by means of the review of related literature,
he will have on hand all constructs (concepts)
related to his/her study.

Functions of the Review of Related

Literature (Gay, 1976)
1. It gives the researcher information about
the research methods used, the population
and sampling considered, the instruments
used in gathering the data , and the
statistical computation in previous research.

1. It provides findings cand conclusions of past

investigations which the researcher may
relate to his own findings and conclusions.

Functions of the Review of Related

Literature (Gay, 1976)
1. A carefully planned program of reading is
frequently the source of significant problems.

1. A systematic survey of related literature is the

means of determining whether the proposed
study unnecessarily duplicates some earlier
investigation.

1. The knowledge obtained from such reading, in

terms of sources, procedures and results,
represents essential orientation for definition of
the problem, selection of method, and
interpretation of findings.
Contributions of the Related Literature
to Problem Solving (Good and Scates,
1954)
 The Review of
Related Literature

Related Readings
and Literature
The major source of related readings are laws and
department directives such as circulars, orders and
memoranda, which are related to the present study.

The laws and department directives

serve as legal bases of the paradigm of the study;
present the direct or indirect implications to the
government thrusts in presenting the related
readings.

The researcher has to arrange related readings

chronologically either from the past readings to most
recent readings or vice versa.

a. Related Readings
Example:

The study on the students' mathematical skills as

related to their performance in Contemporary
Mathematics.

CHED Memo on the inclusion of Contemporary

Mathematics in the education curriculum
PAFTE proceedings in 2006 on the need to add
more mathematics subjects in the education
curriculum

a. Related Readings
These are written works collectively,
especially, those enduring importance,
exhibiting creative imagination and artist's
skill, which are written in particular
period, language, and subject.

Any written matter such as book, journal,

magazine, novel, poetry, yearbook, and
encyclopedia are considered as literature.

b. Related Literature
The elements of good writing style of literature
review adhere to the basic rules of clarity or
organization, content and grammar inorder to
present the report in an acceptable format.

Clear writing is smooth in terms of presentation of

topics, and even the use of language and syntax.

Presentation of ideas must be in orderly

progression, continuity and smoothness. It
identifies relationships between ideas and use of
transitions to maintain the flow of thought in the
literature review.

b. Related Literature
Research papers must be written in a formal
style, which is in the third person, not the
first person.
 
Avoid highly descriptive writing style, not
appropriate for a scholarly research.
 
Use the active voice for direct impact and easy
understanding.
 
Avoid the use of jargon; use familiar terms in
place of terminologies.

Guidelines on effective writing of the

literature and review
Make the conclusions and contradictions found in the
literature clear in the report.

Use short sentences; avoid elongated and run-on

expressions.

Use proper grammar and proofread the work.

Never plagiarize; give credit to the original author of ideas.

Pay attention to the structure and form of established

articles, which are good examples of how literature reviews
can be written.

Guidelines on effective writing of the

literature and review
Peters (1993) claims that job-related stress
can enhance productivity up to a certain
point. There is, however, a threshold
point beyond which stress becomes a
harmful factor in one's productivity. On
the otherhand, Saunders (1999) averred
that, in his experience , stresses always
produce a negative effect on one's
productivity.

Example
The ideas of using the sample mean as a
measure of central tendency has a long-
standing history. It is almost automatic
tendency and reaction of the people
confronted with a mass of data to add the set
of numbers and divide the total by the
number of observations. Gauss (1989),
however, demonstrated that the sample
mean indeed satisfies an optimality criterion
when the original observations are normally
distributed.

Example
 The Review of
Related Literature

Related Studies
These are works based on empirical data.
 
In reviewing related studies, one must be
careful to the:
Problem
Methodology, including the sampling plan
Instruments used
Findings and conclusions

Related Studies
The researcher's motivation for conducting
the study (this is usually found in the
introduction)

The statement of the problem

The variables involved in the study;

including their quantifications

Important points to note in reviewing

the related studies
The research design, including
the sampling plan utilized by the
investigator
 
The major results and conclusions

Important points to note in reviewing

the related studies
Gloria (1994) said that the
teaching profession
nowadays is no longer as
prestigious as it is used to
be.

Example
Aguiree (1990) identified the
problems met by beginning
teachers as bases for evolving a
proposed development program
that would prevent or minimize
the occurence of such problems.

Example
Hualde (1995) and Lisao
(1998) concluded that
teachers should be praised
for their competence and
very satisfactory
performance.

Example
On the otherhand, a contrasting result was
presented by Saguibal (1999) in her study on the
factors of teachers' performance which revealed
that the teachers considered salary, peer
acceptance, concern for student development,
professional advancement, meaningfulness of
their work, responsibility of work results, and
supervisor's positive evaluation as high
motivators. However, when tested for
correlation, the results showed that high
motivation did not mean high level of
performance.

Example
Ryan's (1999) found out that
qualities of good teachers are
not absolute; they are instead
interacting traits that may vary
in their merits, depending upon
educational philosophy, pupil
characterictics, course level and
content.

Example
 The Review of
Related Literature

Relevance or Justification of the

Reviewed Literature and Studies
to the Present Study.
1. The proponent has to justify the direct
bearing and relevance of the related
readings, related literature, and related
studies to the proposed study.

1. Justify the difference between the

proposed study and the past related
studies.

Relevance or Justification of the Reviewed

Literature and Studies to the Present Study.
1. It should be made clear that there is no duplication of the
studies. The present study may only be a replication of
another study. It should also be stressed that in spite of
similar studies, the present study is still necessary to find
out if the findings of the studies in other places are also
true in the locale of the present study.

1. There may be a need to continue with the present study

to affirm or negate the findings of other inquiries about
the research problems or topics so that generalizations or
principles may be formulated. These generalizations and
principles would be the contributions of the present
study, together with the other studies to the fund of
knowledge.

Relevance or Justification of the Reviewed

Literature and Studies to the Present Study.
1. The related literature included in this study has
significant relationship with the future study in the sense
that . . .

1. The related studies presented here were selected on the

basis of their significance in promoting directions for this
present study . . .

1. The dissertation of . . . is especially relevant to this study

because the venue is similar to . . .

1. The study conducted by. . . provided a framework for . . .

1. The present study will be similar to that of . . . in the

following aspects.
The following phrases can help express the
relevance of the study
 The Review of
Related Literature

Few Tips in Conducting

Literature Review
a) Be organized around and related directly to
the thesis or research question you are
developing.

a) Synthesize results into a summary of what is

and is not known.

a) Identify areas of controversy in the literature.

a) Formulate questions that need further

research.

A literature review must do these things:

1. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research
question that my literature review helps to define?

1. What type of literature review am I conducting? Am

I looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy?
quantitative research (e.g., on the effectiveness of a
new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g.,
studies)?

1. What is the scope of my literature review? What

types of publications am I using (e.g., journals,
books, government documents, popular media)?
What discipline am I working in (e.g., education,
psychology, sociology, medicine)?
Ask yourself questions like these:
1. How good was my information seeking? Has my search been
wide enough to ensure I have found all the relevant material?
Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the
number of sources I have used appropriate for the length of my
paper?

1. Have I critically analyzed 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?

1. Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?

1. Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate,

and useful?

Ask yourself questions like these:

1. Has the author formulated a problem/issue?

1. Is it clearly defined? Is its significance (scope,

severity, relevance) clearly established?

1. Could the problem have been approached more

effectively from another perspective?

1. What is the author’s research orientation (e.g.,

interpretive, critical science, combination)?

Ask yourself questions like these about each

book or article you include:
1. What is the author’s theoretical framework
(e.g., psychological, developmental)?

1. What is the relationship between the theoretical

and research perspectives?

1. Has the author evaluated the literature relevant

to the problem/issue? Does the author look at
literature taking positions he/she does not
agree with?

Ask yourself questions like these about each

book or article you include:
1. In a research study, how good are the basic
components of the study design (e.g., population,
intervention, outcome)? How accurate and valid are
the measurements? Is the analysis of the data
accurate and relevant to the research question? Are
the conclusions validly based upon the data and
analysis?

1. In material written for the popular readership, does

the author use appeals to emotion, one-sided
examples, or rhetorically charged language and tone?
Is there an objective basis to the reasoning, or is the
author merely “proving” what he or she already
believes?
Ask yourself questions like these about each
book or article you include:
1. How does the author structure the argument? Can you
“deconstruct” the flow of the argument to see whether
or where it breaks down logically (e.g., in establishing
cause-effect relationships)?

1. In what ways does this book or article contribute to

our understanding of the problem under study, and in
what ways is it useful for practice? What are the
strengths and limitations?

1. How does this book or article relate to the specific

thesis or question I am developing?

Ask yourself questions like these about each

book or article you include:
 The Review of
Related Literature

How is a Review of
Literature Organized?
1. Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of
concern, thus providing anappropriate context for
reviewing the literature.

1. Point out overall 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.

1. 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 there
view (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain
literature is or is notincluded (scope).

A. Writing the Introduction

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

B. Writing the Body

1. Summarize major contributions of significant studies
and articles to the body of knowledge under review,
maintaining the focus established in the introduction.

1. Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the body of

knowledge reviewed, pointing out major
methodological flaws or gaps in research,
inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or
issues pertinent to future study.

1. 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.

C. Writing the Conclusion

 The Review of
Related Literature

Purposes Served by a
Literature Review
For researchers, a review of the literature serves three key
purposes:

1. It helps uncover ideas about which variables are

important in a given field of study.

2. It provides information about what research has

already been done and what needs to be done.

3. It reveals demonstrated and/or theorized

relationships among variables that the researcher
is interested in or wishes to study.
For Researchers
 The Review of
Related Literature

Steps in Literature Review

1.Choosing your topic and
formulating your question(s);
2.Selecting where to search
(databases, indices, catalogs);
3.Mapping your terms (identifying
key words/descriptors);
4.Combining the mapped key
words/descriptors;

Steps in Literature Review

1. Modifying your search strategy
(expanding, narrowing, limiting
as needed);
2. Selecting, retrieving and storing
your source documents;
3. Abstracting and evaluating your
source documents; and
4. Organizing and writing your
review.
Steps in Literature Review
 The Review of
Related Literature

Sources of Data
 Peer-reviewed original
research articles
 Graduate theses and
dissertations
 Conference abstracts
 Research reports

Primary Source Materials

Common Secondary Sources. Secondary
sources of knowledge do not involve original
research, but usually serve to summarize or
synthesize existing primary sources.
Secondary or integrative studies found in
professional journals (in relative order of the
quality of evidence they provide) include
systematic reviews and meta-analyses,
decision analyses, practice guidelines,
consensus statements and journalistic
reviews/overviews. Outside the journal
literature, books and book chapters are the
most common secondary source materials.

Secondary (Integrative) Source Materials

The Internet is the world's largest and fastest
growing source of information. Unfortunately,
as the Internet grows, finding pertinent and
high quality information becomes more and
more difficult. As a resource for serious
research, the Internet has been compared to
a massive library with hundreds of millions of
free-standing documents (including personal
pages, hate literature, and pornography)
strewn in random piles throughout its stacks,
with neither a catalog nor librarian to guide
you.

What About the Internet?

MERCI BEAUCOUP

THANK YOU VERY MUCH