Writing the Literature Review

Lesson 1: Writing the theoretical framework of the study

Lesson 2: Introduces on the formation of the research hypothesis

Lesson 3: Train’s student on developing the conceptual framework

Lesson 4: Writing coherent review of literature

Lesson 1: Writing the theoretical framework of the study

“Every theory is a self- fulfilling prophecy that orders experience into the framework it
provides” – Ruth Hubbard

 Its objective is to develop the theoretical underpinnings of the chosen research topic.
 There is a need to show the basis of these decisions through the literature review,
what needs to be proven in the research through the conceptual framework and how
the researcher can go about it through theoretical framework.
 Frame works-serves as guide in the conduct of the study
- Serves as a roadmap that shows how your research fits into what is
already known, relating it to existing theory and research and how the
research makes a contribution in the field.

Theoretical Framework

- It serves as a basis as to how the study will be investigated

- It refers to the theory, principle or model that the researcher chooses to guide him in
the conduct of the study

Therefore, it involves; the application of the theory, principle or model, to offer an

explanation of an event, or some light in a particular phenomenon or research problem.

Theories are formulated to explain, predict and understand phenomenon and, in many cases to
challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits of critical bounding assumptions. The
theoretical framework introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem
under study exists.

The Theoretical Framework strengthens the study in the following ways:

 An explicit statement of theoretical assumptions permits the reader to evaluate them

critically.
 The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge. Guided by
a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research
methods.
 Articulating the theoretical assumptions of a research study forces you to address
questions of why and how. It permits you to intellectually transition from simply
 describing a phenomenon you have observed to generalizing about various aspects
of that phenomenon.
 Having a theory helps you identify the limits to those generalizations. A theoretical
framework specifies which key variables influence a phenomenon of interest and
highlights the need to examine how those key variables might differ and under what
circumstances.

Definitions and Aims of Review of Related Literature

One of the first tasks in research work is to situate or locate one’s study in the existing
larger body of literature available. As a researcher, you need to do this so that you can
determine if you are building on existing studies, replicating previous studies, or offering
new area of inquiry. Therefore, the review of related literature (RRL) is a vital activity of
new and even professional researchers.

A Literature review is defined as an examination of relevant books, scholarly articles, and

any other sources pertinent to an area of research. It is a consolidation of key ideas and
evaluation of the literature available in the view of the research problem. It also provides an
overview of the sources you have explored while researching a particular topic and
demonstrates to your readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.

Review of related literature intends to realize the following:

a. Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research
problem being studied.
b. Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration
c. Identify new ways to interpret prior research
d. Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature
e. Resolve conflicts among seemingly contradictory previous studies
f. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
g. Point the way to fulfilling a need for additional research
h. Locate your own research within the context of existing literature

A good literature review does the following:

a. Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations
b. Trace the intellectual progression of the field including major debates
c. Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most
pertinent or relevant research and:
d. Identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date (Fink, 2005)

Creswell (1994,20-21) also identified some functions of literature review. These are the
following

a. It shares with the reader the results of the other studies that are closely related to
the study being reported
 b. It relates the study to the larger, on-going dialogue in the literature about a topic,
filling in gaps and extending prior studies
c. It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study, as well as a
benchmark for comparing the results of the study with other finding

Forms of Review of Related Literature

The review of related literature has many forms. Creswell (1994,20-21) briefly described
these forms:

1. Integrative review – are simply “summaries of past research”; largely found in

dissertation proposals and dissertations.
2. Theoretical review – “wherein the researcher focuses on extant theory that relates
to the problem being studied “; demonstrated best in journal articles.
3. Methodological review – “provides not only a summary of the studies but also an
actual critique of the strengths and weaknesses of the methods section: found in
dissertations and review of related literature sections in journal articles.”

How to go about writing a review of related review

Writing review of related literature is such a tedious task that it would be good if you have a
system or process to help you undertake the task. Below are suggestions to help you out in
your literature review.

1. Decide on what reference style to use.

Choose a reference style that is appropriate for your purposes. Apply this
consistently in the whole literature review in the whole research paper. There are
various references that you can use for this purpose. These include the Chicago
Manual of Style (1993) by the University of Chicago Press, the Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association (APA, 1984), and Modern Language
Association (MLA) Style.
2. Establish your priority
Establish your priority in reviewing related literature by including a plan for sorting
out or classifying materials based on the kind and quality of information that they
provide and for deciding in what order these materials would be reviewed.
3. Limit the scope of your literature review.
Include only those materials and information which are salient and relevant to your
research problem. These are several ways on how to delimit the scope of your
literature review. Regardless of the type of research that you are doing, whether
qualitative or quantitative, a standard literature review section may be organized in a
way that will highlight the following (Creswell, 1994):

a. Literature related to the independent variable

b. Literature related to the dependent variable
 c. Literature related to literature that relate the independent and dependent
variable
d. Summary

4. Organize a visual research map of the literature that highlights key works and findings relevant
to your study.
A map of the research literature is a useful tool for writing the literature review. This visual map
is described by Creswell (1994,29)
Maps are visual rendering of the literature, and they can be organized in different ways.
The central idea is that the researcher begins to build a visual picture of existing research about
a topic. Although maps can be created differently, one approach is to draw a map by fist stating
the topic to be researched – what would capture in a word or two the key idea presented in the
working title developed in Chapter 1? For quantitative studies, this idea will be the key
dependent variable in the studied; for qualitative studies, it will be the central focus or
phenomenon being explored.

Through a visual research map of the literature, you can identify the scope and breadth
of the studies that have been done and/or accomplished already, as well as the gaps in the
existing literature. Start off with the central focus or phenomenon that you want to study. Either
writes it the entire centre of your map or on the top portion of your map. Then start classifying
literature in terms of how they relate to this focus or phenomenon.

Review of Related Literature

A review of related literature is the process of collecting, selecting, and reading books, journals, reports,
abstract, and the other reference materials. The following information may be collected.

 Background information about the problem and related concepts.

 Theories that explain the existence of the problem and the possible connection between certain
factors and the problem.
 Data that confirms the existence and seriousness of the problem.
 General and specific findings of studies related to the problem.
 Recommendation for further study given in related studies

Why Review Literature?

A review of related literature is a must in research. The following are some of the obvious reasons;

 It helps the researcher identify and define a research problem.

 It helps justify the need for studying a problem.
 It prevents unnecessary duplication of a study.
 It can be a source of a theoretical basis for the study.
  It enables the researcher to learn how to conceptualize a research problem and properly
identify and operationally define study variables.
 It helps formulate and refine research instruments
 It provides lesson for data analysis and interpretation.

When to start reviewing related literature?

While the research problem is still being conceptualized, the researcher must already start reviewing
literature. In identifying and defining the research problem, the researcher must be able to show
evidence that the problem really exists and is worth investigating.

It is important that the researcher knows what is already known about the problem or what earlier
researchers have found about it and what questions still need to the answered before the research
questions or objectives are finalized.

Theories which the researchers use to explain the existence of a research problem and used as bases in
analysing relationships between variables can be generated from reference books on theories or from
related studies. The researchers therefore, must have already read adequate literature at the start of
the research activity.

What materials to review?

1. General Reference

Examples are indexes, reviews, and abstract

2. Primary Sources

Examples are researches found on published journals

3. Secondary Sources

Publications where authors cite the works of others. Examples are books, encyclopedias,
Secondary sources are good references for overview of the problem.

Steps in Literature Review

1. Review the precise definition of the research problem. Note the key variables specified in the
study objectives and hypothesis.
2. Formulate “search terms” (key word or phrases)
Problem: Adolescents’ Perceptions on the Effect of Punishment on Self-Esteem and Academic
Performance”
Search terms: “punishment and learning”,” self-esteem and performance”
 3. Using indexes of general references, search for relevant primary and secondary sources guided
by the search terms.
4. List in a note of index card the bibliographical data of the pertinent information selected as
follows:
a. Author
b. Title
c. Name of publication
d. Data of publication (include place and date)
e. Pages of the article
5. Read the selected reading materials, take note and summarize key point. Prepare a note card
for easy retrieval and classification. In taking note, be as brief as possible but include all relevant
information which you can use in your full review, such as: the problem, the objectives, and
hypotheses, the major findings and conclusions.

Literature review in quantitative study

Quantitative studies include a substantial amount of literature to provide direction for the research
questions or hypotheses. In planning a quantitative study, the literature often is used to introduce a
problem in the introduction; is described in detail in a section titled “Related Literature or Review of
Literature” or some other similar concepts; and typically is advanced as a basis for comparing with
results to be found in the study. Regardless of the placement, the literature is used deductively as a
framework for the research questions or hypothesis.

Literature review in qualitative study

In qualitative research the literature should be used in manner consistent with the methodology
assumptions. It should be used inductively so that it does not direct the questions asked by the
researcher. One of the main reasons for conducting a qualitative study is that the study is explanatory;
not much has been written about the topic or population being studied, and the researcher seeks to
listen to informants and to build a picture based on their ideas .

As with use of theory, however, the amount of literature varies by the type of qualitative design.