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Literature Review & Statement of The Problem PDF

This document discusses the importance of conducting a literature review before beginning a research study. It explains that a literature review establishes what is already known about the research problem, helps form research questions, and identifies appropriate methodologies. The document also outlines how literature reviews are used differently for qualitative versus quantitative studies. It emphasizes that a literature review determines if a research question has been answered before and provides relevant theories and concepts.

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Jayne Leziel
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317 views14 pages

Literature Review & Statement of The Problem PDF

This document discusses the importance of conducting a literature review before beginning a research study. It explains that a literature review establishes what is already known about the research problem, helps form research questions, and identifies appropriate methodologies. The document also outlines how literature reviews are used differently for qualitative versus quantitative studies. It emphasizes that a literature review determines if a research question has been answered before and provides relevant theories and concepts.

Uploaded by

Jayne Leziel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Literature Review & the Research

Problem
n Adapted from Timothy S. Brophy’s
Lecture on Research Typography
Literature Review for
Quantitative Research Studies
n Completed prior to conduct of study
n Purposes:
– Determine if the problem has been
researched
– Assist in forming research question(s)
– Provide information on design of study
– Identify methodological problems
– Identify appropriate data collection
instruments
Literature Review for
Qualitative Research Studies
n Used in several ways
– Explains the initial theoretical foundations of
the study.
– Assists in the formulation of research the
question(s) and the selection of the study
population.
– Stimulates new insights and concepts as the
study is conducted.
Value of Completing the
Literature Review Prior to
Conducting Your Study
n Determines if your question has been
answered.
n Provides concepts and theory to
incorporate into your study.
n Suggests refined research questions and
effective approaches.
n Provides information about situations and
populations needing study.
Information Sources for the
Literature Review
n Books—a good starting place to get a general
overview of the research topic
n Journals—reports of the actual research studies
n Computer databases—best way to do a literature
search
– ERIC—primary database for education
– PsycINFO—Psychological research
– SocINDEX—Sociological research
– MERB—Music Education Resource Base
– CAIRSS – Computer Assisted Information Retrieval
System
Statement of the Problem
n Quantitative research study
– Statement focusing on need to explain,
predict or describe some event or outcome.
n Qualitative research study
– Statement focusing need to explore some
process, event or phenomenon.
Statement of the Problem
States the researcher’s intent or objective of
the study. This is the main research
problem.
Statement of the Problem in
Quantitative Study
n This is a declarative statement that identifies the
type of relationship being investigated.
n Stated relationship might be
§ Descriptive
§ Causal
§ Predictive.
n Identifies exact variables to be examined.
Subproblems in Qualitative
Study
n States the intent to explore or understand
some phenomenon.
n The statement should:
– Convey a sense of emerging design
– State a central idea of study
– State a method by which will collect data
– State a unit of analysis and/or research site.
Subproblems in a Quantitative
Study
n It’s an interrogative sentence (i.e., a
question) that asks about a descriptive,
causal, or predictive relationship in a set
of variables.
– Must be formulated in very specific terms
§ Helps insure you understand the problem
§ Helps decisions about factors such as who
research participants will be, materials and
measures to be used in study.
Statement of Qualitative
Research Question
n Asks question(s) about specific process,
issue, or phenomenon to be explored or
described.
n Example: What are the social and cultural
characteristics in a successful school
where students and teachers get along
and students work hard and achieve?
Formulating Hypotheses in
Quantitative Studies
n Hypothesis—a formal statement of the
predicted relationship among the variables
being investigated.
n Hypotheses logically follow the statement
of the research question.
n Hypotheses must be capable of being
supported or refuted.
Hypotheses and Qualitative
Studies
n Hypotheses usually are not stated in
qualitative research because of emphasis
on exploring and generating information
rather than testing hypotheses.

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