ANDI FIKRAM HARIS

40300118127

AG 6

SUMMARY

Review of the Literature

Besides selecting quantitative, qualitative, or mixed method approach, the proposal

designer also needs to review the literature about a topic. This literature review helps to
determine whether the topic is worth studying, and provides insight into ways in which the
researcher can limit the scope to a needed area of inquiry.

The Research Topic

Before considering what literature to use in a project, first identify a topic to study and
reflect on whether it is practical and useful to undertake the study. The topic is the subject or
subject matter of a proposed study, such as “faculty teaching,” “organization creativity,” or
“psychological stress.”

There are several ways that researchers gain some insight into their topics when they
are initially planning their research (my assumption is that the topic is chosen by the
researcher and not by an adviser of committee member).

Wilkinson (1991) provided useful advice for creating a title : Be brief and wasting
words. Eliminate unnecessary words, such as “An Approach to …,” “A Study of …,” and so
forth. Use a single title or a double title.

Before proceeding with a proposal or a study, one needs to weigh these factors and
ask others for their reaction to a topic under consideration. Seek reactions from colleagues,
noted authorities in the field, academic advisers, and faculty committee members.

The Literature Review

Once the researcher identifies a topic that can and should be studied, the search can
begin for related literature on the topic. The literature review accomplishes several purposes.
It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the one being
undertaken. It relates a study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature, falling in gaps
and extending prior studies (Cooper, 2010: Marshall & Rossman, 2011).

The Use of the Literature

The literature review in a journal article is an abbreviated from of that found in a

dissertation or master’s thesis. It typically is contained in a section called “Related Literature”
and follows the introduction to a study.

In qualitative research, inquirers use the literature in a manner consistent with the
assumptions of learning from the participant, not prescribing the questions the need to
answered from the researcher’s standpoint.

Quantitative research, on the hand, includes a substantial amount of literature at the

beginning of a study provide direction for research questions or hypotheses. It is also used to
introduce a problem or to describe in detail the existing literature in a section titled “Related
Literature” or “Review of Literature,” or some other similar phrase. Also, the literature
review can introduce a theory—an explanation for expected relationship.

In a mixed methods study, thr researcher uses either a qualitative or a quantitative

approach to the literature, depending on the type of strategy being used. In a sequential
approach, the literature is presented in each phase in a way consistent with the method being
used.

Step in Conducting a Literature Review

A literature review means locating and summarizing the studies about a topic. Often
there are research studies (since you are conducting a research study), but they may also
include conceptual articles or opinion pieces that provide frameworks for thinking about
topics.

1. Begin by identifying key words.

2. With these key words in mind.

3. Initially.

4. Skim this initial group of articles of chapters, and duplicate those that are central to your
topic.

5. As you identify useful literature.

6. As you put together the literature map, also begin to draft summaries of the most relevant
articles.

7. After summarizing the literature.

Searching Computerized Databases

To ease the process of collecting relevant material, there are some techniques useful
in accessing the literature quickly through databases. Computer databases of the literature are
now available in academic libraries and through the internet, and they provide easy access to
thousands of journals, conference papers, and materials on many different topics.

ERIC is a free online digital library of education research and information sponsored
by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education.

Another free database to research is Google Scholar. It provides a way to broadly

search for literature across many disciplines and sources, such as peer-reviewed papers,
theses, books, abstracts, and articles from academic publishers, professional societies,
universities, and other scholarly organizations.

Researchers can obtain abstracts to publications in the health sciences through the
free-access PubMed.

Academic libraries also have site licenses to important commercial database. One
typically available is ProQuest (http://proquest.com), which enables a researcher to many
different database, and it is one of the largest online content repositories in the world.

In summary, my research tips for searching computer databases are to do the

following:

 Use both the free, online literature databases as well as those available trough your
academic library.

 Search several databases, even if you feel that your topic is not strictly education, as
found in ERIC, of psychology, as found in PsycINFO, Both ERIC and PsycINFO view
education and psychology as broad terms for many topics.

 Use guide to terms to locate your articles, such as thesaurus, when available.

 Locate an article that is close to your topic; then look at the terms used to describe it, and
use these terms in your search.
 Use database that provide access to full-text copies of your articles (through academic
libraries, your internet connection to a library, or for a free) as much as possible so that
you can reduce the amount of time searching for copies of your articles.

A priority for Selecting Literature Material

1. Especially if you examining a topic for the first time and unaware of the research on it,
start with broad syntheses of the literature, such as overview found in encyclopedias (e.g.,
Aikin, 1992; Keeves, 1988).

2. Next, turn to journal articles, in respected national journals—especially those that report
research studies.

3. Turn to books related to the topic.

4. Follow this search by looking for recent conference paper.

5. If time permits, scan the entries in Dissertation Abstracts.

6. The web also provides helpful materials for a literature review.