LITERATURE REVIEW

It would be of interest to note that: “Research starts in the library and ends in the library.”

What is literature review?

Visualize the term review and list all the words that cross your mind. According to Webster’s
Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (1980) literature review means:
 See again
 Examine or study again
 To re-examine judicially
 To look back
 To take a retrospective view of
 To examine critically or deliberately
 To give a critical evaluation of.

Thus, in the context of research, literature review means:

 Locating literature in a variety of sources,
 Reading it carefully and thoroughly,
 Evaluating the content
 Breaking it down into themes
 Organizing it along the themes of the study.

In conclusion, the literature review is a systematic and critical analysis of existing literature
relevant to the current research topic. It involves reading an appropriate proportion of the extensive
literature that is available. It is basically a method of acquiring information.

Purposes of literature review

The literature study serves several purposes in research. You will be able to do one or more of the
following:

 Define and limit the research problem (delineate the research problem).
 Seek new approaches and recommendations for doing research and avoid sterile
approaches.
 Gain understanding and insights into other methods of doing research and the trends that
have occurred.
 Develop a clear research design. The researcher will be able to identify strengths and
limitations of research methods used by others, in order to adopt or improve on them in
his/her own research.
 Sharpen and deepen the theoretical framework of the study
 Share with the readers the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being
reported.
 Relates a study to a larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps
and extending prior studies so that the researcher will be able to add to existing knowledge
and introduce new ideas and perspectives.
  Clarify the relationship between the proposed study and previous work on the topic, this
gives the researcher an idea of what has already been done. It also reveals the latest
development in the area of study.
 Identify variables that must be considered in the research.
 Avoid unnecessary replication. You should conduct a thorough literature study to be able
to select a problem that has not been exhausted by other research studies. However,
deliberate replication of a study for verification or challenge is acceptable.

Literature in any field forms the foundation upon which all future research must be built. It helps
avoid naivety and minimizes duplication of identical work already conducted and accomplished
by other researchers. Indeed, all these reasons are helpful to a researcher. But, did you know that
“Research’ without theory is blind, and theory without practical focus is Empty”. Keep in mind
that you should make every effort to complete a thorough review before starting the research. This
is because the insights and knowledge you have gained through the review almost inevitably lead
to a better-designed project and greatly improve the chances of obtaining important and significant
results.
Keya and Makau (1989) came up with these reasons for literature search as follows; that literature
review is a continuous process that cuts across all stages of the research process in a dynamic way.
As the researcher argues her/his case, she/he shows how the study will enlarge modify, depart from
or compliment existing knowledge. Thus, the literature review helps to make the problem apparent
when done comprehensively and critically.
To conclude the review of literature is the very first step in proposal writing and must be carried
out well. A good literature review saves time later in the process of conducting research and forms
the framework within which the research findings are to be interpreted. It demonstrates the
researcher’s familiarity with the existing body of knowledge which in turn increases the readers’
confidence in the researcher’s professional ability. You can also source problems for further
research from the suggestions and recommendations made by previous researchers as you review
the literature.

How to organize the literature review section

Some suggestions include:
 You need to be clear on the headings and sub-headings of the whole study, which then
become the lines upon which the literature review will be organized.
 It involves locating, reading and evaluating reports of research and those of casual
observation and opinion that are related to the individual planned research project.
 A short introductory paragraph should be included at the beginning of the literature review
section. You should then tie up the existing literature with objectives of the study – Finally,
you should summarize main ideas and issues of the literature review towards the end of the
section.

Activity
List down some of the sources of information you would use to locate literature for your study.
Compare your answer with the ones outlined here below.
Sources of information in locating and using educational research
There are three major sources of information namely preliminary, primary and secondary.

Preliminary sources: these are used to locate books, articles and other educational documents
related to the research problem. Most preliminary sources are indexes, which give the author, title
and place of publication.

Primary Sources: these are the original research and writings of researchers. They include
research articles in journals, abstracts, research reports, and scholarly books. Most primary sources
are journals and they contain more up-to-date information than secondary sources.

An individual who actually observed or witnessed an occurrence could also describe it directly.
More examples of primary sources are:
- Development plans
- District annual reports
- Court-case judgments

Secondary sources: these are publications written by an author who was not a direct observer or
participant in the events described; but is reporting on research conducted by someone else.
Examples are:
- Review papers
- Text books
- Encyclopaedias
- Summaries
- Citations of other works
- Journal articles
These sources can be used to track down references to primary sources. You need to develop a
systematic approach to literature study from the very beginning.
 Be familiar with all the library facilities.
 Consult subject abstracts [which provide a summary of articles] reviews, indexes
[which list the bibliographical details of articles by subject]
 Bibliographies
 Library catalogues, which come in various formats (, for example, hard copy, CD-
ROM, on-line and microfiche).
 The Internet.

Ask the following questions when reviewing and selecting material:

i) Is the literature relevant to my study?
ii) Why am I including this study or reference?
iii) How will the source contribute to my study?
iv) Is it a primary source? If not, how can I access the primary sources?
v) Is the source reliable?
vi) Is the source up-to-date?
It is essential to begin with a clear idea of your research topic. A literature study should be
purposeful and logical to avoid time wasting by wading through irrelevant literature.
 Keep an accurate and up-to-date list of all the sources you consult.
 Keep a record of where you found the material. You can use a card as illustrated herein:
Author, year, title, publisher, Town, page, location in the
library. Some key words describing the nature and content of the source.

You could use a computer and develop your own system. Adopt a system to organize your material,
for example, classifying material according to topics and or the chapters of your thesis. Keep a
separate Box File for each chapter in which you place the material that pertains to specific chapters.

Literature review is an ongoing process that requires a great deal of:

- Self discipline
- Perseverance
- Persistence
You, therefore, need to remain focused and to use your time expediently and efficiently.
 Include only the necessary and relevant information.
 Avoid repetition of what has already been written
 Be open and challenge even the works of famous theorists (thus, adapting a constructive
critical approach)
 Do not report everything you now know. Be selective and include only essential and
valuable sources.
 Keep focused on your research problem avoiding time wasting on emerging issues.
To conclude, the key to completion of a research study is:
- Commitment
- Perseverance
- Consistent handwork
A lot more is given by Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) who have given some examples of sources
of information (p.23) as:

 Scholarly journals
 Internet websites
 Theses dissertations
 Government documents
 Conference research papers
 Books
 References given at the back of the book
 International indices
 Abstracts
 Periodicals like magazines local dailies or journals published periodically
In brief, the preliminary sources are used to locate appropriate primary and secondary sources.
While secondary sources give a quick overview of research related to the problem detailed in
depth.

The eight (8) steps in reviewing educational literature

 Define the problem.
 Review secondary sources.
 Select the most appropriate preliminary sources.
 Translate the problem statement into key words.
 Search the preliminary sources.
 Read primary sources: Make the cards.
 Organize the notes.
 Write the report.

Activity
1. Choose a topic of interest and write a three-page literature review based on this 8-step model.
2. Answer the following Review Questions:
 Discuss the significance of literature review
 Describe how a researcher can draw tentative hypotheses from a review of
literature.
 List four indicators of a good literature review.