Chapter+Two+-+The+Literature+Review

=Chapter Two: The Literature Review=

The purpose of researching the literature
The purpose of the literature review is to inform the reader of any prior research that has taken place in relation to the current study. When developing a literature review it is vital to make sure the research question is clearly supported. In developing the literature review, the Introduction (i.e., statement of the problem, teaching philoposhy, intervention) provides an overview for the literature review. This provides the context for the argument presented in the literature review, and the basis for ensuring the material is consistent with the research question. The idea of this chapter is to address the various issues related to finding appropriate literature and finding ways to aid in searching for reliable and valid literature. Finally, it is important to think about how to organize and present the literature so that it supports the proposed research study. The following sections should discuss these factors of the literature review.

I. Types of References
Once a researcher develops his/her research question, his next step is to find literature that will help answer the question. This part of the research is known as literature review. There are two types of literature reviews. There is research literature and theoretical research. “The research literature is sometimes called the empirical literature; it means literature that reports empirical research results”. (Punch p.95) Research in education demands one to use research literature over theoretical literature because answers to education questions need to be those that have been tested, practiced, and concrete. In other words, tried and true. There are many different types of references that can be used in a research paper. Those sources can come from the internet, reference books, journals, magazines, and periodicals. However, careful consideration should be taken when getting information from the internet to ensure reliabilty and validity. The peer reviewed journals are good sources to consider when selecting articles. One should read them carefully and use his/her knowledge to determine which selections are best to use.

IA. Theoretical Sources
Sources that are based on theoretical literature have a broad range of information. These sources are primarily based on theories or the thinking about a specific topic. Theoretical sources may give knowledge of all the research conducted on that particular topic. Theoretical sources give information based on theory; educated guesses.

IB. Empirical Sources
Empirical sources are those that have research that has been practiced.The empirical sources can list qualititative or quantitative data. These articles show that the data is effective based on the study. Empirical sources should be the meat of the literature review. In order for a study to be found effective, there should be ample research and evidence to support the findings. When a researcher is conducting his/her experiment he/she needs a starting point. There needs to be a significant amount of research that states that there is something to be investigated. Empirical sources provide data that is crucial to researchers. In a proposal on classwide and peer tutoring, there should be many studies that have already been conducted on this topic. These studies would have used real students and schools to either support or refute a hypothesis. From these empirical sources one will have an idea of what one might find in their own situation and how better to improve upon other studies that have been done.

II. Creating the Literature Review
Creating a literature review is an important part of the process in writing a well developed research paper. A literature review is a page that allows you to site all creditable sources that you have found useful in researching your topic. A literature review also allows a researcher to analyze, review data, and draw a conclusion from the facts given on a particular subject.

When conducting a literature review it is important to consider how the literature relates to your topic of study. The literature should be relevant to your topic of research. You may also find literature that has the same topic, but focus on a different education group. The literature may be modified to meet to implement your study in the classroom. A literature review has five main stages: searching, screening, summarizing and documenting, organizing-analysing-sythesizing, and writing (Punch, 2009:98). The univesity library can be beneficial in searching for articles and journals to review.

IIA. Using the Databases
The educational databases are great sources. The psycInfo is an excellent source for empirical studies. As discussed in class start with [|Finding Databases]

Another great database is ERIC. This database, like many others, allows the researcher to put in many keywords and narrow down their field by selecting certain date ranges, peer reviewed journals, and other small details that can help finding the perfect sources easier.

The database is an effecient resource when searching for credible sources for a literature review. Your search topic should focus on your major constructs. Search queries must be simple, emphasizing the key words of the study. Preview journal articles that have previously been reviewed by peers. If you are experiencing difficulty with a search, try redefining the search by using different words. A search may also need to be narrowed down or expanded.

IIB. Using the World Wide Web
Using the **//World Wide Web//** for a research paper can be a great and useful tool in your quest for pertinent information on a particular subject. Today, on the web there are tons of data bases, search engines and on-line catalogs that are great for putting in subject keywords- and then giving you pages of results. However, the internet has no federal regulations, and no government accountability -for what gets posted on the internet; so it can be a dangerous place to gather information solely from. Also, some ethnical issues can come into question, as it relates to who the person is giving the information, and the authenticity of the work.

When you choose an article from the World Wide Web, it is important to make sure that it (the article) conforms to the following; it must be from a peer-reviewed or professional journal. Web pages, Google, Wikipedia are not acceptable sources. Therefore, it is best to stick with databases such as ERIC and PsycINFO.

However, the internet can and should be used as a compass to guide you in the right direction for your research.

IIC. Determining the Validity of Sources
There is a goldmine of legitmate databases that could prove very useful for research. However, careful attention needs to be paid to ensure that online sources are legitimate and valid. One way to ensure that selected sources contain valid data is for one to first of all look at the location from which the information is retrieved. Articles that have been published in peer review journals are generally assessed and critiqued by very knowledgeable people on the topic (called peers) before they are published. Websites such as wikipedia, yahoo answers, or google may not yield the appropriate sources for education research and should therefore be avoided.The article should also have a problem and the context to support the problem. The research purpose should also be stated.

III.Purpose of the Literature Review
A literature review can be found in many forms and many sources. It can be found in something as simple as a pamphlet, and can include everything //in- between//, up to a scholarly journal. Most literature reviews primary purpose- is to review a subject area that has been researched and studied by an expert or someone that may have an intrest in the findings. It can provides a researcher with a //valuable summary// -or an evaluation on a particular subject area.

There are three defined purposes for a literature review as it relates to research. One purpose is research literature that descrbes the current knowledge (Punch, 2009: 97). This research literature relates to literature that has empirical evidence. The research can have quanititative evidence or qualitative based on methodological issues. Theoretical literature is another purpose for a literature review. This purpose has a greater expansion of knowledge on the topic. This purpose includes the overall theories and history pertaining to your specified topic. It evaluates the thinking about topic. The third purpose is the relationship of your study to the literature (Punch, 2009: 98). The main focus for this type of literature review is determining the purpose of your study to the literature that is being reviewed.

IIIA. Integrating the Literature
Integrating literature is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle to make sense of the bigger picture. In other words, integrating literature means using other people’s findings to establish a frame work within which I can place my research question. An effective way to integrate literature in education research is to organize it according to constructs. Constructs represent, “Abstract abilities, traits or other concepts presumed to exist which cannot be directly measured except attendance.” (Beebe, 2010, personal communication). Integrating literature in research enables readers of the research work to see the connections that make further research of the given subject relevant, i.e. What are the assumptions been made on the topic or concepts associated with this research topic? Are the findings coherent or divergent? Is there a consensus on anything at all? Do I agree with the conclusions of the various authors or do I have an alternative interpretation of their findings. What are some of the weaknesses and strengths I see in the various sides (if any) of the arguments? How do these findings impact the direction of my research? When I am done making these connections, my readers should have a clear understanding of the potential outcomes I am expecting to see at the end of my research and how my research will impact learning. It is important to do an outline to build your case, decide what reasons and examples are most important and convincing,and how all the pieces connect together to form a strong, relevant conclusion. Integrating the literature happens after one has chosen his/her research topic and retrieved solid peer review or professional journals .The most valuable piece in the research proposal is the critical bibliographies. This is the area where the literature is integrated. It involves scrutinizing the literature selected in order to validate the research as empirical. In evaluating the literature, one is provided the opportunity to look for loop holes in the research, provide a structure to the proposal and back up the theory. If the literature measures up to these concerns addressed in the critical bibliography, it is safe to “integrate” it.

IIIB. Constructing the Argument
Organize your thoughts to do some brainstorming, be as logical, convincing and persuasive as possible. As literature is being read and reviewed, it is important to remain critical. The article should be analyzed for claim of evidence. Question the article to maintain a critical orientation. Have specific questions that you want the article to address when evaluating the research. After analyzing and integrating what different thinkers have done and found out about a given topic, it is now time for me to state my ‘case or rationale’ for wanting to undertake further research or for arriving at my present conclusion; this is the argument for research. Making a strong research argument necessitates evidence; my readers should be able to see that, I objectively and critically examined the body of knowledge that already exists on this topic including the context, design, findings and conclusions of the various authors. Claims, concerns or conclusions that are not well substantiated may be refuted as been spurious. Sometimes, making a persuasive argument may mean stating any contentions on the given topic-- “acknowledging that there are people who have the audacity to disagree with me” (Beebe, 2010, personal communication). This will provide my readers with a holistic picture of the issue at hand and project me as been objective in my study.

IV. Summary
In summary, literature reviews are a critical to research proposals. No one person is a credible source unless they have done research to back up their statements. This research comes in the form of empirical sources. Data from studies are published in peer reviewed journal articles to explain to inquiring minds what is happening in the classroom with differentiated instruction, use of technology, peer tutoring, and other things. From this data, educators can come up with new areas to research and expand upon. It is through these studies that our classrooms are improved to give the students the best learning situation possible. The literature review substantiates the argument that you are trying to make because you are proving your point with a number of articles supporting your hypothesis and proposal. It is key to remember that the literature is only credible if valid. One should be weary of the Internet when doing research of this nature as anyone can post anything on the Internet. Peer reviewed journal articles from databases are the best way to go.