Getting started with your literature review…

Getting started with your literature review… Getting started with your literature review… First published on the Facebook page of A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project: http://on.fb.me/QsLY2Q. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. What & why? Sharpen your topic Choose initial reading Do ‘mind map’ of themes Work out titles & sub-titles Write short sections Look for ‘healthy controversy’ Vary how literature is used Look internationally First & final paragraphs 1. What & why? What is a ‘literature review’? ‘A critical analysis of what is understood already about [your] topic and themes related to it, and some of the varied perspectives which have been expressed’ (A Beginner’s Guide…, p.226). Why write a literature review? ‘No research stands on its own. An investigation is just one small part of a much wider and deeper accumulation of knowledge and understanding. Bit by bit, through thousands of research investigations and other texts, we increase, adapt or even completely change our understanding of the world … This means that in doing your project, you need to acquire some understanding of what has been written or researched already by others … You will [then] appreciate better how your own investigation relates to what has already been written, and help readers of your project to do the same’ (A Beginner’s Guide…, p.79). 2. Sharpen your topic For his project Bill is interested in researching the partnership between schools and parents in children’s education. However, there is so much to read about this that he finds it difficult to start his literature review. His project tutor advises 1 Getting started with your literature review… him to sharpen up his topic, so that he can tackle his reading in a more focused way. Next day, Bill sees an interesting report about involving fathers in promoting outdoor games in schools for children under the age of 11. It seems that there is particular value in doing this, but obstacles to overcome as well. He decides that this is an area which would be worth investigating in his project. He could look at potential benefits of this kind of approach, examine the problems which must be addressed, and find possible solutions which could inform school practice in this area. With this more sharply defined topic, Bill finds that it is easier to start his literature review. He does not have to look at everything to do with parent involvement, but can focus attention on material which examines the role of fathers in the development and education of young children, as well as literature about the role of outdoor activity in the curriculum. 3. Choose initial reading Bill searches databases and the library catalogue for relevant literature. Despite his sharper topic, there is still plenty to look at. However, he does not find much literature which is exactly about his topic: the contribution which fathers can make to children’s outdoor games. Most relates more to fathers’ involvement in school sport with older students. At first he is rather disappointed about this, but then realizes that it might not be such a bad thing. The literature is still useful, but his investigation will have extra value if he is researching a topic which has not been examined a great deal already. In the end, Bill collects a pile of relevant books and articles. On the advice of his project tutor, he chooses just four from these: two books and two journal articles. Looking at this small number is manageable, and enough to identify some initial ideas which might be worth covering in his literature review. 4. Do ‘mind map’ of themes Bill takes notes on the two books and two articles which he has chosen for his initial reading. Despite this limited literature, some shared ideas are evident. For instance, all of this literature points to the benefits of involving fathers in children’s outdoor activities at school. There are also areas of difference, however: for instance, one book examines the position of families where there is a birth father and a step-father, the other does not address this issue at all. Bill writes down these various ideas, then finds he can turn them into a rough ‘mind map’ or diagram of part of his literature review. 2 Getting started with your literature review… This map shows that there is an overall theme of ‘Practical issues’, aspects which need close consideration by educators. Within this theme are several specific issues, one of which is whether to involve the birth father, step-father or both. Then within each issue there are differing perspectives: for this one, some think that both birth and step-fathers should be involved, some that either the child or mother should choose who should be involved, and some do not consider the issue at all. With this in his mind, Bill starts to see how his literature review might look. It could include a large section on ‘Practical issues’, several small sections which each cover a different issue, and within each of these two or three paragraphs on the various ways in which it is perceived in the literature. Bill can now look at more literature in order to extend and refine other aspects of the ‘mind map’ of his literature review. 5. Work out titles & subtitles By setting out his ‘mind map’, Bill finds that he has titles and subtitles which he can use when putting his text together. He decides he will have a large section entitled ‘Practical issues’. There will then be several sub-sections, each with a subtitle which reflects the issue being covered; one of these will be ‘Birth and step-fathers’. He might even label each perspective, for example ‘Inclusive’, for the view that both the birth and stepfather should be involved; ‘Choice’, for the suggestion that the child or mother should be able to choose who is involved; and ‘Avoidance’, where no consideration is given. When he finds new material, he can put it in the appropriate section. When finalizing the text, Bill will decide whether to remove these titles and subtitles, or to keep them if they seem helpful to the reader. Where they are kept, the difference between a chapter, section or sub-section must be clear. There is guidance about this under ‘Use of headings’ at: http://bit.ly/1oXKA0s. Where he does not keep them, the text itself must help readers to follow the ideas which are presented. 6. Write short sections Even with a structure for his literature review, Bill finds it difficult to begin writing actual text. There is just so much which needs to be written about. A friend advises him to ‘start small’, rather than trying to deal with everything all at once. So Bill chooses one section of his review, the ‘Practical issues’ section, and attempts to write this. Even this is difficult, however, so he goes even 3 Getting started with your literature review… smaller. He chooses one part of this section, covering one practical issue, and tackles this. Using his notes, he composes just three paragraphs. The first summarizes the chosen issue, the second presents views in the literature which are positive about it, the third presents views which are critical. Writing this short text gives Bill confidence to tackle another part in a similar way. His tutor might even give some feedback, which he can then apply to his further writing. He starts to see that eventually he will be able to put everything together in a complete text. 7. Look for ‘healthy controversy’ Bill’s tutor has encouraged him to look for ‘healthy controversy’ when putting together his review. This means seeking a range of perspectives and opinions, then examining and comparing them to get a rounded picture. Bill finds that there are several ways in which these differences are evident in the literature: • Writers sometimes simply disagree. For instance, one says that a teaching approach is not helpful to students, another claims that it is. • Writers sometimes agree on the main issue, but disagree on minor points. For instance, while agreeing that an aspect of curriculum is useful, one may recommend it for all students, the other for certain students only. • Writers see things from different angles. For example, one looks from the point of view of professionals, another from that of managers, a third from that of students or parents. Note that the controversy should be ‘healthy’. This means that the views which are examined should be, as stated in A Beginner’s Guide…, p.88, ‘thoughtful, accurate and well-balanced … based on reasonable assumptions or evidence and argued in a rational way (even if you do not agree with them)’. When he has carried out his own investigation, Bill will be able refer back to the arguments he examined in his literature review, integrate his own findings and come to new conclusions about the topic he has researched. 8. Vary how literature is used Bill looks at many books and articles in preparing his literature review. In some there is a great deal which is relevant and useful, in others just a few sentences. 4 Getting started with your literature review… One article in particular seems very important. It is a ‘seminal’ text, meaning that it has strongly influenced understanding of the topic. Bill decides that this article needs more attention than other literature he has examined. He therefore devotes more space to this article in his review. He summarizes its methods of research and conclusions, then relates these critically to other literature he has examined. In all, he writes nearly two pages just about this important piece of literature. Bill’s review is now not just a stream of similar text. It has variety, sometimes presenting an overview of a theme informed by several pieces of literature, and on other occasions focusing on a single important source and looking closely and critically at how it informs understanding and his own research intentions. 9. Look internationally Bill realizes that his research topic is important in other countries too. He finds he can draw on an article from an international journal in his review. When doing so, he clarifies its source in his text: ‘Interviews with 30 parents in Berlin led Schmidt (2012) to claim that…. ’. Bill even speaks a little German himself and so can make use of material in that language. He includes one or two short quotes in his text, translating them for his readers. Including international literature in this way allows him to incorporate a wider range of perspectives in his review. 10. First & final paragraphs What might be the first and final paragraphs of a literature review? Readers understand the general nature and purpose of this kind of text, so there is no need to explain it in the first paragraph. There is no need either to relate what was done to put it together. It can be useful, however, to start with a short paragraph which summarizes the main themes which will be examined. In Bill’s case, this will include his theme of ‘Practical issues’. An alternative is to go straight into examination of the literature. Bill might do this by looking first at a general theme of ‘Parent involvement in schools’. He could then move gradually towards his particular topic in a ‘funnel’ approach (see A Beginner’s Guide…, pp.93-94). 5 Getting started with your literature review… For the final paragraph, Bill feels it is worth summarizing the main ideas which have emerged, also considering their relevance for current understanding and his own investigation. He may also be able to identify a gap in current knowledge which research, including his own, might set out to fill. More tips: https://www.academia.edu/5195702/Top_Tips_on_Writing_a_Literature_Review_for_Your_Educ ation_Research_Project Support material on all aspects of your research project: https://wlv.academia.edu/MikeLambert A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Your Education Research Project, by Mike Lambert, is published by SAGE: http://bit.ly/143AhdA and is available also on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1e9xges. To receive Facebook postings for A Beginner’s Guide…, click the ‘Like’ button at: https://www.facebook.com/ABeginnersGuidetoDoingYourEducationResearchProject Good luck with your literature review! ML 10/16 6