Write a literature review on the Impact of feeding grants in the academic performance of high school students in South Africa
ARM 2021 - Evernote.pdf ARM S4 Literature Review Problem? Double check if is has already been answered or if it is relevant? A note on the literature review: Behind the scenes it helps you organise your thoughts. On camera It is the purpose of the literature review section of a paper or dissertation to show the reader, in a systematic way AKA you are showing your reading the step by step process, your line of reasoning / system you used to identify your gap. Your lit review is an essential part of your preparation for the research It helps: Sources of Literature Go on a link finding rampage and researcher witch-hunt. Look for places where academics hang out, see what they are talking about on conferences, dissertations etc. Get those links. Matthews & Ross, ChB2.pdf 3 MB what is already known about the research topic as a whole, and to outline the key ideas and theories that help us to understand this. As well as being systematic, the review should be evaluative and critical of the studies or ideas which are relevant to the current work. Compare, contrast identify gaps. (Use the phrasebank!) For example, you may think a particular study did not investigate some important aspect of the area you are researching, that the author(s) failed to notice a weakness in their methods, or that their conclusion is not well-supported (refer to Being Critical) Critically engage with the research area to see What is known Different approaches to the topic Compare and contrast different approaches Puts research into context (the real world) You learn the language of a topic Discover important issues, variables Identify and refine your questions Role of literature review The literature review accomplishes several purposes. Literature review can take several forms: Steps in Conducting a Literature Review Books Refereed Journals!!! Peer reviewed. Non-refereed journals Theses and conference papers Newspapers Television and radio Grey literature Official Documents Research reports The internet. NB remember to look at the credibility of resources. Look for references within articles. 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, filling in gaps and extending prior studies It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results with other findings. Studies need to add to the body of literature on a topic, and literature sections in proposals are generally shaped from the larger problem to the narrower issue that leads directly into the methods of a study. (a) integrate what others have done and said, (b) criticise previous scholarly works, (c) build bridges between related topics, and (d) identify the central issues in a field Begin by identifying key words. These key words may emerge in identifying a topic or may result from preliminary readings. 1. With these key words in mind, go next to the begin searching the catalog for holdings (i.e., journals and books). 2. Try to locate about 50 reports of research in articles or books related to research on your topic. Set a priority on the search for journal articles and books because they are easy to locate and obtain. 3. “Skim this initial group of articles or chapters, and duplicate those that are central to your topic. Throughout this process, simply try to obtain a sense as to whether the article or chapter will make a useful contribution to your understanding of the literature.” 4. As you identify useful literature begin designing a literature map (to be discussed more fully later)5 Structure of a literature review: WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF A LIT REVIEW? https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself. Introduction: Body: As you identify useful literature, begin designing a literature map (to be discussed more fully later). This is a visual picture (or figure) of groupings of the literature on the topic that illustrates how your particular study will contribute to the literature, positioning your study within the larger body of research. 5. .“As you put together the literature map, also begin to draft summaries of the most relevant articles. These summaries are combined into the final literature review that you write for your proposal or research study.” 6. “After summarising the literature, assemble the literature review, structuring it thematically or organising it by important concepts. End the literature review with a summary of the major themes and suggest how your particular study further adds to the literature and addresses a gap in the themes. It is at this point as well that you could advance a critique of the past literature and point out deficiencies in it and issues in its methods” 7. An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper) Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts. Conclusion: HOW SHOULD I ORGANIZE MY LIT REVIEW? Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples: Example of structure of a literature review. Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance Connect it back to your primary research question!!!!!! Chronological: The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure). Thematic: If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women. Methodological: If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example: Qualitative versus quantitative research Empirical versus theoretical scholarship Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources Theoretical: In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research. https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/