writing the literature review lourdes villarreal, ph.d. writing center claremont graduate university

Writing the Literature Review

Lourdes Villarreal, Ph.D.Writing Center

Claremont Graduate University

Presentation OutlineQuestions to ConsiderResources

Professor/Department /School ResourcesExpert librarians/library materials Writing CenterHandbooks

Strategies Reading CriticallyTaking Notes

Sample of Published Literature Review Article Guiding questions and paragraph samples

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Questions to Consider

Professor’s Guidelines given?

Method selected to take notes of readings?

Understanding of empirical studies?

Understanding of format and data to

include in review?

Understanding of summarization, analysis,

and evaluation skills needed?

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ResourcesProfessor’s Guidelines

Your professor is the best resource.

See the next slide for an example from Professor’s Smith’s Edu 462 at Claremont Graduate University (taken many years ago; numbering and color emphasis mine).

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Example of Professor’s Guidelines

1.The review should include the identification of central works, 2. the overall contribution of this issue …, 3. strengths and weaknesses of the literature in the area, and 4. practical implications to be drawn. Note: The focus should be on reviewing the literature as opposed to simply a paper on the topic.

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Literature Review, not a Research Paper

What is a literature review?A critical examination of the research that has been done in a particular field or on a particular subjectUsing Professor Smith’s guidelines, a critical examination includes identification of central works, the overall contribution, strengths and weaknesses, and practical implications.

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ResourcesSchool/Department

Still not sure how to write the review?

See the School of Educational

Studies’ video entitled Literature Review Workshop with Professor Daryl Smith or go to http://web.cgu.edu/media/ed/DarylSmithNov08.mp4

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ResourcesLibrary

Need more help? Get to know the librarians (the people with expertise in your field/discipline). From the Honnold Mudd Library homepage, under contact a librarian, you’ll findhttp://libguides.libraries.claremont.edu/kimberlyfranklin

Locate sources available through the library. From Contact us, under Directory of Specialists, choose “Education” and then “Articles.” You will find a section entitled “Literature Reviews.”http://libguides.libraries.claremont.edu/content.php?pid=54808&sid=401373 8Lourdes Villarreal

ResourcesCGU Writing CenterResources listed on Webpage http://www.cgu.edu/pages/726.asp

Other literature review materialshttp://www.cgu.edu/pages/775.asp

Appointments for individual assistance

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ResourcesHandbooks

Need step-by-step guidance?

Feak, C. B. & Swales, J. M. (2009). Telling a research story: Writing a literature review. University of Michigan: The University of

Michigan Press.

Galvan, J. L. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (3rd.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.

Pan, M.L., & Lopez, M. (2004). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pvrczak Pub.

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StrategizingReading with a Purpose

Among the purposes of writing a literature review one is to test your abilities as a researcher. In other words, as you read, you, the scholar, will

A. Become well versed in the research conducted in the field and / or your subject

B. Be able to recognize the work of others

Know who’s who in the field

C. Be selective of the sources used

Scholarly & Peer-reviewed


Strategizing Reading Critically

Reading critically means being engaged with the text:Preview: What information does the abstract provide? How it is organized? What are the different sections in an empirical study? What’s the purpose of the introduction?

Read Actively: Annotate, highlight

Develop a note-taking system (note cards; charts; Excel

sheets)

Take notes as you read or after you read

Know when to stop reading and begin writing your review


Researchers

Boylan, H.R.

Boylan, H. R. & Saxon, D. P.

Higbee, J. L.

McCabe, R. H.

Villarreal, M.L .

R Q

Purpose

Sample

Method

Findings

Other

Note-taking Sample


StrategizingReading

Read as many literature reviews as you can looking for patterns (note how they are written in your field); note the expressions and terminology used

Look for other terms used to mean “literature review,” like past or previous research


Critical Thinking Skills

A critical examination involves summarization as well as analysis and evaluation.Summary: Restating key ideas: What is the issue or problem? What is the research question and purpose? Who did what (methodology)? What was the sample? What were the major findings? Analysis: Examining the parts of the whole: How can the data be classified/sorted/categorized? What are the trends? Similarities/differences in results, variables examined?Evaluation: Making judgments: What does it all mean? What is missing? What was not considered? Limitations? Contributions?


Summary, Analysis, & EvaluationSummary and Analysis (sorting and

comparing)X, Y, and Z scholars found that …

Summary and Analysis (sorting and comparing)Most studies on developmental education are quantitative.

Critique (evaluation of what you found):More qualitative studies are needed to understand students’ perspectives.


Literature Sample: Asian Pacific StudentsLew, J. W., Chang, J. C., & Wang, W. W.

(2005). UCLA community college review: The overlooked minority: Asian Pacific American Students at community colleges. Community College Review,33 (2), 64-82.

Note: Dr. Jonathan Lew is a graduate of CGU! I use the article as an example of how to set up the introduction of a literature review. I use guiding questions to point out the key aspects.


Guiding Questions: Lew, Chang, & Wang

(2005) What information do the authors give you in the first three paragraphs?

What population are they examining?Why this population?What do the researchers propose to

do? How is the review organized? What are the themes?Why is their work

significant/important?


What the Title Tells UsTitle:UCLA community college review: The overlooked minority: Asian Pacific American Students at community colleges.

What is the purpose of title?What is the topic/issue to be reviewed?What is the argument?


Guiding Questions: 1st Paragraph of Introduction (next slide)

What is the topic/issued to be reviewed?

Why is past and current research on the topic/issue presented?

What is the argument that the authors present?

Why do the authors conclude the paragraph wih the percentage of Asian Pacific American students at community colleges?


First ParagraphOver the last several decades, Asian Pacific American (APA) students have captured public and scholarly attention for their increasingly visible presence in the halls of academia. Most of that attention has been focused on either supporting or debunking the widespread portrayal of Asian Pacific Americans as a model minority-hard-working and academically successful students who attend the most selective colleges and universities in the country. However, in the news media and in higher education research, a significant subset of the APA student population has largely been overlooked: APA students at the nation's community colleges. Over 40% of all APA students enrolled in higher education in the United States attend community colleges, and in 2000-2001, Asian Pacific Americans made up 15% of all students enrolled in two-year institutions (Harvey, 2003).


Review of 1st Paragraph

First Paragraph Presents

General topic /issue to be reviewedPast and current research on the topicGap in the literatureSpecific population to be examinedRationale for focus on specific population

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Guiding Questions: 2nd Paragraph (next slide)Why do the authors present the

enrollment patterns and degree completion of APA students at community colleges?

How do the data help support their argument?


Second ParagraphThe community college APA student population is a sizable force nationally and continues to grow. From 1980 to 2000, APA enrollment at two-year institutions nationwide increased 224%, from approximately 124,000 to 402,000 students (Harvey, 2003). This mirrored trends in APA student enrollment in higher education overall, which more than tripled in the same time period. The number of associate degrees conferred upon APAs grew 229% in those two decades, a larger increase than for any other racial group. In California, which has the largest APA population of any state, the proportion of APA students in community colleges more than doubled between the years of 1980 and 2000 (Wassmer, Moore, & Shulock, 2003).


Review of 2nd Paragraph

Second Paragraph Presents

Authors’ assertion (argument, claim)

Data (statistics) to support their argument


Guiding Questions: 3rd Paragraph (next slide)What is the focus of the review?

What is the order in which the review will be presented?

What is the scope of the review (narrow or broad) and why?

How will the review conclude?


Third ParagraphAs these figures indicate, APA students at community colleges are a growing population that can no longer be ignored. Therefore, this review will examine the characteristics and experiences of APA students at two year institutions, highlighting the heterogeneity of the population in relation to such factors as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigrant background. We first describe in more detail the demographics and diversity of this group. We then identify and summarize the research that specifically focuses on APA students at community colleges. However, due to the scarcity of this scholarship, we must look to the broader literature on APA students in higher education in order to highlight the various challenges that APA students face, although we point out the unique characteristics that differentiate APA students at two-year colleges from those at four-year institutions. In order to address the needs of this overlooked minority, this article concludes with implications for practice and recommendations for future research.


Review of 3rd Paragraph

Third Paragraph PresentsRestatement of assertion (argument, claim)Purpose of the reviewIdentification of the themes/findings of the reviewOrganization of the sections (see slides 28 & 29)Scope of the review (narrow & broad) and rationale


Deciding How to Organize the Review

Historical Analysis (how the subject has been written about in the literature)how a subject was being written about in the 50s may be very different than how it is written about in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.

Themes (variables, findings, sample, controversies, theories)

Methodology (research design: quantitative, qualitative, action research)



Body of Lew, Chang, and Wang (2005) Review: Road map of how paper was organized by themes

Demographics and Diversity of APA Students

Studies on APA Students at Community Colleges (scholars explain that the following section draws from a broader body of literature from 4-yr institutions)

Background Characteristics and Influences on Academic Achievement

Immigrant Status and English Language FluencyFamily Influence and ExpectationsSocioeconomic Status

Model Minority Stereotype

Identity Development


Conclusions and Recommendations of Lew, Chang, and Wang (2005) Review

Restates assertion (argument, claim)

Highlights need for further research of undergraduate students

Provides recommendations for community colleges

Presents implications for future research and rationale of why research is important

Review & Final Remarks

Follow professor’s guidelines Select a note-taking method Understand how to read empirical

studiesKnow what data to include in reviewInclude summarization, analysis,

and evaluationDecide on an organizational

structure


writing the literature review lourdes villarreal, ph.d. writing center claremont graduate university

Documents

lourdes villarreal slide

literature reviews

resources library

resources handbooks

resources schooldepartment

strategizing reading

research paper

critical examination