Educational Research
Learning Objectives
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At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
A. Explain two purposes of literature reviews.
B. Explain the different types of literature reviews.
C. Explain the purpose of a coding form.
D. Identify the elements of a coding form.
E. Identify components of an effective literature review.
Introduction
Overview
The focus of this website is to acquaint you with: a) literature reviews, b) coding forms, and c) what constitutes an effective literature review. Each concepts will be discussed below in greater detail.
Literature Reviews
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Literature reviews are used to convey the importance of a particular topic in a journal article or a research study (Webster & Watson, 2002). In other words, you are convincing the reader of your study or article why this topic or idea deserves attention or why research is warranted.
The role of the literature review in a refereed journal article or a research study is critical. There are many facets to the role of a literature review. These can be found below:
The role of the literature review in a refereed journal article or a research study is critical. There are many facets to the role of a literature review. These can be found below:
- Literature reviews provide the theoretical foundation for the research study to be conducted.
- Literature reviews help to summarize the existing literature in a concise manner.
- Literature reviews communicate the positive, negative, and inconclusive research findings of a given topic. This can lead to synthesis across studies. More specifically, this leads to identifying areas where research in this given topic has flourished and areas where gaps exists.
- Literature reviews lead to the development of a compelling argument of why your paper or research study is needed.
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Type of Literature Reviews
There are different types of literature reviews. These include: narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Each will be discussed briefly.
There are different types of literature reviews. These include: narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Each will be discussed briefly.
- Narrative reviews: These reviews usually present a certain perspective the author may have about a given topic. The author select what studies to include and what themes to present. This are often invited papers from experts in the field of study. This type of review is often not replicable by others since it is most based on the perspective the author chooses to present.
- Systematic reviews: These reviews are focused to summarize a certain field within a particular scope. The studies to be considered for such a review must meet the inclusion criteria set by the researchers. Some example of inclusion criteria may include: certain variables being measured, includes statistical analyses, or available in public databases. These types of reviews are replicable based on the inclusion criteria set.
- Meta-analyses: These reviews are a special form of systematic reviews. Meta-analyses compile statistical results across numerous studies to provide an overall effect size and several other statistics. These types of review are replicable.
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Research Study Example
During this course, I have been working on a research study that will examine the influence of different PowerPoint (PPT) design styles. More specifically, this study will: a) examine the efficacy of the principles rooted in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning in the use of Beyond Bullet Point (BBP), and b) compare the BBP design to other traditional PPT designs in the classroom.
The research questions to be examined include:
During this course, I have been working on a research study that will examine the influence of different PowerPoint (PPT) design styles. More specifically, this study will: a) examine the efficacy of the principles rooted in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning in the use of Beyond Bullet Point (BBP), and b) compare the BBP design to other traditional PPT designs in the classroom.
The research questions to be examined include:
- Will the use of BBP when compared to other traditional PPT designs will lead to decreased cognitive load?
- Will the use of BBP when compared to other traditional PPT designs will lead to meeting the learning objectives, as reflected in students’ grades.
- Will the use of BBP when compared to other traditional PPT designs will lead to increased satisfaction among students?
- Will the use of multimedia principles enhanced the use of BPP when compared to other traditional PPT designs?
Coding Forms
When gathering various articles for your literature review, it is best to organize them in some fashion where the information is uniformed across articles for the topic we are working are on our papers. A coding form is one such tool to help organize your articles. A coding form can be set up in using an excel worksheet. You should format the cells in the worksheet so the text wraps around so the information can be read easily. Each article should be entered into their own rows. The columns should be set up to capture the same information from each article. The information to be captured for each article on the coding form includes the following:
The use of the coding form helps to organize your articles for quick reference and to help organize your thoughts on a specific topic. You should use gray shading for every other row to make reading easier between articles.
- Full APA citation
- Abstract
- Theoretical framework used in the study
- Measures used in the study
- Methods used in the study (note if they are qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods)
- Reliability evidence (provided for each measure)
- Validity evidence (provided for each measure)
- Findings from the study
- Overall critique of the study
- Bigger picture (how this article fits into your overall project)
The use of the coding form helps to organize your articles for quick reference and to help organize your thoughts on a specific topic. You should use gray shading for every other row to make reading easier between articles.
Coding Form Example
Below you will find a link to an example of a coding form I created to use in my literature review that was created during this semester. I hope it helps in your own creation of such a form.
raidermailwright-my.sharepoint.com/personal/kimberly_lukaszewski_wright_edu/Documents/Coding%20Form%20Part%201%20%26%202%20%26%203.xlsx?d=w2fcaad292f3b4d1389653cc9e6026470
Below you will find a link to an example of a coding form I created to use in my literature review that was created during this semester. I hope it helps in your own creation of such a form.
raidermailwright-my.sharepoint.com/personal/kimberly_lukaszewski_wright_edu/Documents/Coding%20Form%20Part%201%20%26%202%20%26%203.xlsx?d=w2fcaad292f3b4d1389653cc9e6026470
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What Constitutes an Effective Literature Review?
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There are three components to an effective literature review. They include: theory, empirical evidence, and synthesis. Each will be discussed below.
- Theory: Theory is used to develop the foundation for your literature review. Theory provides the direction and guidance for people to understand the topic you are writing about. When constructing the theoretical section of your literature review, you should make sure you have define the theory and its components being used in your review, explain the importance of the theory, and cite empirical evidence to support the theory.
- Empirical Evidence: Empirical evidence is essential in any review. When examining empirical evidence for any review you should consider how convincing the results are being cited and why they are convincing. You should also consider the validity and reliability of each study. Were proper samples used? Were the measure used appropriate? Further, you should consider how much evidence is provided - 1-2 studies. 10 studies, etc. Lastly, you need to consider you generalizable are the studies. What type of sampling methods were used? Who were the study intended to examine.
- Synthesis: When providing a synthesis of the existing research in the chose topic, you need to make sure you are providing themes and patterns based on a deep understanding on the literature. You do not want to simply describe the field. In addition, you want to make sure the identified themes are actually aligned with the empirical evidence provided. Lastly, you want to identify new directions for future research and new ideas for the field. This will allow you to make a true contribution on your given field.
Literature Review Example
Below you will find a link to an example of a literature review I have been working on during this semester. I hope it helps in your own creation of such a document.
raidermailwright-my.sharepoint.com/personal/kimberly_lukaszewski_wright_edu/Documents/Literature%20Review%20Note.docx?d=w885ad0ad0cd24d8389358c95873e05e2
Below you will find a link to an example of a literature review I have been working on during this semester. I hope it helps in your own creation of such a document.
raidermailwright-my.sharepoint.com/personal/kimberly_lukaszewski_wright_edu/Documents/Literature%20Review%20Note.docx?d=w885ad0ad0cd24d8389358c95873e05e2
Assessment
References
Webster, J., & Watson, R. T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS quarterly, xiii-xxiii.