Methods of Research

DCEE 28
This course intends to introduce
students to the different research LESSON 7
approaches and designs. It also
aims to familiarize students with
the issues pertinent to the use and
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
interpretation of these research
approaches and designs. It will
likewise provide the students with
the opportunity to develop Prepared by: Janine B. Bacosmo
necessary skills needed in the
design of a research proposal.
Intended Learning Outcomes

1 Select relevant literatures, and studies;

Cite related literatures, and studies using the American

2 Psychological Association (APA) style;

3 Write a reference list using the APA style 6th edition;

4 Synthesize information from relevant literatures, and

studies;
Intended Learning Outcomes

5 Write a coherent chapter 2; and

6 Create a complete chapter II.

What is a
LITERATURE
REVIEW?
A literature review is a compilation, classification, and
evaluation of what other researchers have written on a
particular topic. It is an important showcase of the
researchers talents of understanding, interpretation,
analysis, clarity of thought, synthesis, and
development argument.
Relevant Literature and Studies Selection
A literature review’s purpose is to:

Place each work in Identify new ways

the context of its to interpret, and
contribution to the shed light o any
subject under gaps, in previous
review. research.

1 2 3 4
Describe the Resolve conflicts
relationship of each amongst seemingly
work to the others contradictory
under previous studies.
consideration.
Relevant Literature and Studies Selection
(Cont…)

Identify areas of Place an original

prior scholarship to piece of research in
prevent duplication the context of
of effort. existing literature.

5 6 7
Point the way
forward for further
research.
Relevant Literature and Studies Selection
(Cont…)
In your literature review, you should:

1 2 3 4
Group research Summarize each item Compare, and evaluate Provide topic sentences
studies, and other of the literature each item of the at the beginning of
relevant literature appropriately literature. paragraphs, and
according to a common according to summary sentences at
theme or idea. significance. the end of the sections
to help the reader
understand what the
main issues are.
Relevant Literature and Studies Selection
(Cont…)
Some relevant materials include:

REFERENCES OF HAND SEARCHING OF

ELECTRONIC SOURCES
REFERENCES JOURNALS
Searching electronic databases. Checking through a materials’ Looking through a pile of
reference lists. journals.
 American Psychological
Cite Related Association (APA) style
social sciences such as

Literature business, psychology, and

sociology

When citing information from

another’s publication, be sure to Modern Language
report the relevant aspects of the Association (MLA) style
work clearly, and concisely, in humanities-related areas such
your own words. Provide a as literature.
reference to the work as soon as
possible after giving the
information.
Chicago Manual of Style
history, and publishing
industry
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES
1. Short Quotations

In directly quoting from a work, include the AUTHOR, YEAR OF

PUBLICATION, and PAGE NUMBER for the references (preceded by
“p.”). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that include the
author’s last name followed by the date of the publication in a
parentheses.

According to Jones (1998), “students often had difficulty

using APA style especially when it was their first time” (p. 199).
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

1. Short Quotations (…)

If the author is not named in a signal phrase, place the AUTHOR’S

LAST NAME, YEAR OF PUBLICATION, and the PAGE NUMBER in
parentheses after the quotation.

She stated, “students often had difficulty using APA style

especially when it was their first time” (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but
she did not offer an explanation as to why.
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

2. Long Quotations

Place direct quotations that are 40 words, or longer, in a free standing

block of typewritten lines, and omit the quotation marks.

Jones’ (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it

was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be
attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a
style manual or to ask their teacher for help (p. 199).
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

3. Summary or Paraphrase

Simply make reference to the author, and year of publication in your

in-text reference.

According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation

format for the first-time learners.
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

3. Summary or Paraphrase (…)

Tips:
a. Start your paraphrase by using a suitable verb to introduce the
author/source of the information (X suggests, X claims, X states,
etc.)
b. Change the vocabulary using words that have a similar meaning
(synonyms)
c. Change the word order of the sentence
d. Ensure your paraphrase has the same meaning as the original
quote
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

3. Summary or Paraphrase (…)

Example:

Original: “Working from home can lead to employees feeling

isolated and dissatisfied” (King, 2009, p.12).

Paraphrased: King (2009) suggests that workers can feel alone

and unhappy while working away from the office.
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

3. Summary or Paraphrase (…)

Example:

Original: “More than half of the women who attended the one-
day meeting were in business with their spouses” (Victor, 2018,
p. 5).

Paraphrased: Victor (2018) stated that the majority of the women

who went to the one-day conference were in business with their
husbands.
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

4. Citing an Author or Authors

• Two authors
Research by Serrano and Ong (2015) supports…
(Serrano & Ong, 2015)

• Three to five authors (Note: In the subsequent citations, only use the
first author’s last name followed by an et al. (in italics))
First citation: (Serrano, Camilar, Ong, Ortiz, &
Imperial, ……….……….2015)
Second citation: (Serrano et al., 2015)
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

4. Citing an Author or Authors (…)

• Six or more authors

Ong et al. (2015) argued…
(Ong et al., 2015)

• Unknown author
A similar study was done where students learn the
format of research papers (“Using APA”, 2015).
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

4. Citing an Author or Authors (…)

• Organization as an author
According to the American Psychological Association
(2016)…

• Organization with well-known abbreviation as an author

First citation: (Mothers Against Drunk Driving [MADD],
……………….2015)
Second citation: (MADD, 2015)
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

4. Citing an Author or Authors (…)

• Two or more works in the same parentheses

(Ong, 2015; Serrano, 2013)
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

5. Citing Indirect Sources

List the secondary source in your reference list, and include the
secondary source in the parentheses.

Serrano argued that …. (as cited in Ong, 2013, p. 102).

Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

6. Sources without Date

Use the abbreviation “n.d.” for “no date”.

Another study of students, and research decisions

discovered that students succeeded with tutoring (“Tutoring
and APA”, n.d.)
Cite Related Literature (Cont
…)

BASIC RULES

7. Sources without Page Numbers

When an electronic document has numbered paragraph, use the

abbreviation “para” followed by the paragraph number. If the
paragraphs are not numbered, and the document includes
subheading, provide the appropriate subheading, and specify the
paragraph under that heading.

According to Serrano (2015)….. (Mind over Matter section,

para. 6).
 Writing the REFERENC
E LIST
D
D

APA style 6th edition

 D
D
Proceed with Research Worksheet No. 11
Synthesize
Related
Literature Synthesis usually goes together with analysis
because you break down a concept/idea into its
important parts/points (analysis), so you can
SYNTHESIS means to combine a draw useful conclusions or make decisions about
number of different pieces into a whole. the topic or problem (synthesis).
It is about concisely summarizing, and
linking different sources in order to: Your Picture Here
a. review the literature on a topic,
b. make recommendations, and
c. connect your practice to the
research.
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
EXAMPLES OF ANALYSIS TO SYNTHESIS

Research Question: What increases student motivation?

One Possible Answer: Meaningful work
Analysis: One part or way of increasing student motivation is through meaningful work. What did individual authors
have to say about meaningful work?

AUTHOR MEANINGFUL WORK

Knowles (1978) Builds upon learners life experiences, and links new knowledge with previous life experiences
Seifert (2004) Contributes to confidence
Rogers (2002) Tasks meet an immediate need
Bandura (1997) Leads to task persistence
Reflective journals can be meaningful to
Craft (2005)
the student
What does the student I also find that I am more motivated to do “real life” nursing tasks that are meaningful to my
author think? future career
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
Your Picture Here
UNSUCCESSFUL SYNTHESIS OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE

Knowles (1978) wrote that meaningful work builds upon life experiences and links new knowledge with
previous experiences. Meaningful work contributes to a student’s confidence (Bandura, 1997). Meaningful work
meets an immediate need (Rogers, 2000). Seifert (2004) claimed that meaningful work contributes to a student’s
confidence. Finally, Craft (2005) stated that reflective journals can be meaningful tasks for the student.

If you compare the table on the previous page to this synthesis, it becomes clear that this student writer is restating each
author’s ideas like a grocery shopping list. Although the APA citations are correct, the above synthesis is unsuccessful
because the reader does not learn how these ideas are related or if some ideas are more significant than others, nor does the
reader learn the writer’s position on the subject.
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
Your Picture Here
SUCCESSFUL SYNTHESIS OF THE RESEARCH
LITERATURE

Much of the literature claims that student

motivation increases when the tasks are meaningful The first synthesis reports a common finding of
(Bandura, 1997; Craft, 2005; Knowles, 1978; Rogers, various authors
2000; Seifert, 2004).

Notice that this second synthesis combines the

While satisfying the professor’s expectations can be student’s initial thought (satisfying a professor’s
satisfying for the student, meaningful work expectations can be important) with information
contributes to a student’s confidence (Seifert, 2004) from the literature (the student’s need for
and persistence of a task (Bandura, 1997). meaningful learning)
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SUCCESSFUL SYNTHESIS OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE (…)

For work to be meaningful to students, tasks should build upon their life experiences and link new knowledge
with their previous life experiences (Knowles, 1978) or immediate needs (Rogers, 2002). One means of achieving
a meaningful connection is through reflective journaling tasks (Craft, 2005).

Your Picture Here

This third synthesis summarizes different kinds of findings. The student has successfully synthesized the sources by
concisely showing the reader how these different ideas fit together.

Given the importance of meaningful learning in increasing student motivation and task persistence (Bandura,
1997; Craft, 2005; Rogers, 2000; Seifert, 2004), it is important to provide relevant and practical clinical teaching to
clients.
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SYNTHESIS MATRIX

What? A synthesis matrix is a table that can be used to organize research. When completed, it provides a visual
representation of main ideas found in the literature and also shows where there is overlap in ideas
between authors. A completed matrix will help to integrate all of the different resources together, which
will facilitate the synthesis of information on a specific topic.

Why? Synthesis is an important part of academic writing, but it can become overwhelming and difficult to keep
resources organized. By using the synthesis matrix, all of the key information will be saved in one place.
Having this organized document will help during the outlining and writing phases.
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SYNTHESIS MATRIX (…)

SOURCE 1 SOURCE 2 SOURCE 3

(______________________) (______________________) (______________________)

MAIN IDEA 1

MAIN IDEA 2

MAIN IDEA 3
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SYNTHESIS MATRIX (…)
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SYNTHESIS MATRIX (…)
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
SYNTHESIS MATRIX (…)
Synthesize Related Literature (Cont…)
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD SYNTHESIS MATRICES

Limitation Discovery

Comparison Location
 Coherent Review of Literature
Literature reviews use a combination of structural approaches.

TOPICAL/ INVERTED
CHRONOLOGICAL CLASSIC THEMATIC PYRAMID
Historical or Major writings Sections representing Starts from a broad
developmental regarded as the categories or perspective
context significant in the area conceptual subjects
of study of the research study
 Basic Options for Conjunction
LOGICAL RELATION MEANING EXAMPLES
Addition and, in addition, besides, moreover, if, otherwise, alternately
Addition
Alteration
Similarity like, as if, similarly, but, however, whereas
Comparison
Contrast
Successive then, after, subsequently, next while, meanwhile, at the same time
Time
Simultaneous
Cause So, because, since, as, therefore, by, thus, by this means, so as to, in
Means order to, for, provided that, given, unless
Consequence
Purpose
Condition
 D
D
Thank you
Proceed with Research Worksheet No. 12
 Reference

Ashford University .(2017). Synthesis matrix. Retrieved from https://wri

tingcenter.ashford.edu/synthesis-matrix

Camilar-Serrano, A.O. (2016). Practical research 1: Qualitative research.

Intramuros, Manila: Unlimited Books Library Services and
.Publishing, Inc

Lim, J. (2011). Synthesis matrix for literature review. Retrieved from

https: //mystudiouslife.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/synthesis-
matrix-for-literature-review/