Chapter-3

Literature Review
and
Hypothesis Formulation
Literature Review: Meaning
Literature Review consists of two words:
a. Literature - the existing knowledge of a
particular area of investigation of any
discipline which includes theoretical,
practical and its research studies.
b. Review- the process of organizing the
knowledge of the specific area of research to
evolve structure of knowledge to show that
his/her study would be an addition to the
field.
Meaning---
• Literature review is a systematic, explicit, and
reproducible method for identifying,
evaluating and synthesizing the existing body
of completed and recorded work produced by
researchers, scholars and practitioners.
• A literature review is a directed search of
published works, including periodicals and
books, that discusses theory and presents
empirical results that are relevant to the topic
at hand.
Meaning---
• Once a researcher has chosen a specific topic, the
next step in the planning phase of a research study is
reviewing the existing literature in that topic area.
• If you are not yet familiar with the process of
conducting a literature review, it simply means
becoming familiar with the existing literature (e.g.,
books, journal articles) on a particular topic.
Obviously, the amount of available literature can
differ significantly depending on the topic area
being studied, and it can certainly be a time-
consuming, arduous, and difficult process if there
has been a great deal of research conducted in a
particular area.
 Relevance of Literature Review
• The critical review of the literature provides the
foundations of your research.
• Not only does it inform and refine your research
objectives (for example, are they topical, worthy of
research, original?), it provides a benchmark against
which you can compare and contrast your results.
• One of the features of any project is that it should enable
you to demonstrate a critical awareness of the relevant
knowledge in the field.
• The literature review is not something you complete
early in the project and then drop. It is likely to continue
almost to the writing up stage, especially since your own
research may generate new issues and ideas that you will
want to relate to the literature.
Relevance---
• The literature in any field forms the foundation upon
which all future work will be built.
• If we fail to build the foundation of knowledge
provided by the review of literature our work is likely
to be shallow and naive and will often duplicate work
that has already been done better by some one else.
• It opens doors to sources of significant problems and
explanatory hypotheses and provide helpful
orientation for definition of the problem, background
for selection of procedure, and comparative data for
interpretation of results. In order to be creative and
original, one must read extensively and critically as a
stimulus to thinking.
In general, review of the literature is essential
because it:
• Provides an up-to-date understanding of the
subject and its significance and structure.
• Identifies the kinds of research methods that
have been used.
• Is informed by the views and research of
experts in the field.
• Assists in the formulation of research topics,
questions and direction.
• Provides a basis on which the subsequent
research findings can be compared.
NEED OF REVIEW OF LITERATURE
 One of the early steps in planning a research work is to review research
done previously in the particular area of interest and relevant area.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of those researches usually gives the
researcher an indication of the direction.
 It is very essential for every investigator to be up-to-date in his
information about the literature, related to his/her own problem already
done by others. It is considered the most important prerequisite to actual
planning and conducting the study.
 It avoids the replication of the study of findings to take an advantage
from similar or related literature as regards, to methodology, techniques
of data collection, procedure adopted and conclusions drawn. He/she can
justify his/her own endeavour in the field.
 It provides as source of problem of study, an analogy may be drawn for
identifying and selecting his/her own problem of research. The researcher
formulates his/her hypothesis on the basis of review of literature. It also
provides the rationale for the study. The results and findings of the study
can also be discussed at length.
Objectives of Review of Literature

 It provides theories, ideas, explanations or hypothesis which may prove useful in

the formulation of a new problem.
 It indicates whether the evidence already available solves the problem adequately
without requiring further investigation. It avoids the replication.
 It provides the sources for hypothesis. The researcher can formulate research
hypothesis on the basis of available studies.
 It suggests method, procedure, sources of data and statistical techniques appropriate
to the solution of the problem.
 It locates comparative data and findings useful in the interpretation and discussion
of results. The conclusions drawn in the related studies may be significantly
compared and may be used as the subject for the findings of the study.
 It helps in developing experts and general scholarship of the investigator in the area
investigated.
 It contributes towards the accurate knowledge of the evidence or literature in one’s
area of activity is a good avenue towards making oneself. This knowledge is an
asset ever afterwards, whether one is employed in an institution of higher learning
or a research organization.
Skills for Critical Engagement with the Literature
Skill Actions Description
Analysis Select, Dissecting data into their constituent parts in
differentiate, order to determine the relationship between
break up them.

Synthesis Integrate, Rearranging the elements derived from

combine, analysis to identify relationships
formulate,
reorganize

Comprehension Understand, Interpreting and distinguishing between

distinguish, different types of data, theory and argument
explain to describe the substance of an idea

Knowledge Define, Describing the principles, uses and function

classify, name of describe, rules, methods and events
 In terms of structure, a literature review should comprise five components:
 In section 1: An Introduction, informing the reader about how the review is
to be organized and structured.
 In section 2: addressing the literature on the independent variable or
variables (the influences on the dependent variable or subject, upon which
the research is focused).
 In section 3: the literature on the dependent variable. If there are multiple
dependent variables, devote a sub-section to each one, or focus on a single
important dependent variable.
 in section 4: the literature that relates the independent variable to the
dependent variable. Creswell warns that this section should be relatively
short and should focus on studies that are extremely close in topic to the
proposed study. If nothing specific has been written on the topic, then
review studies that address it at a general level.
 In section 5: Provide a summary of the review, highlighting the most
significant studies and the key themes that have emerged.
Within the five-step structure suggested above, any
critical review should also incorporate:
• An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of
some of these theories.
• A clear understanding of the topic.
• A citing of all key studies in the subject territory.
• A clear indication of how the review links to your
research questions.
• A definition of the boundaries of your research.
• A selection and synthesis of existing arguments to
form a new perspective.
• Through gradual refinement, a clear demarcation of
the research problem.
 Sources Of Review Of Literature
• Books and Text books Material
• Periodicals- A periodical is defined as a
publication issued in successive parts,
usually at regular intervals, and as a rule,
intended to be continued indefinitely.
• These include Yearbook, Documents,
Almanacs, The Cumulative Book Index,
International Abstracts, Journals,
Newspapers, Magazines, International
Index to Periodicals.
Sources---
• Abstracts
• Encyclopedias
• References on International Education
• Specialized Dictionaries
• ERIC (Educational Research Information
Centre)
• Microfiche- a sheet of film containing micro-
images of printed material.
• Dissertations and Thesis
 Steps in conducting a literature review
1. Begin by identifying key words useful in locating
material in an academic library /Google scholar/
2. With these keywords in mind, next go to the
library and begin searching the library catalogue.
Initially go for journals, next to books. See also
citation index.
3. If the journals or books are not available at your
library, consider inter-library loan or purchasing
from publishers.
4. Using an initial group of articles, read their
abstract to identify their relevance.
5. As you identify useful literature, begin designing
a literature map, a visual picture of the research
literature.
 Steps---
6. Draft summaries of the most relevant article.
This is called annotated bibliography. These
summaries are combined in the final literature
review. In addition include precise reference to
the literature using appropriate style such as
American Psychological Association (APA) ,
Harvard or Chicago Style.
7. After summarizing the literature assemble the
literature either thematically or across theories.
8. End your literature review with a summary of
the major themes found in the literature and
suggest that we need further research on the
topic along the lines of the proposed study.
 Hypothesis Formulation
Meaning of Hypothesis:
The word hypothesis consists of two
words:
Hypo + Thesis = Hypothesis
• ‘Hypo’ means tentative or subject to the
verification and
• ‘Thesis’ means statement about solution
of a problem.
Meaning---
• Hypothesis is a tentative statement about the
solution of the problem.
• Hypothesis offers a solution of the problem that is to
be verified empirically and based on some rationale.
• Hypothesis is the composition of some variables
which have some specific position or role of the
variables i.e. to be verified empirically.
• It is a proposition about the factual and conceptual
elements.
• Hypothesis is called a leap into the dark. It is a
brilliant guess about the solution of a problem.
Nature Of Hypothesis
The following are the main features of a hypothesis:
 It is conceptual in nature. Some kind of conceptual elements in the
framework are involved in a hypothesis.
 It is a verbal statement in a declarative form. It is a verbal expression of
ideas and concepts, it is not merely idea but in the verbal form, the idea is
ready enough for empirical verification.
 It has the empirical referent. A hypothesis contains some empirical
referent. It indicates the tentative relationship between two or more
variables.
 It has a forward or future reference. A hypothesis is future oriented. It
relates to the future verification not the past facts and information.
 It is the pivot of a scientific research. All the research activities are
designed for its verification.
• The nature of hypothesis can be well understood by differentiating it with
other terms like assumption and postulate.
Functions of Hypothesis
a. To delimit the field of the investigation.
b. To sensitize the researcher so that he/she
should work selectively, and have very
realistic approach to the problem.
c. To offer the simple means for collecting
evidences to the verification.
Importance of Hypothesis
• It serves as the investigator’s “Eyes” in seeking answers to
tentatively adopted generalization.
• It Focuses Research
• It Places Clear and Specific Goals
• It Links Together: “It serves the important function of linking
together related facts and information and organizing them
into wholes.”
• It Prevents Blind Research: “The use of hypothesis prevents a
blind search and indiscriminate gathering of masses of data
which may later prove irrelevant to the problem under study.”
• It provides direction to research and prevent the review of
irrelevant literature and the collection of useful or excess data.
Forms of Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis Vs Alternative Hypothesis
• Null Hypothesis - makes a prediction that
in the general population, no relationship or
no difference exists between groups on a
variable being studied.
• Alternative Hypothesis - predicts that
there will be a difference between the
groups. The investigator makes a
prediction about the expected outcome
for the population of the study.
Forms-Examples
Ho: There is no significant difference
between households with financial
planning and households without financial
planning on their saving behavior.
- It is non-directional hypothesis.
H1: Households with financial planning are
more saver than households without
financial planning.
- It is directional hypothesis.
 The End
Lectured by
Tarekegn Tariku (Assistant professor)
Email: orouniversity@gmail.com