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Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search, Part 3.

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Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search, Part 3.

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Figure 2.5 ERIC Abstract of Article on Literary Deprivation

Boudha discusses how to refine and expand your literature search. Initially, it suggests that even if an article doesn't perfectly match your specific keywords, it might still be worth reviewing if it covers related topics, especially when your search results are limited.

The key takeaway is that our research topic should be well-defined yet broad enough to find sufficient literature. The text outlines three strategies for expanding our search: (a) removing one of the keywords like "metacognition" or "reading/writing" to see if more articles appear; (b) using different search terms, such as replacing "immigrants" with "English (Second Language)," which can yield more results; and (c) conducting a secondary search by examining the reference lists of the articles you've already found.

By adjusting our search terms or exploring references, we can gather a broader range of relevant literature, increasing the depth of our research.

According to Budha, this is a good opportunity to emphasize the importance of using primary sources in our research. Primary sources are the original works written by the authors you want to cite, providing the most direct and accurate information. While we can also cite secondary sources, where other authors interpret and reference the primary sources, relying on these means we're depending on someone else's interpretation rather than the original content.

Secondary sources, like literature reviews found in publications such as the Review of Educational Research or the Handbook of Research on Teacher Education, can be valuable for summarizing large amounts of literature or supporting our analysis. However, it's generally best that we locate and read the primary sources and cite them directly if they align with our research.

“Identifying a Research Problem and Question,

In this text, Boudha addresses how understanding problems accurately is crucial, as initial assumptions may be confusing. For instance, in Boudah's example, when students struggle with math problems, the issue might be poor reading skills instead of a lack of math skills. Likewise, students who don't participate in class or complete homework may be dealing with factors beyond motivation, such as time limitations from jobs or learning difficulties. This highlights the importance of correctly identifying the problem in research.

A research problem, or phenomenon in qualitative research, is the topic or issue you want to explore or investigate so Budha suggests that it should be something you’re interested in and have some familiarity with, as research requires significant time and effort. Personal experience is often a good starting point for identifying a research problem. Engaging with educators and other professionals can also help you find meaningful topics that may have broader social significance. This approach can also develop valuable relationships with future research partners.

Narrowing or Clarifying Your Problem Focus

To address a research problem in a proper way, Boudha’s recommendation is the importance to narrow and clarify the focus. A vague statement like "Students can't read" is not specific enough, as it involves many different reading skills and strategies. A clearer problem, Boudha proposes, such as "Students cannot find the main ideas in reading passages," is easier to measure and address because it targets a specific aspect of reading.

Defining a problem accurately is key in any different fields like in education, medicine, or mechanics, to mention some, because it guides the design and implementation of effective interventions. Without a well defined problem, researchers may waste time chasing vague issues, addressing symptoms rather than root causes, and could lead into frustration and confusion.

For example, Boudha mentions that researching standardized test scores for college entrance is a broad topic that needs to be narrowed down. Specific aspects, like the types of tests, deadlines to present scores, or if using a scale from 1 to 5 would be accurate enough to track down a student's progress, must be identified to make the topic clear and the research results useful.

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According to the issues that are covered in detail in Chapter 2 of Daniel J. Boudah's guide “Conducting Educational Research: Guide to Completing a Major Project”, a literature review is a critical and comprehensive analysis of relevant research and sources on a specific topic. In this process, the previous study can be evidenced, which are the main theories and debates in the discipline, where there are elements of knowledge necessary to address. Also, it is a fundamental part of academic research, because it contextualizes the study in a broader field and demonstrates the researcher's knowledge of the topic.

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3) The 5 purposes of a literature review 

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3) The 5 purposes of a literature review 

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1. To Help Figure Out What Works

According to Boudah, researchers can gain valuable insights by exploring existing research because this allows us as researchers to discover proven practices that have been tested with students in situations similar to the ones we teachers face. By doing so, we can find practical guidance on what strategies are effective and which ones might not work, this includes the identification of key theories, models and concepts.

2. To Pursue a Topic, Problem, or Question of Professional and/or Personal Interest

Boudha explains that pursuing a problem or a question problem, facilitates the identification of areas that have not been adequately studied, allowing the researcher to propose new approaches or research questions that can fill these areas therefore a literature study could be a prolific way to start asking and answering the questions we have. The literature's conclusions on the subject might surprise or reassure us. A literature review is a great way to learn more about any topic you're interested in.

3. To pinpoint an area of further study

As Boudah states, putting together and reviewing past studies will always teach us something. A literature review might show gaps in research on a certain area. Buddha sets the following example: consider studying how different learning styles impact State Competency Test Scores. While there may be limited study on this topic, there is much research on the effectiveness of learning tactics in general. There is a significant focus on learning strategies, but less on exam taking. Searching and evaluating literature might identify areas that require more research.

4. To provide a rationale/background for study

As researchers working on a thesis, Boudha emphasizes on the fact that we are required to include a literature review in our thesis, dissertation, or research project. A literature review can help us learn more about a subject and strengthen our study idea. A literature review, for example, can highlight the importance of a topic while also refining research questions and hypotheses, such as when examining difficult Math.

5. To survey or analyze research methodology.

When surveying and analyzing the literature, it is important to study the methodology that will be used in the research to evaluate the validity of its findings. According to Boudah, surveying and analyzing allows the researcher to identify effective methodological approaches and detect possible areas for improvement, obtaining a more complete understanding of methodological trends in the field, which facilitates the planning of future studies with a clearer and more informed approach.

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4) The process for conducting a literature review 

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4) The process for conducting a literature review 

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It is the process when you know a little about a topic  to understand it deeply. This is divided in several stages, such as determining your focus and searching literature databases

Determining your focus.

It is divided into three steps, so the first step is choosing  a topic. It is necessary to ask questions to find the most accurate one. Also the author refers that  a topic has to be specific enough to yield useful results when you get to the actual literature search.

Step two is making decisions about what to include and exclude. Once you’ve considered the topic, this can help you filter out unnecessary information and move on to the third step. Also, remember Boudha's advice on finding possible articles related to the topic. Inclusion and exclusion decisions may be based on many things, including the age of the students you want to study, the years of teacher experience, the location of the study (rural, urban, suburban), the date on which the study was conducted, whether the students have disabilities or not, and many, many other possibilities.

Step three is translating the topic into key terms. Basically you need to review what you include or exclude and search information efficiently so you can use search information electronically (online) on different resources such as educational information centers.

Searching Literature Databases

You have the option to search information online or by hand and as Boudha states that certainly, using an online database is far more efficient than searching stacks of journals in the library, so searching online has multiple databases to find information related to your topic for example google. Normally searching on a database, you have to write keywords and understand online search results.

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Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search , Part 2.

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Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search , Part 2.

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Understanding online search results is important: You'll notice that ERIC document numbers typically begin with the "EJ" code. ERIC uses two primary document codes: "EJ" and "ED." The "EJ" code stands for educational journals, which we can access online or in our university library. If a journal isn't available online or at our local library, we can purchase it through ERIC services. The "ED" code refers to an ERIC document, which could be a research report, conference paper, issue paper, or monograph. Complete papers can be accessed online, through our library's ERIC microfiche collection, via interlibrary loan, or by mail for a fee.

Below are the abstracts of each ERIC document found by clicking on the title links. Figure 2.4 depicts the first abstract.

Figure 2.4 ERIC Abstract of Article on Immigrants and E-Writing

When reviewing an ERIC document, you'll notice that the reference number, title, author, and other details are repeated. Keywords like "immigrants," "writing," and "metacognition" are highlighted in the list of descriptors. The document type, such as a journal article, and the number of pages are also listed, along with the number of references, which can help identify other sources on the topic. Below the abstract, you’ll find details about the language of the article, its origin, and any special notes.

For the specific article about immigrant students in New Zealand, while it doesn't specify the students' ethnicity, it may still be relevant due to the country's significant Asian immigrant population and its alignment with our research criteria. The article is recent, making it potentially valuable for our study. To access the full journal article, we could search for it in a library, online, or via search engines like Google Books or Google Scholar. Occasionally, ERIC provides a link to a free PDF, saving you time and money. Finally, the text suggests revisiting the search results to explore a second abstract.

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1) Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search , Part 1.

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1) Identifying a Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature” the sections “the purpose of a literature review” and “the Process of Conducting a Literature Search , Part 1.

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Most likely, when you're looking for literature, Boudha says that we have two main options: searching online or going through physical copies manually. Searching online through databases is usually much faster and more convenient than going through mountains of journals in a library. However, even if we begin our search on the internet, we might still need to browse the reference lists of some publications by hand to find more sources.

Boudha recommends starting to explore by searching electronically.

Online Searches: We can search for literature online using various databases, including those mentioned in the Technology Tips section, or more general search engines like Google (http://google.com) and DogPile (http://dogpile.com).

These are  present samples from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC; http://eric.ed.gov), a persistent database funded by the United States Department of Education. ERIC is perhaps the most commonly used database in the subject of education, providing extract for over 1.3 million documents and journal articles dating back to 1966. The database is updated several times a week.

As stated by Boudha, to search the ERIC database, you must input your search keywords. We can conduct a quick or complex search. ERIC's advanced search option allows for searches by author, date, title, and other parameters, in addition to keywords. Figure 2.2 shows an advanced search prompt.

Figure 2.2 ERIC Advanced Search Prompt

To conduct a search, type your terms into the right column, and use the drop-down arrows on the left to specify whether these terms are keywords, author names, dates, or other categories. You can also use the drop-downs on the far left to combine multiple terms with the "AND" command, exclude certain terms with the "NOT" command, or broaden your search by including terms in different ways with the "OR" command.

Using the example topic of metacognition among immigrant Chinese children in primary reading, we would do an advanced search and hit the submit button. The database for this search does not contain any ERIC documents as of the publication date. As previously mentioned, you may need to broaden your search by eliminating one or more terms. Alternatively, you might need to utilize alternative keywords from the ERIC thesaurus. Clicking on the thesaurus link above the keyword entry boxes will allow us to easily find more keywords. After removing Chinese and elementary terms, we may now search for metacognition, immigrants, and reading.  ERIC now just offers you one document.

To broaden our search, we have to use the "OR" query to include metacognition, immigrants, reading, and writing. Figure 2.3 illustrates the results.

Figure 2.3 ERIC Search Result

At this point, the ERIC database has submitted two documents for our consideration. We need to review the material and determine if it meets the inclusion and exclusion criteria we established.