Reviewing the literature

Reasons for reviewing the literature

• To conduct a ‘preliminary’ search of existing material

• To organise valuable ideas and findings

• To identify other research that may be in progress

• To generate research ideas

• To develop a critical perspective

The most important skills are

• The capacity to evaluate what you read• The capacity to relate what you read to other

information• Why am I reading this?• What is the author trying to do in writing this?• How convincing is this?• What use can I make of this reading?

Wallace and Wray (2006)

You will need to

• Include key academic theories

• Demonstrate current knowledge of the area

• Use clear referencing for the reader to find the original cited publications

• Acknowledge the research of others

The key to a critical literature review

• Demonstrate that you have read, understood and evaluated your material

• Link the different ideas to form a cohesive and coherent argument

• Make clear connections to your research objectives and the subsequent empirical material

Saunders et al. (2009)

Defining the parameters of your search

• For most research questions and objectives you will have a good idea of which subject matter is going to be relevant. You will, however, be less clear about the parameters within which you need to search. In particular, you need to be clear about the following (Bell 2005):

• Language of publication (e.g. English);• Subject area (e.g. accountancy);• Business sector (e.g. manufacturing);• Geographical area (e.g. Europe);• Publication period (e.g. the last 10 years);• Literature type (e.g. refereed journals and books).

Generating your keywords

After re-reading your lecture notes and textbooks and undertaking this limited reading you will have a list of subjects that appear relevant to your research project. You now need to define precisely what is relevant to your research in terms of key words. The identification of keywords or ‘research 'terms is the most important part of planning your search for relevant literature (Bell 2005). Key words are the basic terms that describe your research questions(s) and objectives, and will be used to search the tertiary literature.

Evaluating the literature• Define the scope of your review

• Assess relevance and value

• Assess sufficiency

Record –

• Biographic details

• Brief summary of content

• Supplementary information

Sharp et al. (2002)

Hypotheses Development

Once we have identified the important variables in a situation and established the relationships among them through logical reasoning in the theoretical framework, we are in a position to test whether the relationships hold true. By testing these relationships scientifically through appropriate statistical analysis, or through negative case analysis in qualitative research. Formulating such testable statements is called hypotheses development.

Definition of Hypothesis

A hypothesis can be defined as a logically conjectured relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of a testable statement. Relationships are conjectured on the basis of the network of associations established in the theoretical framework formulated for the research study.

Statement of Hypotheses: Formats

If – Then statements: A hypothesis can also test whether there are

differences between two groups (or among several groups) with respect to any variable or variables. To examine whether or not the conjectured relationships or differences exist, these hypotheses can be set either as propositions or in the form of if-then statements.

Example: If Employees who are more healthy, then they will take sick leave less frequently.

Directional and Non-directional Hypotheses

If, in stating the relationship between two variables or comparing two groups, terms such as positive, negative, more than, less than, and the like are used, then these hypotheses are because the direction of the relationship between the variables is indicated.

Example: Stress is significantly and positively associated with job satisfaction

Theoretical Framework• A theoretical framework is a conceptual model of how one theorizes

or makes logical sense of the relationships among the several factors that have been identified as important to the problem.

• The Theoretical framework discusses the interrelationships among the variables that are deemed to be integral to the dynamics of the situation being investigated. Developing such a conceptual framework helps us postulate or hypothesizes and test certain relationships and thus to improve our understanding of the dynamics of the situation.

• From the theoretical framework, then, testable hypotheses can be developed to examine whether the theory formulated is valid or not. The hypothesized relationships can thereafter be tested through appropriate statistical analysis.

Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework is the foundation on which the entire research project is based. It is a logically developed, described, and elaborated network of associations among the variables deemed relevant to the problem situation and identified through such processes as interviews, observation, and literature survey. Experience and intuition also guide in developing the theoretical framework.

There are five basic features that should be incorporated in any theoretical framework:

1. The variables considered relevant to the study should be clearly identified and labeled in the discussions.

2. The discussions should state how two or more variables are related to one another.

3. If the nature and direction of the relationships can be theorized on the basis of the findings of previous research, then there should be an indication in the discussions.

4. There should be a clear explanation of why we would expect these relationships to exist.

5. A schematic diagram of the of the theoretical framework should be given so that the reader can see and easily comprehend the theorized relationships.