Improving skills for writing a literature review

Starting as an English teacher – a practitioner, I find it challenging to learn the standards in academic ways of thinking and writing. I got myself familiar with literature review during graduate school when my professors assigned readings to me. At that point, there were no official lessons how a literature review was composed and how it played a critical role in argumentation in addition to giving a background to the current discussed study. Therefore, when I started writing a literature review, I used to find it more like an imitative task of reporting the research narration through a chronological order. I did start first with the problem selection and just found related articles to justify my topic and support the rationale of my study.

It was an opposite approach to the meaning of a theoretical foundation suggested in Sage Chapter (Conrad & Serlin, 2011, p. 89-90) discussed in this week’s readings. In order not just only to compile separate and incoherent empirical studies related to my interested topic, I shall develop a habit of reading and file articles in a regular and profound way which constitutes my understanding about the area and the topic. I learn that I need to categorize the background and the current context of my study in relevant theories and concepts that underline the research, rather than only citing the narrative line. Grouping the empirical studies into sensible groups of concepts like that is not easy, in my opinion. What I mean is I need to truly understand the logic of the authors/ researchers and deliver those concepts in the most comprehensible way for my readers. Thus, obtaining a competent skill of writing a quality literature review demands a strictly long-time practice under guidance and chances to get quality feedback from not only experienced teachers but also experienced and devoted scholars (Boote & Beile, 2005, p.4). In my opinion, I strongly agree that teaching and giving guidance for doctoral students’ starting with literature review is a fundamental chore. A good writer learns best from mistakes and from actual writing with constructive (not all just negative) feedback. I remembered my first time writing a literature review, I really appreciated my professor who spent time reading it and giving very detailed feedback not only on my writing skills and my linguistic articulation but also on my ways of thinking.

Moreover, I do agree that as a doctoral student in the field of education, it is necessary to spend time on practicing these two steps: the first step is having the critical thinking skills to analyze and synthesize a large amount of information and argumentation in reading a literature review (a cumulative top-down approach); the second step is knowing how to interpret that abundant amount of information selectively, combine pieces of knowledge altogether in a scholarly way, and fit that interpretation into the current or future study (a bottom-up approach). The first step is sharpened through the reading comprehension while the second step is sharpened through diligent writing process (writing and revising). The advancement in literature review assessing and writing lies in the extent a student masters BOTH two steps. Conceptualization is one side and articulating such conceptual synthesis via writing techniques is another side.

Lastly, the framework for a good literature review focuses on: What has been argued about this topic (theoretically)? What has been done about this topic (methodologically)? What shall be a reasonable approach for this research project, and why so? (see in Boote & Beile, 2005, p.5). The distinctively upmost concern here starts with mining skills and critical analysis skills first. Although we acknowledge the 5 categories in Boote & Beile, how we make a qualitative change and enhance our skills as a truly competent researcher? What kinds of exercises to improve that conceptual power? That mindset as a researcher?

References

Boote, David N. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), pp. 3-15.

Conrad, C., & Serlin, R. C. (2011). The Sage handbook for research in education: pursuing ideas as the keystone of exemplary inquiry. London: SAGE.