Chapter 3:

Literature Review
Contents
1. Introduction to literature review
2. Characteristics of a good literature review
3. Searching, evaluating and documenting literature
review
4. Development of hypotheses
5. Write-up on literature review chapter of an
academic research proposal
What is Review of
Literature?

A classification and evaluation of what scholars and researchers have

written on a topic, organized according to a guiding concept such as your
research questions or research objectives, thesis, or the problem/ issue
that you wish to address.
Why Literature Review?
To broaden To carry on from
To identify seminal
knowledge in the what others have
works in your area.
research area. done.

To bring clarity and To provide

To avoid reinventing
focus to your intellectual context
the wheel.
research problem. for your own work.

To identify methods
To improve your To identify gaps in that could be
methodology. current knowledge. relevant to your
project.
Approaches to Reviewing
the Literature

Broad Perspective
Focus on research questions and other areas such as variables used, underlying theories, models etc.

Narrow
Perspective
Focus directly on the research questions
Goals for Literature Review

To demonstrate a familiarity with a body of knowledge and

establish credibility.

To show the path of prior research and how a current project

is linked to it.

To integrate and summarize what is known in an area.

To learn from others and stimulate new ideas.

Characteristics of a Good
Literature
• Define the topic
• Provide context
Introduction • Justify the literature review
• Explain sequence of writing
• State the scope of literature

• Group based on themes

Body • Relate the central topic to larger

discipline
• Write from general to specific

• Summarize major contributions

Conclusion • Evaluate current literature

• Highlight gaps in research
• Outline issues for future studies
Searching, Evaluating and
Documenting Literature
Review
Search for Review the Develop a
existing selected theoretical
literature literature framework

Write the Develop a

Literature conceptual
Review framework
Search for Existing
Literature
• Start with the broad subject area or problem that
you wish to investigate.
• Compile bibliography from books or journals.
• Find – use keywords.
• Evaluate – the sources of the work, content of the
work and usefulness of the work.
Review the Selected
Literature
• Read critically:
• Is it relevant to your theoretical framework?
• What are the theories adopted and criticism on the
theories and methodologies used i.e. study design,
sample size and characteristics, and measurement
procedures.
• Examine the extent of findings – can it be
generalized to other situations?
• Take note the differences of opinion among
researchers.
• Ascertain the gaps that exist.
Develop a Theoretical
Framework
• Read relevant and recent literature.
• Form a rough theoretical framework.
• Read and add on to your theoretical framework
until it becomes comprehensive or satisfactory.
Develop a Conceptual
Framework
• The conceptual framework comes from the
theoretical framework and focuses on one section
of the theoretical framework.
• The conceptual framework becomes the basis of
the study.
Writing the Literature
Review
Start with general
information and move
towards the specifics

Discuss your materials

and how the support
(or not) your research

Cite and reference

other authors
Literature Review Table
Author/ Year Objective Method Variables Findings
Development of
hypotheses
 A model of the

Research Framework
relationships among the
factors that are
identified as important
to the problem

Problem formulation

Develop Conceptual Model Literature Review

Develop Hypothesis

Accept or reject null hypothesis Data Collection and Analysis

Results and Findings

Conclusion
Conceptual Framework Development of
variables/ issues in a
research framework

Context of the Study

Mediating and Moderating Variables

Presumed Cause Presumed Effect

Independent Relationships Dependent
Variable(s) Variable(s)

Control Variables Confounding/ Intervening Variables

Relationship among independent, dependent, moderating and intervening variable

Variables
Dependent Variable • Variable of primary interest to the researcher.
(Criterion variable) • Variable that is affected by the independent variables(s).
Independent • The variable that influences the dependent variable
Variable (Predictor either in a positive or negative way.
variable)
Moderating Variable • A variable that has a strong contingent effect on the
independent variable-dependent variable relationship.
Intervening Variable • A variable that surfaces between the time the
independent variables operate to influence the the
dependent variable and its impact on the dependent
variable.
 Theoretical Framework The foundation on
which the entire
research project is
based
Basic features of a theoretical framework

Variables are clearly identified and discussed.

Discussions state how two or more variables are related to one another.

Previous research is cited to discuss the nature and direction of the

relationships and theory.

Clear explanation on the existence of relationships among the variables.

Schematic diagram is used to illustrate the theoretical framework.

Development of
Hypothesis A statement of
the relationship
between two or
more variables.

Adequacy for its

purpose
A good
hypothesis
should fulfill Testable
the following
conditions
Better than its
rivals
Role of a Hypothesis

Guides the Provides a framework for

direction of organizing the resulting
the study conclusions

Identifies
And facts that are not facts that are
relevant

Suggest most
appropriate
form of
research
design
Formulating Hypothesis

Relationship Descriptive
Hypothesis Hypothesis
• Correlational • State the existence,
hypothesis size, form or
(unspecified distribution of
relationship) some variable
• Explanatory
(causal) hypothesis
Uses terms such
No indication of
as positive,
the direction of
negative, more
the relationship
than or less than
Null and Alternative
Hypothesis
Null • The hypothesis that is tested.
Hypothesis, • A statement of the status quo.
• If it is not rejected, no changes will be made.
H0

Alternative • The opposite of the null hypothesis.

• Accepting this hypothesis will lead to changes
Hypothesis, in opinions or actions.
• Hypothesis in which some difference or effect
Ha is expected.
Hypothesis Testing
St • State the hypothesis
ep
1
St • Identify the test statistic & its probability distribution
ep
2
St • Specify the significance level
ep
3
St • State the decision rule
ep
4
St • Collect the data and perform the calculations
ep
5
St • Make the statistical decision
ep
6
 Testing Hypothesis
Select an appropriate test Depending on the data – it could be t-test, correlation
analysis like Pearson or Spearman, simple or multiple
regression analysis
One-tailed or two-tailed Depending on the hypothesis that was earlier formulated.
test

significance, 𝛼
Choosing the level of Type I error – rejecting the null hypothesis when in fact it is
true.
Type II error – not rejecting the null hypothesis when in fact
it is false.
Determining the Critical value is associated with the rejection and non-
probability (critical value) rejection region.
Comparing the probability Making the decision to reject or not to reject the null
(critical value) hypothesis.
One-Tailed or Two-Tailed
Test
Null hypothesis: μ=0
Two-tailed test

Alternative hypothesis: μ≠0

μ=0
Rejection region Rejection region

Null hypothesis: μ≼0

One-tailed test

Alternative hypothesis: μ≻0

μ=0
Rejection region
 Example
We assume the null hypothesis to be true.
The p-value is the probability of observing a sample mean that is as or more extreme than the observed.

Two-tailed test:
(The sum of the area in the tails is the p-value)
p-value = p(Z < -|z0| or Z > |z0|)
= 2p(Z < |z0|)

μ=0
Rejection region Rejection region

μ=0 Rejection region μ=0

Right-tailed test: Left-tailed test:
(The sum of the area in right tail is the p-value) (The sum of the area in left tail is the p-value)
p-value = p(Z > z0) p-value = p(Z < z0)
Hypothesis Conclusion
• The conclusion must be expressed in terms of the
research objectives.
• If we reject the null hypothesis, we are effectively
negating it.
Null hypothesis, H0 There is no difference between the two means.
Reject H0 There is a difference between …
Write-up on
literature review
chapter
Example
Underlying theories

Main study area

Related studies

Contradicting findings/ gap

Any Questions
End of Chapter 3