Masters Paper

Expectations for Chapters 3 & 4

Spring, 2004

Chapter III: Integrative, Critical Review of the Literature - This section is the heart of your paper. Generally, integrative reviews of the literature critically review and summarize recent research related to a specific topic or question. Your goal in this chapter is to present the current state of knowledge concerning your question, including any important issues/controversies that the research has left unresolved. Essential to this chapter is the critical review and analysis of the research that you have found.

As you are writing this section, you are tracking, comparing, and contrasting major arguments AND analyzing whether the research used to support the argument is sufficient.

The integrative review of the literature provides all of the following:

Example: If you were interested in studying what the research shows about successful strategies for educating autistic children, you may find that one group of "experts" argues that self-contained, special programs get the best results, while others argue that "inclusion" in regular classrooms is effective. Your job then, is to carefully critique the research to see what it shows. Examples: If you found quantitative or qualitative studies that contradict each other, discuss why that might be so. If you found only "case studies" of a few specific programs, discuss the implications of that for drawing conclusions about the potential ""success" of the strategy in other situations. If you found that professional opinion and empirical research are divided about what works best -- e.g. phonics and whole language strategies -- discuss the differences highlighted in the research. If you found no conclusive research on what works best, but several studies suggest promising approaches, discuss them. However, if you found the bulk of research supporting one particular strategy or approach, discuss that strong evidence.
 
 
Chapter IV - Conclusions - This final section is your opportunity to go back to your original question/topic. Relate some of what you found in the current literature to the historical background of the question that you described in Chapter II. Depending upon your question and the findings from the research literature, you may make recommendations for classroom practice, based on the critical review that you presented in the previous chapter.

If the literature that you reviewed showed inadequate/poorly designed studies, you may recommend caution and/or avoidance of specific practices.

If the professional research community seems divided on which are most effective classroom strategies, this is the place to identify the strengths and weaknesses -- based on your review of the research -- of those strategies you are recommending.

If you found studies that pertained to only some aspects of your question, this is the place to discuss those unanswered questions that you believe future research still needs to address in order to determine "best practice".

The conclusion provides all of the following: