Masters Paper
Expectations for Chapters 3 & 4
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:
-
A description and categorization of the major points
of view or "schools of thought" on your topic/question, as revealed in
your search of the professional literature.
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.
-
A critical review and analysis of at least 30-40 research
studies -- at least 10 must be quantitative -- directly related to your
research question. This review includes attention to aspects of the study
outlined in "Making Your Way Through a Research Article" e.g. the research
methods used, the sample studied, and your critical assessment of the reliability,
validity and generalizability of the studies to your topic.
-
An analysis and thoughtful discussion presenting your
analysis of the current state of knowledge on your question, based on information
available in the professional literature, referenced with specific citations
in APA form.
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:
-
a clear discussion of how the findings in the current research relate
to the historical background of your original question.
-
recommendations for classroom strategies that are clearly linked to
the research on "best practice" that you have identified in your previous
chapter and/or, cautions/avoidance of specific practices, with correct
APA citations
-
identification of aspects of your question/topic that are still unanswered
or unclear in the research, and that suggest areas for future research.