Denis McLaughlin

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CRAFTING THE LITERATURE REVIEW IN THE DOCTOR
OF EDUCATION
Denis McLaughlin Associate Professor School of
Educational Leadership
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Chapters in a Thesis
Ch 1 Problem Defined Ch 2 Context of the
Study Ch 3 Theoretical Framework (not usual for
EdD) Ch 4 Literature Review Ch 5 Research
Design Ch 6 Presentation of results Ch
7 Discussion (often in qualitative studies Ch 6
7 combined) Ch 8 Conclusions Recommendations
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Structure often used in qualitative
theses Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter
4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Research Research Literatur
e Research Presentation Synthesis
Problem Context Review Design
Discussion Conclusions Defined of Results
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• THE AIM OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW
• The development of a scholarly foundation upon
  which the research is based.
• It provides an extensive and a sophisticated
  illumination of the research problem, which in
  turn further refines the problem.
• It nominates the key characters, issues and
  benchmark studies for comparing the results of
  research with other findings and engaging in
  on-going scholarly discussion.
• It identifies any lacunae in the literature that
  your particular study may assist in filling.
• It assists in the generation of research
  questions.
• It also offers a framework for establishing the
  importance or significance of the study.
• It may provide insights into your own research
  design and data collecting strategies.

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LITERATURE REVIEW
Generate a conceptual framework of the literature
Discover relationships between themes/ issues
Compare what the authors are saying
Reading the literature
Start here
Research Problem
ANALYSIS
SYNTHESIS
Identifying issues and themes
Knowing what Scholars have concluded
What are the scholars saying
Identify themes or issues
Integrate the literature so that it tells a story
in its own right
Continuous critiquing of conceptual framework
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INTRODUCTION The introduction of the
literature should state very clearly the purpose
of your study. As you start to become familiar
with the literature you might change the actual
purpose of the study. That is fine. However,
you need a tentative purpose to get the
literature review started. You will probably
change the actual wording of the purpose over the
years as you refine your understanding of your
purpose and choose appropriate words to reflect
the nuances of your study. A clear and accurate
articulation of your purpose is pivotal for all
your chapters. This statement ultimately
provides a rationale and justification for all
your choices. It is the axis of the literature
review.
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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In this section, you
demonstrate to the reader your really have
synthesised the extensive literature so as to
re-conceptualise it as a means of illuminating
your research problem as well as providing a
relatively sophisticated understanding of it.
At this stage a diagrammatic representation
(Figure 3.1 Conceptual framework of the
literature) is essential. In this section you
should generate a very clear and logical
argument/explanation of your conceptual
framework. Refer often to the major headings in
the diagram as well as how the links (arrows) in
your diagram relate to other labels, headings,
issues of your conceptual framework. This
section is extremely important. If the reader
cannot understand it, then your framework is
considered weak. This section needs much
reflection and polishing.
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Pam Hanifin The role of reflection in leading
the professional development of the advanced
skills teacher

• Teacher professional development
• Moral nature of teaching
• Culture of educational change
• Educational reform

• Knowledge base of teaching
• Theories of knowledge
• Personal practical knowledge

• Reflection
• Concept
• Levels
• Forms
• promotion

• Self of the teacher
• Self identity
• Emotional intelligence

Critical social theory- a philosophical
underpinning of the research

• Supporting teacher development
• Processes
• Models
• Ecology of professional development

• Career cycle
• Adult career development
• Biography life history

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In the introduction you introduce the reader to
the main issues your literature review will
cover. The issues have their rationale in your
purpose. "Because this thesis attempts to
explore it seemed appropriate to review the
literature in ... In order to provide the
reader an aid to understand your insight into
the research problem as well as sign-posting a
relatively large chapter, a table entitled
Table 3.1 Outline of the Literature Review
might be helpful. This gives the reader a
linear, sequential structure to follow your
review.
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OUTLINEOF THE LITERATURE REVIEW
3.1 Introduction to the review 3.2 Teacher
professional development 3.3 Reflection 3.4 Knowle
dge base of teachers 3.5 Self of
teachers 3.6 Career cycle 3.7 Supporting teacher
professional development 3.8 Conclusion to the
review
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SUBSTANCE OF THE REVIEW The next section is the
first theme from your conceptual framework. In
your literature review you are more than
reporting previous research. You are
re-conceptualising the literature to make YOUR
ACADEMIC ARGUMENT about how previous research
illuminates YOUR PARTICULAR PROBLEM (issue). So
each section of the review in fact "tells a
story" or argues a case. During this initial
literature you have to generate research
questions to focus your study. If at all
possible embed the questions in the review.
After a reviewing a section it would be very
appropriate for you to conclude Because of the
major relevancy of this issue in illuminating the
complexity of the research problem, the following
question evolved over time as the 1st , 2nd
research question to focus the conduct of the
research.
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Synthesizing the literature is reinterpreting not
just reporting. Throughout the review of each
major section, where it is appropriate, refer to
how some area is specifically related with your
research. This phenomenon is particularly
relevant to the problem driving this research
because
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• At the end of each MAJOR section of a literature
  review you should have a section called summary.
• In this subsection you do two things.
• Summarise what the literature so far is saying
  and how his illuminates the purpose.
• 2. This synthesis activity should be repeated for
  every major section of the literature review.
• What you are trying to do through this activity
  is to alert the examiner that your review is
  focused on the purpose and that you are regularly
  synthesising the synthesis.
• You are not waiting for the examiner to say SO
  WHAT?.
• You are bluntly and succinctly telling the
  examiner how each section illuminates / is
  related to the research purpose.

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You are not waiting for the examiner to say SO
WHAT?. You are bluntly and succinctly telling
the examiner how each section illuminates / is
related to the research purpose.
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CONCLUSION. Here you need to generate a grand
synthesis of the literature. You review all the
sub summaries (already done) and in a couple of
pages you argue the conclusions from the
literature on how the scholarly work illuminates
your research problem. One of the conclusions
may indicate that there has been little study
done in your area and your research will address
a clearly established lacuna in the area.
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TOPIC SENTENCE Because the Catholic school has a
fundamental duty to evangelise (Congregation
for Catholic Education, 1998, par.3), the
Catholic school is in its own right a full and
proper ecclesial entity (par.11). Indeed, it
must be strongly emphasised that this ecclesial
dimension is not a mere adjunct, but is a proper
and specific attribute, a distinctive
characteristic, which penetrates and informs
every moment of its educational activity, a
fundamental part of its very identity and the
focus of its mission (par.11). This is an
important clarification, since some authority
holders have acted as if the schools ecclesial
dimension was a derivative of parish (Tinsey,
1998). Provide evidence for assertions Likewise,
some principals and or school board members have
tried to conduct Catholic schools on an
autonomous grammar school model, honouring the
Catholic tradition but independent of the local
Church (Congregation for Catholic Education,
1998, par.10). Both phenomena are examples of
empire building, probably motivated more by
personal ambitions than passion for Kingdom
building (Beare, 1996). If the latter is indeed
the primary motivation, then there needs to be
strong partnerships built between parish and
educational programs the parish should support
the school as one of its most important apostolic
works and the school should assist the parish in
forming young people in their faith (Australian
Catholic Bishops Conference, 1998, par.62).
Note an argument is being developed. The
evidence is subtly provided. Argument
predominates. This is an example of synthesis.
Issues are pursued with evidence Topic sentence
link The solution implied in the above
quotation is perhaps, simplistic. In
contemporary Australia, it is estimated that 18
to 19 percent of Catholics participate in the
sacramental life of the Church as represented by
the parish system (Mason, 1997 1998 Dixon,
1996, p.92). Many of these non-practising
Catholic parents want their children to have a
Catholic education. Moreover, there is ample
research evidence to suggest that for many
Catholics, (parents and children), the Catholic
school is the only experience of Catholicism they
choose to have (Fahy, 1992 Mulligan, 1994
McLaughlin, 1996 Quillinan, 1997 Angelico,
1997 Watkins, 1998 OBrien, 1998).This is
sandbagging avoid it Topic sentence and link
The Australian Bishops label the reason for this
phenomenon as a crisis of faith in God
(Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 1998,
par.4). Empirical research (McLaughlin 1999a)
would also tend to view it as a crisis of faith,
but a crisis of faith in the institutional
Catholic Church. Irrespectively, it is clear
that the parish no longer provides a community
for the vast majority of Catholics that it once
did. The average age of the 18 of the Catholic
population, who worships weekly is 52 years with
25 of those Mass attenders being retirees
(Mason, 1997). Only 7.2 of the general
Australian Catholic population in the 2029 age
range, attend weekly Mass (Hughes, 1997, p.20).
The obvious conclusion is that the parish has a
negligible influence on the lives of young
Catholics. Such a perspective reflects the
experience of those working with Catholic youth
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THINGS TO WATCH FOR A clear argument from your
purpose to the generation and structure of the
Literature Review Fully explained conceptual
framework Over explanation of research details
of other studies Critical appraisal of all
relevant literature not just studies that support
your perspective or thesis Dated routine
research Most of your work should be in
1990s Minimise the commencing of sentences with
"Smith (1990) argues This often is an
inadequate link in the argument and an indication
that synthesis is not occurring. Never Start a
paragraph with Smith says. Avoid a long list
of issues in the review. This is a sign of a
lack of synthesis Specifically review your work
for LINKS and SIGNPOSTS. Read the last sentence
or first (topic) sentence of each paragraph to
assess if you are deliberately linking your
argument. HEADINGS are not links. Signposts
are diagrams or references to other sections of
your thesis that might help the reader understand
and your work better. Logical sequences help the
reader understand your work.