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Chapter 3 Reviewing the literature
Suggested Activities
1. One difficulty many novice students have is in determining the credibility of a source. I
generally spend some time in class both going over a list of sources I think are appropriate for
them to access and then also spend some time on source credibility. Although covered in
a post by Lesley College that provides a list that contains journals that are full text and also
3. As the text indicates to the learners, they need to know their library. From my experience
students have less knowledge of their library than they should but think that they really know
their library well. I have used three strategies (depending on the class, sometimes a
combination of the strategies) to help students meet the outcomes for this chapter. First,
many librarians are very willing to provide specialized services for classes. Consult with
your library to check if you can arrange for a specialized class that meets the needs of your
course objectives. Content of this specialized class might be a review of electronic databases
and how to access them at the library, how to obtain inter-library loan items, and recalling
items. Second, several academic libraries now have virtual tours. This can be assigned
outside of class or students can catch up with a general tour. The only drawback is that such
tours are generally not as tailored as a separate class tour. Third, I have developed a
‘scavenger hunt’ assignment for my class. I generally allow learners to do this take-home
assignment either alone or in pairs. Some examples of ‘hunt’ items might include:
• What are the call letters for the Journal of Educational Research? What are our library’s
holdings? Where is the bound journal located in the stacks?
• Where are the Buros Institute of Mental Measurement Yearbooks housed or accessed?
Bring all the reviews for one of the tests reviewed in the seventeenth edition to class. As
our library has both electronic and hard copy volumes you can bring either format.
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• Conduct an electronic search of the author Robert Sternberg. Conduct this search in an
education database, a psychology database, in a multisearch electronic database, and your
library’s catalog. Describe any differences in citations provided between the education and
psychology databases. What is the title of one of his books? Where is it located in the
library? Is it currently available?
4. As an opportunity to discuss sources, provide a topic to the class and assign them conduct
various searches on the topic. For example, ask them to search in Google, Google Scholar,
ERIC, and the library database(s) available to them. (If you used the scavenger hunt activity
above you can use the results of the last item as a spring board for this activity.) Ask them to
consider the results of their searches.
• Which of these searches yielded peer-reviewed articles?
• What information did you find that was not peer-reviewed articles that was helpful to pursue
for your topic of interest?
• What were the benefits and drawbacks of using each of the searches for the purposes of your
topic of interest?
• What information was NOT helpful to you as you consider your topic of interest? From
which search was that information accessed?
• Which of these searches yielded peer-reviewed articles?
• What information did you find that was not peer-reviewed articles that was helpful to pursue
for your topic of interest?
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• What were the benefits and drawbacks of using each of the searches for the purposes of your
topic of interest?
• What information was NOT helpful to you as you consider your topic of interest? From
which search was that information accessed?
5. Use the following references on the topic of homework to discuss and review the types of
published articles. I place students in small groups and let them work through the questions
and then discuss the articles as a group.
Chang, M., Singh, K., & Mo, Y. (2007). Science engagement and science achievement:
Longitudinal models using NELS data. Educational Research and Evaluation, 13(4),
349-371.
Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic
achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research,
76(1), 1-62.
Handout 3.5
1. Provide two keywords that would be representative for this article.
2. Is this a primary source or a secondary source? How do you know?
3. Which database might be appropriate to use to find this article?
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4. If your article represents a study, please answer the following.
a. What was the problem statement of the study?
b. Who was studied?
c. How was the study conducted?
d. Is this a quantitative or qualitative study?
5. If your article does NOT present a study, please answer the following.
a. Is this a literature review? How do you know?
b. Is this an essay or a position piece? If so, is this research piece objective? How does
the author present the critical issue presented.
6. Suggest one purpose for which you might use this article.
Handout 3.5 (Selected answers for discussion)
1. Provide two keywords that would be representative for this article.
2. Is this a primary source or a secondary source? How do you know?
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3. Which database might be appropriate to use to find this article?
4. If your article represents a study, please answer the following.
a. What was the problem statement of the study?
b. Who was studied?
c. How was the study conducted?
d. Is this a quantitative or qualitative study?
5. If your article does NOT present a study, please answer the following.
a. Is this a literature review? How do you know?
b. Is this an essay or a position piece? If so, is this research piece objective? How does
the author present the critical issue presented.
6. Suggest one purpose for which you might use this article.
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Chapter 3 Test Items
• 1. Jose is interested in researching English as a second or other language classes in large
middle schools in the mid-western United States. Which of the following keywords
would Jose likely use in a database search?
a. Second Language Instruction
b. Learners
c. Middle School
d. United States Education
• 2. Makayla is interested in researching early childhood reading programs for children
with preschool special education. Which of the following keywords would be best for
Makayla to use first in her database search?
a. Special Education
b. Preschool Reading
c. Early childhood
d. Reading programs
• 3. Rudo is interested in researching leadership styles of elementary principals in rural
districts. Which of the following keywords would be best for him to use in a database
search?
a. Rural schools
b. Principals’ style
c. Elementary schools
d. Principals’ leadership style
4. The review of the literature includes
a. the participants included in the study.
b. the procedures for data collection.
c. the main purpose of the study.
d. the discussion of the data analysis conducted.
5. The first step in conducting a computer search is
a. to identify the journals you will search.
b. to identify keywords related to the research.
c. to select the database you wish to search.
d. to specify a search strategy.
• 6. Lexx needs primary sources for her research proposal. Which of the
following will she likely select?
a. Educational Psychology Review
b. Journal of Experimental Education
c. Encyclopedia of Educational Research
d. A text reviewing pertinent research
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• 7. Sanai needs to review a secondary source to introduce her to the topic of her
study on the effects of cooperative learning. Which of the following will she likely
select?
a. Journal of Experimental Education
b. Review of Educational Research
c. Child Development
d. Educational Policy Analysis
• 8. Vernard needs to access only primary sources for his research methods class
proposal. Which of the following should Vernard consult?
a. Psychology today
b. Review of Educational Research
c. What works clearinghouse
d. Journal of Educational Psychology
9. Jim is doing a computer literature search for a motivation study. He has identified
the keywords he will use. The next step he will conduct is to
a. select primary sources.
b. select a database he will search.
c. specify his search strategy.
d. download identified sources.
• 10. In an ERIC search the following research label described a potential source:
EJ32789. Given this label, what is one conclusion can be drawn about the source?
a. The reference is peer-reviewed.
b. The reference is available to download.
c. The reference is likely a journal article.
d. The reference is likely a legal case.
• 11. In an ERIC search, the following research label described a potential source:
ED52881. Given this label, what is one conclusion that can be drawn about the
source?
a. The reference is peer-reviewed.
b. The reference is available to download.
c. The reference is likely a legal case.
d. The reference may be a secondary source.
• 12. In conducting a recent literature search, a reference in the magazine
Psychology Today was included in the list of potential sources. Of the following,
which is the most likely database that was accessed for this search?
a. Dissertation abstracts
b. Educational resources information center
c. Psychological abstracts
d. Readers’ guide to periodical literature
13. Education Index provides
a. abstracts of relevant sources.
b. full text references to download.
c. computer-based instructional models.
d. assessment tools for future research.
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14. To evaluate a source the first step is to
a. determine the quality of the publication.
b. check the date of publication.
c. identify the source of publication.
d. determine if it fits your research topic.
15. Of the following which characteristics of a potential source might be the most
concerning?
a. the source was found in a non-refereed journal.
b. the source was a very short research study.
c. the source was published in the 1990s.
d. the source did not contain any data.
16. The annotating process is conducted
a. with the oldest references first.
b. with the most recent references first.
c. with the review articles first.
d. with the primary sources first.
17. The first step of annotating is to
a. skim the entire article.
b. make mental notes of the study.
c. determine the article’s relevancy.
d. record the full article’s reference.
18. Of the following, which is likely a peer-reviewed source for an instructional design
study?
a. a class textbook.
b. a chapter from an edited book.
c. a magazine article.
d. an article in a scholarly journal.
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• 19. Glenda’s study addresses a current hot topic in education, case libraries.
Glenda is concerned about her sources. Although the studies come from peer-
reviewed journals, none of them have methodology sections and it appears they
include prominent researchers’ opinions. What is likely Glenda’s concern?
a. Her sources are too dated.
b. Her sources are secondary references.
c. Her sources are popular not scholarly.
d. Her sources are subjective.
20. According to your text, one reason researchers should abstract sources is because
a. it will save time when writing the literature review
b. it assures accuracy in the data analysis.
c. existing abstracts may be in error.
d. it promotes understanding of the research findings.
• 21. Jana was conducting an ERIC database search on studies that have examined teachers
beliefs about classroom management strategies in early childhood settings. One
promising source had the following label: ED470884. What is one conclusion that
you can draw based upon the label.
a. The source is peer-reviewed.
b. The source is a journal article.
c. The source is data driven.
d. The source is an ERIC document.
• 22. Chanya needs to start a library search to examine her research topic “A comparison
of two types of problem-based learning strategies in post secondary school biological
science classes.” Which of the following keywords will Chanya likely select in her
initial search?
a. Learners
b. Post-secondary students
c. Instruction
d. Problem-based learning
23. Michele is doing a paper and wants to start with secondary sources. Which of the
following is an example of a secondary source?
a. A review paper that summarizes previous articles.
b. A conference paper that presents a study.
c. A journal article that shows a series of experiments.
d. A thesis study conducted on the topic.
• 24. Valdez conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of instructional interventions
that benefit study strategies of middle school children. In his study he reported a
relatively small effect of the interventions. Which of the following is a potential
effect size from Valdez’s study?
a. -.60
b. .00
c. .21
d. .58
25. Which of the following is a common criticism of meta-analysis?
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a. Meta-analysis is descriptive without numerical data
b. Meta-analysis only includes experimental studies
b. Meta-analysis often includes poorly-designed strategies.
c. Meta-analysis is not as systematic as a traditional literature review
• 26. Kajol is reviewing the literature on teaching efficacy for his study of collective
efficacy in middle school urban schools and has found some potential relationships
between collective teaching efficacy research and organizational climate. Of the
following, what would you suggest to Kajol regarding the inclusion of this content in
his literature review.
a. He should include literature related to variables with relations to teaching
efficacy in all settings.
b. He should ignore the organizational climate literature, it is not related enough to
his review.
c. He should review only studies that address middle teachers in urban settings in
his review.
d. He should mention a potential relationship in his review and provide citations for
the reader.
27. Which of the following is the largest educational database?
a. ERIC
b. Education Index
c. Wilson Index
d. PsycINFO
• 28. Bora is conducting a literature review regarding the relationship between
physical condition of schools and student achievement. Of the following, which
source is likely the best source for his study?
a. An article in Review of Educational Research
b. A published study in American Educational Research Journal
c. A comprehensive published monograph on the topic
d. A edited volume that overviews the topic from several perspectives
• 29. Candace, a student in a research methods class, is completing a review of
research on early childhood reading interventions that have adequate efficacy data.
Of the following, which represents a primary question that Candace should pose as
she examines potential sources?
a. Were their findings significant?
b. Did they adequately review the literature?
c. Where were their findings published?
d. Who was the author that conducted the study?
• 30. Wheldon, is conducting a review of the existing research on community
members motivation to serve on school boards. Of the following, which represents a
primary question that he should consider as he examines his found sources?
a. What types of motivation is studied?
b. From which institutions were the authors from?
c. Is there a book on the topic?
d. Where were the articles published?
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Chapter 3 Answers
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