Master of TESOL Education Research Design AED5001

Literature Review

‘Researchers often conduct literature reviews for ideas on study

design and/or to make connections between their new study and
others that have come before’ (Hinchey 2008, p. 55).

Purpose of a literature review

 To provide a better understanding of what other research has been done in the area you are
researching
 To show where your research fits into the larger framework of that research
 To demonstrates that you understand what other research studies have been conducted in your
field and therefore how your research will contribute to that body of research

Your literature review will be based on at least 8 research articles (no more than 20) accessed via the VU
Offshore Library and the program website. You should review at least 8 relevant research articles.

You do not need to read every article in full when first looking for your articles. To help you decide
whether or not an article might be relevant, you should:

 Check the title. Does it give any clues as to what the article is about? Remember that not all
titles provide a summary of the article – and some can be misleading.
 If the article seems relevant, read the abstract. This provides a comprehensive summary of the
article.
 You may also want to read the introduction and/or conclusion.
 If you think it might be relevant, you should read it through quickly, focusing particularly on the
specific topic (e.g. group work, intonation, etc).

Remember: Do not just choose the first 8+ articles you find; choose the most relevant articles you can
find!

Other useful strategies for finding your articles

 Begin with journals in respected international and national journals, especially those that report
research (e.g. ELT Journal and TESOL Quarterly)
 Start with the most recent articles and work back from there
 It is preferable (and easier!) to start by looking at articles that report a single study rather than
those that synthesise several studies (you can do that later when you are more familiar with the
field)
 Check the references in the article for other relevant literature
 Check the non-TESOL literature (e.g. if you are researching group work, you might find useful
articles in other subject areas)
 Use keywords to help refine electronic searches

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How to write a literature review

 Your style of writing in a Literature Review must be critical; this does not mean criticising, it
means your writing should be a discussion and opinion about what you have read. For instance,
always ask yourself, “Do you agree with what has been said? If so why? Do you disagree with
what has been said? If so, why? A description of the article is not enough. Your writing must
demonstrate that you are engaging critically with the topic, that you are asking questions of
what you are reading, and that you are not accepting at face value what you have read.

 The literature review must be relevant to the problem that you are researching (e.g. if you are
researching group work, the literature review should focus on group work).

 Always give your own opinion of what you have read in the article. Just because the articles
have been written by experts, does not mean that you have to agree with them. Don’t be afraid
to say that you disagree or agree with the researchers, but always remember to explain why you
agree or disagree.

 It is perfectly ok to include research articles that are against your position and that you don’t
agree with. However, when discussing the article in the summary always remember to explain
why you disagree.

 It is ok to use research articles that are non-TESOL as long as they are relevant to your own
research project.

Being critical

As mentioned above, being critical does not mean ‘to criticise’, it means to question something closely.
Some questions you may like to consider that can help you respond critically in your literature review
may include:

 How relevant is the article to my own research and/or the Vietnamese context?
 What is relevant or irrelevant in the article and why do you think this?
 Does the article clearly state the research aims and questions?
 Are the research methods adequately described and/or critiqued?
 Does the article review relevant and up-to-date literature?
 Does the article refer to other studies?
 Does it make or presume an argument?
 Does the data relate to the analysis and/or aims and/or findings?
 Are there ambiguities in the article and/or the findings and/or the aims?
 Are the findings supported by the data or does the article make unsupported assertions and
generalisations?