RELATED LITERATURE

Chapter 11
Objectives
At end of this chapter, the students will
be able to
1. describe the variables and sub-
variables of the study and
2. write a review of related literature
 RELATED LITERATURE
The related literature examines facts and
principles from other resources that are related to
the present study.
That is, a research study on the learning curves of
high school students would utilize literatures that
deal with the same subject.
These resource materials include books,
encyclopedias, published journals, newspapers,
and magazines.
 RELATED LITERATURE
The related literature, which is also called conceptual
literature, serves to clarify the different variables being
studied.
It removes any vagueness surrounding the central
concepts of the research.
As the literature is gathered, the different major
variables, as well as the sub-variables, are clarified and
the delimitation of the study is established.
The indicators for each variable are identified and
objectively established.
 RELATED LITERATURE
The major variable is the central idea of the entire literature.
Its sub-variables helps specify which particular aspect of the
major variable is being referred to.
The indicators, on the other hand, are specific information
that describes the sub-variables.
Examples:
a. Major variable: Study habits
b. Sub-variable: Time required for studying, methods of
studying, and place for studying
c. Indicators: Employing patterned time intervals for
effective studying; using mnemonics in memorizing the
terms; and studying in one’s ideal environment.
 RELATED LITERATURE
The American Psychological Association (2001)
states that review articles (called the literature
review for research papers) are crucial in the
review process.
A review article summarizes all the related
literature and their relation to the study.
Readers who are not knowledgeable on the topic
are provided with basic understanding of the
research before the new findings are presented.
 RELATED LITERATURE
APA provides the following definition for a review article:
Review articles, including meta-analyses, are critical
evaluations of materials previously published. By organizing,
integrating, and evaluating such materials, the author of a
review article considers the progress of current research
towards clarifying a problem. In a sense, a review article is a
“tutorial” in which the author defines and clarifies the
problem; summarizes previous investigations in order to
inform the reader of the state of current research; identifies
relations, contradictions, gaps and inconsistencies in the
literature; and suggests the next step in solving the problem.
(p. 7)
 RELATED LITERATURE
The number of resource materials to be gathered for the review of
literature depends upon the researcher’s judgment.
If he or she believes that the important concepts and variables have
been adequately explained and that enough indicators have been
established, then the review of related literature is considered
sufficient.
It is a traditional practice that the review of related literature is
divided into foreign and local literature.
It is highly recommended that the researcher use the different
variables and sub-variables being studied as subtitles in the review.
 RELATED LITERATURE
Related literature also includes works of experts in
refereed or peer-reviewed journals.
Expert readers or peers who are recognized authorities on
the topic are consulted to review the written works of the
researchers to determine if they meet the standards of a
good reference material, i.e., reliability and timeliness.
Refereed journals are published nationally and
internationally.
 WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
In her book, Conducting Research Literature Review: From
the Internet to Paper, Fink (2009) defines a literature review
or review of literature as a presentation of the analysis,
patterns, and critiques of individual sources or the body of
literature as a whole.
It is important to note that in reviewing literature,
understanding and comprehension both matter.
Thus, the write-up expressed in one’s own words is the
measure of the researchers’ synthesis of the reviewed
materials.
 Essential Elements of a Literature Review
The literature review serves as in-depth
summary of the related literatures to the study.
It does not only restate facts but rather critique
and highlight their relevance to the research.
In doing so, several elements should be
observed in writing this section:
 Essential Elements of a Literature Review
Overview of the subject or topic, issues, or theories to be
considered
Division of works such as those that support a particular
position, those against, and those that offer other ideas

Explanation of the comparison of the gathered literature

Conclusion and the best arguments

 Stages Observed in Writing the Literature Review
Since a literature review serves to preface the purpose of the
study, the related literature cannot be evaluated without setting
the foundation for the review.
A literature review, therefore follows a systematic approach in
writing its content.
The premise of the review should be clarified and the relation of
the cited resource materials to the study should be established.
Thus, different stages are observed when writing the literature
review:
 Stages Observed in Writing the Literature Review

Stage 1 : Problem formulation

The researcher must determine the research

problem before the review of literature is
conducted to fully understand the variables
considered in the study.
 Stages Observed in Writing the Literature Review

Stage 2 : Literature search

Any reading material that is related to the study

must include a discussion and explanation of at
least one of the variables.
 Stages Observed in Writing the Literature Review

Stage 3 : Data evaluation

The indicators that are synthesized from various

relevant sources must further build the
researcher’s confidence as the variables of his or
her study are made clear.
 Stages Observed in Writing the Literature Review

Stage 4 : Analysis and interpretation

Breaking the entire reading article into smaller

parts will help the researcher correctly interpret
the information in the reviewed materials.
 Format of a Literature Review
THE INTRODUCTION
a. The general problem and the variables should be defined.
b. Every important data should be highlighted to effectively
discuss the problem or the variables such as the theory,
methodology, evidences, conclusions, or even gaps.
c. The criteria in selecting the literature should be considered
to assess which resources are pertinent and should be
included, and which are irrelevant and should be removed.
 Format of a Literature Review
THE BODY

a. Chosen approaches, conclusion of authors, specific

objective, and the like should be included.

b. Studies and literature should be summarized. In choosing

the literature, the following should be considered:
 Format of a Literature Review
THE BODY
i. Provenance. This refers to the author’s credentials and
the empirical basis of the article or literature.
ii. Objectivity. This refers to the rationality of every data
or facts cited.
iii. Persuasiveness. This refers to the degree of credibility
of the data.
iv. Value. This refers to the degree of the contributions of
the literature to clarify variables.
 Format of a Literature Review
THE CONCLUSION
a. Major contributions of the studies or articles should be
summarized.
b. Current development and new information should be
evaluated.
c. The review should be concluded by relating the gathered
data to the central theme or problem.
 Practical Tips in Writing the Literature Review
The following are helpful tips in writing the review:

Sources, scholarly works, references, and other

materials that are refereed and indexed should
to be used. Electronic sources should be
properly scrutinized since the contained
information are sometimes inaccurate or
erroneous.
 Practical Tips in Writing the Literature Review
The following are helpful tips in writing the review:

Each source should be selected based on its

contribution to the topic under review.

The relationship of one source to another should

be described.
 Practical Tips in Writing the Literature Review
The following are helpful tips in writing the review:

Interpretation should be done appropriately by

looking into gaps of previous research.

Conflicts or contradictions should be resolved.

 Practical Tips in Writing the Literature Review
The following are helpful tips in writing the review:

Areas of prior scholarship should be identified.

One’s original work should be placed in the

context of existing literature.
 Review of Related Literature Example 1:
Skipping Breakfast of High School Students (Bacsal, et al., 2015)

On Eating Breakfast. Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day
(Henager, 2010). Eating breakfast allow one’s body to start the day off right. With the
right nutrients, your breakfast can be a great way to function properly. It is true that
many students are coming to schools without eating breakfast for various reasons or
students are making poor nutritional choices at breakfast times for many reasons
including: not enough time in the morning, eating habits, and food preferences.
According to Baley (2003), any of these can lead to a lack of concentration at school or
throughout the day or even weight issues in the future. Poor breakfast choices can be
blamed on education, historical developments, and income and social determinants. In
addition, children who skip meals barely meet the required dietary intake. This results
to lethargy and difficulty in doing mental tasks (Bailey and Earl, 1993).
 Review of Related Literature Example 1:

On the Types of Breakfast Prepared. Choosing the right breakfast foods is

very important to make sure you get 1/3 of your daily nutrient requirements.
That is why you must realize that skipping meals is not a quick way to lose
weight (Bailey, 1993). Creveling (2014) noted that a morning meal will help you
power through a workout, as compared to those who fasted until noon. Control
of food choice like starchy carbohydrate intake must be considered to avoid fat
gains (Medhi, 2009). Thus one should adopt healthy habits such as regularly,
exercising, eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
END
Chapter 11