1. Using Theories and Constructs to Search and Review Existing Scholarship Based on Your Research Question How to understand and evaluate what’s what! Abby Kloos Deb Hansen EDU 688/ Dr. Barrera Metrostate University July 13, 2015

2. When first researching literature to develop a theory scholars should… a.be comprehensive making sure the research literature has all of the answers. b.look through literature specifically to answer one question. c.err in favor of including too many factors. Pre-Assessment Question: Theories?

3. Building Blocks of Theory Development (Whetten, D. 1989) ● What? - Are all relevant factors of your question considered? ● What unnecessary factors should be deleted? Theories and Constructs

4. Err in favor of too many factors recognizing that over time, ideas can be refined. Theories continued

5. 1.Focus on multiple elements of the theory 2.Theoretical critiques should marshal compelling evidence 3.Theoretical critiques should propose remedies or alternatives Theories continued

6. 1.What’s new? Any modifications or differences in current thinking? 2.So what? Will this theory make a difference? 3.Why so? Are the author’s (or your) logic and supporting evidence compelling? 4.Well done? Is the paper complete and thorough? 5.Done well? Does the paper flow, is it well-written and organized? 6.Why now? Is the topic relevant? Will it advance current discussions? 7.Who cares? What percentage of academic readers are interested in this topic? Questions to Ask Yourself

7. When considering the sources you will use it is important to… a.use library resources because they are more reliable sources b.use a variety of resources including both print and electronic c.limit the amount of internet sources you use Search Procedures Question:

8. Purpose: - find appropriate and diverse sources - evaluate the sources for usefulness and credibility Search Procedures

9. Primary Sources - allows you to learn about your topic first hand and provide direct evidence Secondary Sources - describe, discuss, and analyze research obtained from primary sources or from other secondary sources Search Procedures continued

10. Print Sources - Get to know your library - Talk to assistants at reference desk - Cyber-library - Online database search Search Procedures continued

11. Print Sources vs Electronic Sources - Internet reliability has significantly increased over recent years - There remains an opinion about the quality of online sources among academics and other writers Search Procedures continued

12. Internet Sources - Reliability - Website authors and publishers - Website content - Website design and style Search Procedures continued

13. Reliability - Who is the author (or, authors) of the website and the materials presented on it? - What is known about the site’s author and its publisher and their agendas and goals? - What is the purpose of the website? - Who is the target audience of the website? - How do the writing style and the design of the website contribute to (or detract from) its meaning? Search Procedures continued

14. Website authors & publishers - Look at the website URL - Most common.com,.org,.net,.edu - Be aware of possible biases associated with different URLs Search Procedures continued

15. Website content - What is the purpose of the site? - What is its intended audience? How do we know? - What are the main subjects discussed on the sites? - What assumptions and biases do the authors of the publication on the site seem to have? How do we know? - What research methods and sources do the author of these material use? - How does the research help the writers of the site state their case? Search Procedures continued

16. Look for: 1.The research question asked 2.The primary function of the study 3.Procedural differences in studies 4.Sources of potential invalidity Identify what is valuable to your study and what is “noise” (Cooper, H.M. 1982) Guidelines to Review Literature

17. What is a Literature Review? - An account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. - The purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. ** It is not a descriptive list of material available ** Review Existing Literature

18. Use your evaluations and conclusions of existing research to inform and refine your research questions. Now What?

19. Cooper, C.M., (1982) Scientific Guidelines for Conducting Integrative Research Reviews, Review of Educational Research, 52(2), 291-302. Norton, A., (2011) 10 Tips for Smarter, More Efficient Internet Searching,TechRepublic, http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-tips-for-smarter-more-efficient-internet-searching/ Taylor, D., and Procter, M. (2015) The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It, The University of Toronto, Writing Support http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review Whetten, D., (1989) What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution? Academy of Management Review, 4(4) 490-495. Zemliansky, P. (2008) Finding and Evaluating Research Sources, Methods of Discovery: A Guide to Research Writing. http://methodsofdiscovery.net/?q=node/23http://methodsofdiscovery.net/?q=node/23 Bibliography