At this point in the course, you have narrowed the topic that you would like to research, learned the importance of critically evaluating the literature, and identified a research design approach that would yield valid and reliable data in your proposed study. In Unit III, you conducted a brief annotated bibliography. For this assignment, you will perform a written literature reviewa critical examination of the literature involving your research topic and the specific research question or hypothesis that you have identified.
Remember that a literature review revolves around themes or issues and is not merely a restatement of your annotated bibliography or a book report on what the authors you reviewed already presented. You will want to discuss the emerging topics and subtopics that exist based on your topic. Refer back to Chapter 3 in your textbook to review this information.
Using the CSU Online Library and other scholarly source locations, find at least five sources, and write a literature review that (1) discusses your topics information and (2) justifies a general research (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) approach that you could utilize in your study. You may use sources from your annotated bibliography.
Try to answer some of the following questions in your literature review.
What is already known about your topic?
What gaps in the body of knowledge currently exist?
What are the major conflicts related to the topic within the industry?
Have researchers made recommendations for future research on the topic?
Begin your literature review with a strong introduction that includes a discussion about the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods and which approach you have chosen to follow for your research.
