literature review paper

Research
Assignment Guidelines:
For this assignment, you will collect peer-reviewed journal articles (minimum 15 articles) and build a literature review (8-10 page length requirement) on a topic relevant to your educational context. Choose an instructional method, educational policy or practice and investigate what the research has to say about this topic. After collecting relevant articles, describing what they have to say on your topic of choice, and organizing them in appropriate themes, you will reflect on whether the practices you see in your educational context align with what the research says about those practices.
• Overview of Topic (approximately 1-2 pages). In this section, present a summary of the primary concepts related to an instructional method, educational policy or practice of your choice. This can include but is not limited to key theorists, mainconcepts of the topic, important terminology, etc. Try to cover the breadth of the topic, but also try to be succinct in your summary. A minimum of 3 sources should be referenced.
□ Conclude your summary with 1 paragraph that introduces the reader to the Literature Review that follows. Introduce the purpose of the literature review and why research in your specific area is important.
• Literature Review (approximately 5-6 pages). In this section, “zoom in” to your specific topic and look at how your topic has been researched in the field of education. Describe the research and make connections among findings. Your synthesis should present readers with the key findings of the research and be written in such a way that demonstrates your ability to read, understand, and integrate research findings.
□ This section should be focused only on describing, summarizing, and making connections among research studies about your topic. Do not include a lot of discussion of theory or implications here. I expect all sources cited in this section to be research studies (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research) with participants.
□ Conclude your Literature Review with a 1 paragraph summary of your findings.
• Implications/Applications to the Classroom (approximately 1-2 pages). In this section, “zoom out” from your research findings and suggest possible implications or applications for educators working in schools. Pull from your own experience but try to write in a universal way so that educators of other content areas, levels of experience, etc. can relate to your suggestions.
• References (not included in page count). Following APA 7th edition guidelines, include a Reference page at the end of your Literature Review Paper.
LITERATURE REVIEW PAPER REQUIREMENTS:
1. Clarity in Writing. Your paper should be evidence of your work and revision of multiple drafts. The writing should have:
– Clear topic sentences for each paragraph.
– Appropriate transitions between paragraphs/ideas.
– Minimal direct quotes (1-3) with all other citations referencing your own paraphrases of the authors’ original ideas/findings.
2. Follow APA Guidelines. Paper should follow APA 7th edition for citations, quotes, etc. and include:
– Title page
– Appropriate level of headings
– Appropriate citations
– References page
Grading Rubric:
See Grading Rubric on the following page.
CRITERIA
DEVELOPING
COMPETENT
EXEMPLARY
Topic Overview
(15 pts)
6 pts
Summary of the topic is weak and only covers the surface layer of the topic. Citations do not reference key concepts.
8 pts
Summary of the topic is adequate and covers only some of the foundational key ideas of the topic. Key concepts may or may not be cited.
10 pts
Summary of the topic is thorough, succinct, and covers the foundational key ideas of the topic. Key concepts are cited.
0 pts
There 0-1 primary sources cited.
3 pts
There are 2-3 primary sources cited.
5 pts
There are 4+ primary sources cited.
Literature Review
(25 pts)
10 pts
Literature Review is weak and there is no clear line of inquiry. There is no synthesis of the literature. The author provided unnecessary details about literature or overlooked research contributions to the field.
15 pts
Literature Review is adequate and the research attends to a focused line of inquiry. There is no clear synthesis of the literature; Literature seems to be summarized without clearly connecting ideas across research studies.
20 pts
Literature Review is thorough and the research attends to a focused line of inquiry. There is a clear synthesis of the literature by connecting ideas across research studies.
1 pt
There are <10 research articles cited. 3 pts There are 10-14 research articles cited. 5 pts There are 15+ research articles cited. Implications (10 pts) 6 pts 0 implications and/or applications to the classroom are defined. –OR– Implications section does not clearly describe “implications” for the classroom/field based on connections to ideas in paper. 8 pts Only 1 implication and/or application to the classroom is clearly defined and appropriate based on the literature review.