Galvan & Galvan: Chapter 3

Read: Galvan & Galvan: Chapter 3
Read: Strategies for Finding and Selecting an Ideal Thesis or Dissertation Topic: A Review of Literature

FORMS: LITERATURE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
This assignment requires you to submit four completed review forms in one Microsoft Word
document. The template for this assignment is available and contains forms for all four separate
article reviews. As you can see in the template, of these four review forms, you must complete
two literature reviews and two meta-analyses that pertain to the dissertation research topic. You
must also submit each article used for this assignment as either a .pdf or .doc or .docx file.
For the literature reviews, be sure you select an article that is specifically designed to review the
literature on a research topic and not merely an article that has a literature review within it. The
title should include either: ‘literature review’, ‘a review of the literature’, ‘review of the
research’, or possibly ‘international review’. For example, if your dissertation topic was on gifted
learners, you might choose the following relevant literature review:
Olszewski-Kubulius, P. & Corwith, S. (2018). Poverty, academic achievement, and giftedness: A
literature review. Gifted Child Quarterly, 62(1), 37-55.
This article provides a broad and detailed overview of research that is focused on gifted children
and how poverty affects their academic achievement. It provides a thorough overview of
literature within the field and directs the reader to pertinent research articles, reoccurring authors
in the field, and repeating theories. It is clearly an article designed to review the literature on a
given topic, not simply an article that has a literature review section. Please carefully note this
distinction.
For the meta-analyses, the term ‘meta-analysis’ or ‘systematic review of meta-analyses’ should
appear somewhere in the title. If the term meta-analysis is not in the article title, it is likely not
one. In the Learn section for Module 2: Week 2, be sure to read the Spaulding and Szapkiw
article, Understanding Different Types of Literature, for help with identifying true literature
reviews and meta-analyses.
Begin by locating four articles: two literature reviews and two meta-analyses. All articles must
be read and then a total of four completed “Literature Review” or “Meta-Analysis” forms (two
for each type of article) that are clear, concise, and at least one full page must be submitted as
one document. You must complete each box on the Forms: Literature Review Template with
available information from the source. The boxes will expand as words are typed. You must also
use your own words, complete sentences, and follow current APA format.
See the below information required for each article on the Forms: Literature Review
Template.
EDUC 760
Please follow all instructions and review available resources.
This work should be mostly your own words (except the quotes box).
Your work should showcase your writing abilities, your ability to read
and summarize, and your understanding of the material. Do not cut and
paste from the articles.
Be sure to title your document in this format:
LastName_First Name_Assignment Title_EDUC860B01
Remember to attach all articles in Canvas to your submission.
Topic of
Research
Clearly explain what the topic of your dissertation research will be so the
instructor can evaluate if the articles match your research interests. This
is not for a research question or the purpose of your study, just the topic
of research.
Current
APA
Reference
Review current APA for assistance with capitalization, italics, and
punctuation
Use the Writing Styles Guide link in Canvas for assistance!
Be sure it is a literature review or meta-analysis and not just an article
that contains a literature review. You should find the words “review of
the literature,” “literature review,” “critical review,” or something similar
in the title. The same goes for the meta-analysis.
Summary Summaries cover the beginning, middle, and end of the article and
include key points of the article. Do not cut and paste the abstract. This
needs to be in your own words.
Authors Please include full names and publication dates when you have them.
Theories A detailed list of common theories used in educational research is listed
on the Forms: Literature Review Assignment page under the Forms:
Literature Review Resource. This is not an exhaustive list but should
help you with what is required here. Theories will be discussed more
later in this course, but it is good to identify key theories about your topic
at this point.
If you do not see a theory directly stated in your article, you can infer
which theories you believe framed the studies.
Note that grounded theory is a methodology and not an education theory
so do not include that here.
Quotes Since all the quotes will come from this article you only need to include
the page number, you do not need the full formal current APA citation.
Please use quotation marks to show that they are direct quotes.
EDUC 760
Remember, the quotes should contain only the most essential
information.
Ideas for
application
This is a critical section as you will express how you might use this
article for your own research. Did you learn new information? Has it
changed your thinking about your topic? How does it relate to your
topic? Was it contradictory or complementary to other articles you have
read? How will you use this information in your research?
This is to be in first person, article and study-specific, and be at least one
to two full paragraphs.
References Please use the full current APA formatted reference that includes the
(Author, date, journal or book title, p#, etc.).
Look in the reference section of the article to see which new sources you
might like to look into for more information.

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