Subject Guides: Education Research: Literature Reviews

Quick Tips

How to write a literature review (Concordia University Libraries)
The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It (University of Toronto Libaries)
Preparing for a Comprehensive Literature Review (UofA Libraries)
Strong focus on Health Science topics. Consult only if asked specifically to do a comprehensive review.

An Overview for Graduate Students

Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students [video]

Examples of Lit Reviews in Education Research

See section 1.3 Types of Literature Reviews of the Frederickson text (right-hand column) for detailed explanations. See also sections: 7.1, 7.2 Creating a summary table / outline and 8.2-8.4 Writing, Tips for structure, Checklist, etc.

Examples of some types of literature reviews:

Conceptual

Are we asking the right questions? A conceptual review of the educational development literature in higher education. (Amundsen & Wilson, 2012). Amundsen, C., & Wilson, M. (2012). Are we asking the right questions? A conceptual review of the educational development literature in higher education. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 90-126. doi: 10.3102/0034654312438409

Empirical

Impediments of e-learning adoption in higher learning institutions of Tanzania: An empirical review (Mwakyusa & Mwalyagile, 2016). Mwakyusa, W., & Mwalyagile, N. (2016). Impediments of e-learning adoption in higher learning institutions of Tanzania: An empirical review. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(30), 152-160. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1118921.pdf

Exploratory

An exploratory review of design principles in constructivist gaming learning environments. (Rosario & Widmeyer, 2009). Rosario, R. A. M., & Widmeyer, G. R. (2009). An exploratory review of design principles in constructivist gaming learning environments. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(3), 289-300. http://jise.org/Volume20/20-3/Pdf/20N3P289-abs.pdf

Integrative

Exploring the gap between teacher certification and permanent employment in Ontario: An integrative literature review. (Brock & Ryan, 2016).

Narrative/Traditional

Adventure education and Outward Bound: Out-of-class experiences that make a lasting difference. (Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997). Hattie, J., Marsh, H. W., Neill, J. T., & Richards, G. E. (1997). Adventure education and Outward Bound: Out-of-class experiences that make a lasting difference. Review of Educational Research, 67(1), 43-87. doi: 10.3102/00346543067001043

Systematic Review

The potentials of using cloud computing in schools: A systematic literature review (Hartmann, Braae, Pedersen, & Khalid, 2017). Hartmann, S., Braae, L., Pedersen, S., & Khalid, M. (2017). The potentials of using cloud computing in schools: A systematic literature review. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET 16(1), 190-202. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1124903.pdf

Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students

An open textbook designed for students in graduate-level nursing and education programs.