Revise your research topic statement according to feedback from your instructor in the preliminary research topic statement assignment you submitted in Module 1. You will use your revised research topic statement to begin the literature search of your five first research publications and to engage with a librarian in this Module.

Learning Goal: I’m working on a writing discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

For this course, your final assignment will be a Review of the Comparative and International Research Literature in your area of interest. The aim of the review will be to analyze what the current literature can tell us about a specific issue (your topic), and identify gaps and research agendas for future research. A detailed outline of the final paper and how it will be constructed can be found on the Final Paper Assignment Instructions page.

As you continue to refine your topic statement you may want to search the Review of Educational Research via the ASU Library in your area of interest in case someone has done a review of the research literature on that topic and to find examples of quality literature reviews. You have already read an example of a quality literature review in Module 1 published in that journal:
Spring, J. (2008). Research on Globalization and Education. Review of Educational Research, 78(2), 330-363. doi:10.3102/0034654308317846Links to an external site.

From this week onwards, you will work on collecting and summarizing research reports and on preparing for the final paper in alignment with Machi and McEvoy’s six steps. Every week, you will describe the process and results of an activity (e.g. searching and organizing the literature).

+ A good strategy as you are searching the research literature is to look at what the comparative and international research literature says about your particular issue of interest more broadly (globally) before focusing on selected countries. This will provide information to situate your question in the larger global context before you write about the issue of interest in your selected countries. This is equivalent to looking at the forest before you focus on specific trees.

+ Note that you are not doing your research yet in GLE504—just reading the literature. Therefore your task in GLE504 is to report what earlier studies [in the comparative and international research literature more broadly and on your specific countries of interest more specifically] have done therefore creating a research proposal to answer your questions (this we will do in GLE506).

ASSIGNMENT

Revise your research topic statement according to feedback from your instructor in the preliminary research topic statement assignment you submitted in Module 1. You will use your revised research topic statement to begin the literature search of your five first research publications and to engage with a librarian in this Module.

Work through Exercise 1.6, p. 32-33 of chapter 1 of The literature review: Six steps to success. With the help of the librarian refine your topic of interest statement and use it to find five journal research articles or research reports that represent your topic of interest. Following the instructions here, begin to collect your journal research articles or reports and populate your Literature Review GridDownload Literature Review Grid. Please complete columns A-L only. We will begin to work on columns M-X once we begin reading chapter 4 in the M&M book. For column L we will use the template we developed for GLE502 as follows:

‘[author (s) name] investigated [research problem] using [theoretical framework] to [solve a problem], specifically they asked [research questions] and hypothesized/assumed that [summary of hypothesis/assumption]. They selected [number and characteristics of participants] using [method for data selection]. They used [nominate and describe the instruments of data collection and validity evidence, e.g., interviews/observations/survey questionnaires with a 4-point Likert scale] to collect data. The data collection consisted of [focus groups, a one-time application of questionnaire]. Their results show [briefly describe]. The authors concluded [x, y, z] and suggest [implications of this study for the field or for future research].’

SUBMIT

1. A revised research topic statement (using as a basis the work you already did in M1 in the preliminary topic statement and your insights after working through Excercise 1.6), including:
   • A clear and specific description of your topic of interest that is relevant to aspects of global and international education, including issues of access and equity, and a focus on underserved populations.
   • The significance of the research (what contributions to the field makes this research important)
   • Key concepts and terms contained in your topic of interest
   • Description of the academic field of study that aligns with your research topic (e.g., this will indicate what databases you will use for instance if your interests align with the field of sociology you would search the ASU Sociological Databases (https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/socabs/advanced?accountid=4485Links to an external site.); if your interests align with psychology you would search on the ASU Psychology Databases (https://libguides.asu.edu/c.php?g=263734&p=1761818Links to an external site.). For quick help with definitions of different academic fields, you may want to search in Wikipedia (again using our sociology example you may peruse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SociologyLinks to an external site.).
   • List the databases and the resources you will use from the ASU Library.
   • Include at least two email exchanges with the librarian (these can go at the end of your assignment in word).
2. Submit your five articles in your group folder and your grid (in the next page assignment).
3. Begin to engage in group work.

Rubric