Review of an Educational Problem
4 page Part 1 | Introduction addressing each of the bullet points Description of the problem *Identifies and describes an educational problem *Provides enough detail so the reader can understand the problem in its social, institutional, and organizational contexts *Describes how the problem reflects social inequity in and/or through schooling Positionality *Describes how the author became aware of the problem and how their understanding has evolved over time *Discusses how their social location with regard to identity influences their view of the issue *Articulates an image of resolution of the problem and discusses. the underlying view of equity and justice in that image Theoretical Fit *Articulates how a critical investigation of this problem can illuminate or generate new and important understandings *Briefly connects dimensions of the problem to broader themes or concepts in critical social theory tradition; provides justification for applying a critical theoretical framework to the literature about the problem Driving Questions *Concludes the introduction with a driving question or set of driving questions that give focus and purpose to the literature review *States the driving question(s) that are clear, concise, and open-ended (avoids yes or no questions) *Poses driving questions that are a seamless extension of the ideas in the introduction 4 Page Part II | Theoretical Framework Description of the theoretical framework *Outlines a framework of ideas related to the problem and derived from critical theoretical frameworks *Provides a brief historical context to the framework *Introduces key ideas and scholars associated with the framework Assumptions and Guiding Questions for the Literature *Breaks the framework down into its most salient components (principles, assumptions, tenets, etc.); explains each component clearly *Provides visuals to support the reader’s understanding of the framework (table, figure, etc.) *Links individual components to dimensions of the problem *Articulates a question or set of questions to ask the literature representing each of the framework’s tenets, principles, or assumptions 3 Page Part III | Method *Provides a brief summary of keyword searches, including which terms were used and in which search engines, a description or count of the results, and a brief explanation of how these inquiries led to the final keyword terms. *Summarizes the final search results in terms of total publications and types of publications (journal articles (empirical or theoretical pieces), books, book chapters, reports, videos, etc.) *Describes the rationale/ protocol for selecting scholarly works to review (Which did you select to review and why? Explain.) *Summarizes the uniform process (review protocol) through which each piece of scholarship was analyzed in response to the driving question in the Introduction and the guiding questions in the Theoretical Framework portions of the literature review. 5 Page Part IV | Analysis Description of the Evidence Base Describes the broader evidence base captured in the literature review. For instance, is it a mature body of scholarship with clear set of principles, findings, outcomes, etc.? Or is it a young topic that has little scholarship associated with it? Distillation of Discussions, Themes, and Patterns in the Literature Provides the reader with a broader context for understanding the landscape of the literature Lists and discusses key topics, themes, patterns, discussions, conflicts, etc. from the literature Identifies key scholars, social movements and contexts, and methodologies that drive the existing literature Distills the predominant theoretical orientations in the literature 5 Page Part V | Findings and Implications Summary of Key Ideas Relevant to Driving Questions ● Revisits the driving question(s) from the Introduction section and provides an answer to the question(s) that builds from the analysis of the literature in the previous section, Analysis ● If possible, articulates a set of key themes, observations, or recommendations (i.e. for policy or practice) Discussion of why this analysis matters ● Explains why the critical inquiry is important. ● Where relevant, discusses existing gaps in the literature uncovered by this review, conceptualizes important research this project points to, and/or urges changes in policy and/or practice regarding the central problem you take up in the literature review.
