ASSIGNMENT | Defining the research problem/topic as precisely as possible

Literature Review
A literature review is a summary of all the literature on a given topic. (Your assignment will be a short review and cannot include all the relevant literature, so select the most important articles.) You are required to review a minimum of 4-7 articles. The review should be approximately 3-5 double-spaced, typed pages (not including title or reference pages.)
In the beginning of your research there may seem to be too much information but as you read and think about your topic you will be able to narrow your focus and highlight those articles. Your goal is to continually refocus your research so that you have a point of reference for selecting the pertinent sections of the literature.
The essential steps involved in a review of the literature include:

1. Defining the research problem/topic as precisely as possible
2. Pursuing the secondary sources
3. Selecting and pursuing an appropriate general reference
4. Formulating search terms
5. Searching the general references for relevant primary sources
6. Obtaining and reading the primary sources, and noting and summarizing key points in
   the sources.
   Remember, your ultimate goal is to synthesize the material into a cohesive portrayal of
   where the research is at this point in time and how it can help in your research planning
   or education practice.
   Suggestion: It may help to take detailed enough notes (organized in a table or tables) so
   that you won’t need to refer to the original articles as you begin to organize and
   categorize your material. Once you have your notes organized you will need to
   synthesize the literature prior to writing your review by using the notes and summary
   tables to develop an outline of your final review.
   Elements of a Literature Review
   Your literature review report should contain a title page, an introduction, a body, a
   discussion, and a reference page:
   Introduction
   The introduction of a literature review serves the same purpose as an introduction in
   any other type of paper or essay. The introduction should include a statement of the
   problem, briefly explain the significance of your topic study (to the education field and
   the world if applicable), and act as a way to introduce the reader to your definitions and
   background. This sets the theoretical framework for your paper.
   Body of Literature Review
   The body of your literature review should summarize the findings of studies that have
   been conducted on your topic. For each study you should briefly explain its purpose,
   procedure for data collection and major findings. This is the section where you will
   discuss the strengths and weaknesses of particular studies.
   Remember that a literature review should not be a listing of articles or researchers but
   rather a flowing article. Avoid having a lot of short paragraphs of one or two sentences.
   Discussion
   The discussion should be similar to a conclusion portion of an essay paper. It serves as
   a summary of the body of your literature review and should highlight the most important
   findings (in your opinion.)
   There needs to be a sense of completion to the whole piece in this section. Your
   analysis should help you to draw conclusions. In this section you would discussion any
   consensus or disagreement on the topic. It can also include any strengths and
   weaknesses in general of the research area. If you believe there is more to research
   you may include that here.
   Reference Page
   The reference page contains a list of the sources of information you used and cited in
   your paper. Only include those cited in the text but be sure to include every citation. This
   section must follow APA format.
   In general, your paper should show a sense of direction and contain a definite central
   idea supported with evidence. The writing should be logical and the ideas should be
   linked together in a logical sequence. The ideas need to be put together in a way that is
   clear to the writer and to the reader.
   Be sure to use APA format. Format guidelines are available at: http://
   owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html