The purpose of the literature review is to examine closely the literature in a chosen area of study.
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The purpose of the literature review is to examine closely the literature (e.g., scholarly sources) in a chosen area of study. It provides a summary of current knowledge on the topic being researched and identifies relevant theories, the methods, and the gaps in existing research. The doctoral student should be able to synthesize and critically analyze the information gathered and provides the research in an organized manner. It also addresses the how and why of past research and allows learners to become familiar with researchers and leaders in the field in order to recognize patterns of theories and methodologies implemented in a chosen area (Isaac-Smith & Greenberger, 2020). The goal of the literature review to put the chosen area of study into context by informing the reader about the existing knowledge, what is known and what was discovered in the research and the gaps and problems found in the research. A literature review that is poorly written will negatively impact the entire dissertation. When poorly written literature review is encountered by examiners, it becomes necessary to examine the methods of data collection, the analysis, and the conclusion (Boote & Beile, 2005).
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I believe Onwuegbuzie (2005) is highlighting the presence of the literature review but at the same time minimizing the importance of it. When I began to review the document, I immediately looked for the literature review following the introduction and specified by a number or bolded title. However, it was not available. I began to think I misprinted, or I lost a page. I believe this is the point the author is making, that there is value in a well-adapted literature review. The literature review offers content that is essentially relevant to the entire study. If in fact the review is minimized or incomplete it hinders the readers and future researchers’ perspective. The section is attempting to address communication barriers by means of the literature review which in fact holds a great deal of information that is pertinent to the study. According to Grand Canyon University (2020) literature reviews are the foundation to the dissertation process. To contribute to an area of study a learner must understand the previous content and be able to reinterpret it in a manner that justifiable and clear.
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Upon researching my topic of choice, ‘African American Barriers to Medical Care’, I was able to locate numerous organizations that have data on the topic. Primarily as it relates to Covid-19. Carratala and Maxwell (2020) break down the statistical data of not only African Americans and their health disparities it also addresses other nationalities as well. The statistical data indicates that there is a higher percentage of obesity among African American women. I was also surprised to find out that although African American are hindered by health disparities, a large percentage in fact have health insurance. It was my understanding that all literature for the dissertation process was peer-reviewed until I read Grand Canyon University, Literature landscape (2020) which specified there would be a maximum of 10. Understanding that I can research other creditable sources allows me not to feel so confined when I can’t seem to find appropriate data for my area of study. When conducting the dissertation development for the last class the research really outlined the multiple barriers that affected the African American community. There was no opposition in any of the data I reviewed. No other side or other point. But seeing it from the perspective of individuals that are not just focusing on African Americans, gives a great view that the disparities and barriers are in fact experienced by other communities as well. ———————
The website I chose to examine was the American Association of School Administration (aasa.org). This website contained numerous resources that were, in my opinion, valuable for individuals pursuing a degree in educational leadership or someone who is conducting research in that field. Looking through the website I came across the journal from AASA titled “AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice. Looking through the journal, I observed that each section was written by a different author(s) and that each section contained its own list of references. The journal also contained various case studies and research results focusing on current and past challenges in education and leadership. The journal I reviewed was recently released but past issues are also available. The website also contained a variety of toolkits that contained research-based interventions and systems that focus on challenges in school concerning student success or their safety. Doing this kind of deep dive into a website provided me with a different outlook into how I can approach research. My experience has caused me to be extremely biased towards online publications because so many tend to be unreliable or unreputable. Having the experience of being able to identify quality research and literature reviews opens numerous doors into being able to complete research more accurately but also in a timely manner when writing a dissertation. Booke and Beile (2005) determined that the foundation for substantive useful research relies on conducting sophisticated literature reviews. I am now more aware of how expansive research is and can be especially when you are able to distinguish the differences between something that is credible versus unreputable.
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