Course Syllabus
S-553: RESEARCHING AND WRITING A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW
Fall 2015 - Spring 2016
Thursdays (alternate), 1:00pm-4:00pm
Eileen McGowan, Ed.D. Deborah Garson
Lecturer on Education Head of Research and Instruction Services
Gutman 450 Gutman 207
eileen_mcgowan@gse.harvard.edu deborah_garson@gse.harvard.edu
“Use the literature, don’t let it use you.”
Course Expectations
S-553 course expectations are high. You must be an active participant in our research community, as detailed below. If not possible for you this year, please do not enroll.
Preparation: Weekly class preparation for the fall semester includes: reading of all assigned works, completion of discovery activities, submission of a research memo, and familiarity with your research pods’ submitted memos. Spring semester routines involve “Incubator Groups” (discussed during Shopping Period).
Attendance: Class starts promptly at 1:10 pm. Because our classes run on an alternate week schedule, absences are particularly disrupting and will only be excused with instructor notification. Absences must be for significant reasons (illness, family emergency). If you anticipate many absences please do not enroll in the class.
Participation: In this seminar “how” you participate is critical. Precisely because all students will be engaging in intellectual risk-taking and developing nascent designs, it is essential that the quality of conversation be respectful, inquiry-based, and devoid of unhelpful criticism. Norms regarding participation will be collaboratively agreed upon during the first class. The goal is to provide a classroom environment in which developing ideas are nurtured and your skills as a peer reviewer and member of an academic community are developed.
Research Pods: Pods are an opportunity to engage deeply with your colleagues’ research interests and thinking, as well as receive and give peer feedback. Students are required to meet with their research pods, either on the alternate Thursdays or sometime during the two-week timespan between classes to work on assignments.
Course Assignments:[1]
Course assignments have been structured to guide your literature development process and support classroom activities and discussion. Your investment in these assignments is essential to both individual and collective progress. All submitted work will be available to colleagues and instructors. This reflects our commitment to functioning as a research community.
- Discovery Guides scaffold a series of activities critical to developing advanced research strategies. The Guides should be completed with your research pods and submitted with your Research Memos.
- Research Memos are a reflection and communication tool. Submit by 9:00 am on the day prior to class. Please note the 900 word count limitation.
- Feedback to Peers. There will be multiple opportunities to engage in both written and oral feedback. The quality of engagement and feedback is critical to successful learning outcomes. Norms and rubrics to facilitate productive feedback will be discussed in class.
- Pod Meeting with Research Librarian, Carla Lillvik
- Individual meeting at the conclusion of 1st semester with Eileen and Deborah, on either November 19th or December 3rd.
- Student Research Conference (SRC) participation is required. Each student will develop and submit a research proposal based on the selected literature review.
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First Semester Product. The final product for first semester is a detailed outline of the argument and contents of your literature review, “of” or “for” research. Each outline will be reviewed by a research pod peer, prior to final submission. Both edited version and final versions are to be submitted on Dec 18 to instructors. No late submissions will be accepted without prior instructor approval.
- December 4: Initial draft to research pod
- December 11: Feedback from pod member(s)
- December 18: Submission of Outline with citations
The final product for second semester is a completed literature review “of” or “for” research.
Evaluation and Grading
S-553 is offered SAT/No Credit, rather than for a letter grade. Final semester assignments will be graded based on a shared rubric and comments of the professors.
Required Books
- Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications
.Recommended Reading
Hart, C. (2001). Doing a literature search: A comprehensive guide for the social sciences. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications.
A list of the most relevant books and articles for constructing a literature review can be found on the Canvas site.
Academic Integrity
HGSE Student Handbook (available in MYGSE)
Given the nature of this course, the usage of proper citation is critical. APA format is the required standard for this class. Please follow all guidelines within the Student Handbook when submitting assignments for this class.
SECOND SEMESTER – SPRING 2016
SECOND SEMESTER – SPRING 2016
Gutman 440
Spring Incubators: During the second semester, we introduce the concept of “incubator sessions.” These are periods of class time during which we function as a research community by focusing specifically on one class member’s research. Over the course of the semester, each class member will have 1 hour to have the undivided attention of the whole class on your work. We recommend that you record your own sessions. Recording allows you capture the details of the conversation and frees you from taking notes, thus allowing you to be fully present. From our previous experience, we highly recommend that the convener spends less time talking and more time listening. You may also ask a research pod member to lead your session. Various options are listed in the second bullet below.
Be mindful that our assumption of learning is to some extent based on the “Helper-Therapy Theory”. In other words, we strongly believe that in reading and commenting on the work of others, you will be gaining useful insights for your own literature review development. Additionally, during each incubator session you hear the insights, criteria, and suggestions of all your doctoral peers, hence expanding your repertoire of review skills. This skill, of reviewing and providing useful feedback on peers’ writing, is one that is highly valued in academia.
Incubator Sessions for Second Semester:
1/28 Sarah; 2/11 Cynthia & Gemma; 2/25 Cortney & Pierre; 3/10 Jae & Zuhra; 4/7 Jay & Deborah
Instructions for the Incubator Convener
• Incubator sessions will begin on January 28, 2016. One week prior to your incubator session, upload your documents to the ‘Incubator Documents’ section of the specific class Canvas page. You should include the text you would like feedback on in your session. For example, this could be one section of a QPP, a section of your literature review, an outline of your argument or a compilation of text from various parts of a paper. Regardless of what you select to share, it cannot exceed 5 pages of double-spaced text, 12 font. (You will be grateful for this limitation when you are the reader.)
• Also, please attach the one page cover sheet which features: a brief description of the materials included (why you selected them and how you intend to use them after the course); your current research question; a description of the kind of feedback that you want (this could be a particular area of focus such as ‘clarity’ or ‘cohesion’; it could ask for close editing or big picture thinking); a brief description of how you would like the session to run (do you want to present then take questions? Do you want to present then just listen to the group discuss your issue? Do you want one of your research pod members to run the discussion for you? (if so arrange in advance).
Instructions for the Incubator Respondents
• One week prior to class, the conveners will post all Incubator Documents
• In preparation for our class, read all the documents carefully
• Based on the conveners’ coversheet direction, fill in all requested information and feedback
• Bring to class the completed coversheet with completed respondents’ section to class. These coversheets will be useful in guiding discussion and will be distributed to the convener at the conclusion of the class.
For detailed information regarding the functioning and rationale for our incubator sessions, please see the “Incubator” tab on our Canvas Site.
Spring Topics:
During the spring semester, we will prepare for the SRC as well as schedule topics for discussion, as time allows.
January 28
Topic: 1 Incubator
Topic: Introduction to Spring Semester
The Form and Function of our Incubator Sessions, SRC, and Work Plan
Topic: Learning from Experience: Panel of Advanced Doctoral Students
At the beginning of our class we will check in with you as a group. It has been a long time since November 12 (!) and we want to reconnect as a research community. We will briefly introduce the form and function of our incubator sessions and hold our first one. (The plan for the new semester can be found on the Syllabus on Canvas). After the break, the invited panel of advanced doctoral students will discuss their experiences in conducting literature reviews as part of an interactive discussion. Please bring thoughtful questions. We will conclude with providing you an opportunity to reconnect with your research pod.
Assignment
Read:
• Panelists’ documents uploaded on Canvas one week prior to this class meeting.
• Read ALL Incubator Documents
Complete:
• The Responder’s section of the cover sheet and bring to class (as detailed above).
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the first incubator session, please remember to upload your documents (cover sheet and text) by January 21.
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the next incubator session (on February 11), upload documents by February 4.
February 11
Topic: 2 Incubator Sessions
Topic: Personalized Goal Identification & Strategy Guide
In class activity: Consider where you are currently situated in terms of your literature review development and where you would ideally like to be by the end of the semester. Think about and discuss within your pod your final product for the semester. Then work backwards and plan your individual scope and sequence for S-553 this semester, realizing that your final product must be submitted to your research pod by April 21. (We will provide a strategy guide)
Assignment:
Read
• Preparatory work for the incubator sessions as provided by the conveners. [Don’t forget to complete, print and bring in the Cover Sheet!]
Personalized Goal Identification & Strategy Guide:
Construct and submit as an assignment by March 9th to Canvas course site (March 10th class)
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the next incubator session (2/25), upload documents by February 18th.
February 25
Topic: 2 Incubator Sessions
Topic: Actively considering voice
Assignment:
Read
• Preparatory work for the incubator sessions as provided by the conveners. [Don’t forget to complete, print and bring in the Cover Sheet!]
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the next incubator session (3/10), upload documents by March 3rd.
March 10
Topic: 2 Incubator Sessions
Topic: Pod Work Plan Discussion
Topic: SRC presentations
Topic: Pod Work Plan Discussion
Assignment:
• Update individual workplan for the purpose of discussion within the pods (also upload to Canvas
Read
• Review Ravitch & Riggan, p. 21-17
• Preparatory work for the incubator sessions as provided by the conveners. [Don’t forget to complete, print and bring in the Cover Sheet!]
•
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the next incubator session on April 7th (two week break), upload documents by March 31st.
March 24
Topic: No Incubators
Topic: Preparation for SRC
The purpose of the class is to prepare/preview SRC presentations.
Assignment:
As part of our community of scholars, please attend S-553 colleagues’ SRC presentations on Friday, March 25 and provide support and informal feedback.
Assignment:
Come to class prepared to present to our research community your presentation draft for the conference on Friday. (Class structure will be determined based on range of presentation types.)
Read (recommended)
• Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (2007). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Chapter 7, the Oral Presentation.
***Reminder: If you are presenting at the next incubator session on April 7th (two week break), upload documents by March 31st.
April 7
Topic: 2 Incubator Sessions
Topic: Workshop
This will be our last class before final presentations. We will use all available time to let you work with your pods to take a deep dive into your final work product to date.
Assignment:
Read:
• Preparatory work for the incubator sessions as provided by the conveners. [Don’t forget to complete, print and bring in the Cover Sheet!]
April 21: Last Class
Topic: Final Presentations
Topic: Celebration of progress
Assignment:
Presentation
Draft paper to colleague for peer review
Final Paper Process and Due Dates:
• 4/21 Draft due to Pod Members & Canvas
• 4/28 Feedback to Pod Members & Canvas
• 5/5 Final Products due to course Canvas
If submitting a proposal, students may want to return to Maxwell’s schema as a reference for their work.
A. Research goals: what intellectual, practical, and personal goals will doing this study accomplish? What problem(s) will the study address, and why is it important to address this (if it isn’t obvious)
B. Conceptual framework: What are the most important theories, ideas, and knowledge (personal as well as research) that inform this study? How have these shaped the study? What is your own conceptual framework for the study and how does it incorporate these? What do we not know that your study will address?
C. Research questions: What do you want to learn by doing this study? How (if it isn’t obvious) will answering these questions address the study’s goals? How are the questions connected to your conceptual framework?
D. Literature Selection: What will you (did you) read and study? What theoretical and practical considerations have influenced these choices? How do these choices fit into your research?
E. Data collection: How do you plan to collect your data [literature], and what data will you collect? How will these data enable you to answer your research questions? Data analysis: What strategies and techniques will you use to make sense of your data? Why have you chosen these? Indicate the kinds of analyses you plan to do; don’t just use boilerplate description of method. How will you manage your literature?
F. Validity: What do you see as the most important threats to the validity of your conclusions? What will you do to address these? What limitations do you foresee?
G. Outcomes: If you have a completed literature or pilot study, please also share the results/conclusions of your work and implications for future study.
Expectations and Grading
Please note: S-553 is offered SAT/No Credit, rather than for a letter grade. Students are building on the foundation developed in other classes to become critical interpreters of the scholarly literature, along both substantive and methodological lines, and in the process to develop their own research question, which will make a significant contribution to the field.
[1] If changes are made to course assignments, you will receive at least 48 hours’ notice.
Course Summary:
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