Assessment Guidance
Part 1: Literature Review
A critical literature review in relation to an aspect of educational leadership. As well as providing a substantive review of the literature it should include an explanation of how sources were chosen and why: for example, what parameters were set; what search terms used and why. Critical reflections on lessons learnt about carrying out a literature review should be included within the assignment.
Choose a topic, ideally one which might be of interest for your dissertation. Write a thematic literature review on this topic.
You should:
Compare and contrast the findings about this topic from previous research (i.e.do NOT just summarise the publications).
Critically evaluate the body of research throughout your comparison.
Come to a conclusion about the strengths and weaknesses of current research on the topic.
Outline if there are any research gaps on this topic (i.e. areas that have been under-researched and are in need of more attention in future research).
Important note: You will NOT be able to use this assignment directly as a chapter in your dissertation. Therefore, choose a topic that is related to your dissertation interests or broader than your particular dissertation idea, so that you can still use the information you learn (but not the exact words you write).
Your literature review should deal with the character and nature of the work you are reviewing. If it is a research focussed source then you need to provide details of how the data was collected and analysed, so some information with regard to methodology. If it is a theoretical source, you should identify this and provide an insights as to how the theory was generated, or what theory was applied. Ultimately, this is in order for you to be able to give an authoritative view on how reliable, and relevant the research is to your review, your narrative and your argument. If you do not engage with the character of the literature in this way, then you will not be addressing the learning outcomes as developed, throughout this Unit ‘Engaging with Research in Educational Leadership’. For example, do not write a descriptive and discursive ‘essay’ which involves the literature to back up the points you are making, instead of getting into the details of the research.
Requirements:
A clear topic in the form of a title or question which is related to the field of education
Minimum 10-12 academic sources (you can use more)
Only academic sources used (books, journal articles, reliable research reports)
Most sources should be research-based
This part is worth 75% of your overall module mark.
Word count: 3,000 words (+/- 10%).
