Unit rationale, description and aim
Literature reviews are usually written before a research project begins as they provide context for the research, avoid duplication by identifying what is already known, and identify gaps in our existing knowledge about an issue or problem. Conducting a literature review can enhance your understanding of a given topic. This is not only influential in designing future research projects such as the Capstone project, but it can also enable you to utilise the highest quality evidence to inform your teaching practice in your own classroom contexts.
This unit covers the process of developing a literature review, from defining the core issue or problem in focus, sourcing high-quality literature from across the world, identifying key themes and arguments across the literature, and synthesising this literature into a cohesive narrative. It will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to develop your own literature review on a topic of your choice that may be relevant to your particular classroom context. These foundational knowledge and skills will be developed in the same order in which you would write a literature review and will be influential for future units on the development of a research proposal and implementation of a research project such as the Capstone project. You will learn to formulate a research question, conduct database searches to find high-quality articles relevant to your topic, develop the ability to understand and critique seminal research, locate emerging local and international debates on your topic, and synthesise key arguments into a well-structured, integrated narrative.
This unit aims to provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills to critically examine relevant research findings in a specific area, and use this knowledge to construct a logical and well-structured literature review that demonstrates an in-depth understanding of that topic area.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Utilise skills required to search and identify hig...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse and synthesise quality educational researc...
Learning Outcome 02
Identify possible gaps in the scholarly literature...
Learning Outcome 03
Conduct a small-scale literature review related to...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Module 1. Sourcing quality literature
- Refining your topic, issue or problem
- Criteria and rankings used to determine quality research literature
- Data-base searching
Module 2. Evaluating, critically engaging with single and multiple texts
- Locating and critically appraising quality research literature
- Reviewing, synthesising, and engaging with texts
- Writing descriptive and analytical forms of review
Module 3. Understanding the building-blocks of a literature review
- Identifying key authors, arguments, and publications
- Addressing aspects of a topic, issue, or problem from various points of view
- Locating issues and gaps in the research literature
Module 4. Writing your Literature review
- Defining the scope and sources
- Organize the literature review into sections, themes, and trends
- Amalgamating your synthesis and evaluation in extended discursive prose
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to ensure the learning outcomes have been assessed to a passing standard while aligning with students’ professional and research contexts. An emphasis on tangible real-world assessment will support the praxis-based approach taken in this unit as the assessment is based on applying specific skills needed to plan, organise, and develop a literature review. Literature reviews are crucial in educational research, and the assessments will enable students to evaluate the current state of research on a specific issue, identify seminal studies, and critically synthesise this information into coherent prose.
There are two assessment pieces that provide students with the opportunity to progressively learn and apply skills in planning and writing literature reviews. The goal of these assessments is to contextualise the unit's content through meaningful, real-world tasks that researchers engage in during educational research projects.
To pass this unit, students must submit both assessment tasks, achieve a combined final mark of at least 50%, and obtain a passing grade on Assessment Task 2.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1- Written Task: Annotated bibli...
Assessment Task 1- Written Task:
Annotated bibliography and Critical review of a single text.
50%
Assessment Task 2- Written Task: Literature Revi...
Assessment Task 2- Written Task:
Literature Review related to a specific topic or problem.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit consists of online asynchronous learning accompanied by four two-hour-long online drop-in sessions. The learning and teaching strategy places an emphasis on you as an active and engaged adult learner who takes ownership of your own learning.
The unit is structured in the sequence with which a literature review is often written. Each module draws upon the skills you learn in the previous module while being necessary for you to engage with the next. The unit includes a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, self-reflection, online discussion, webinars, podcasts, problem-based learning tasks, and assignments. These approaches will help you think critically about the content, deepen your understanding, and apply the skills you are learning to write your literature review.
You are encouraged to engage with your Lecturer and peers using online forums and drop-in Zoom sessions, to deepen your learning in dialogue with others. All students are expected to engage with respect and academic inquiry to enable respect of the dignity and voice of all learners.
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - LEAD
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards: