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.

2026 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

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

Utilise skills required to search and identify high quality research literature related to a specific topic, issue or problem (APST HA 6.2; APST Lead 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11

Analyse and synthesise quality educational researc...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse and synthesise quality educational research literature on a specific topic, issue or problem (APST HA 6.2; APST Lead 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Identify possible gaps in the scholarly literature...

Learning Outcome 03

Identify possible gaps in the scholarly literature that can inform further research on a specific topic, issue or problem (APST HA 6.2; APST Lead 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Conduct a small-scale literature review related to...

Learning Outcome 04

Conduct a small-scale literature review related to a specific topic, issue or problem (APST HA 6.2; APST Lead 7.1, 7.2, 7.4)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

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.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11
Standards APST(HA)6.2, APST(Lead)7.1, APST(Lead)7.2, APST(Lead)7.4

Assessment Task 2- Written Task: Literature Revi...

Assessment Task 2- Written Task:

Literature Review related to a specific topic or problem.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11
Standards APST(HA)7.1, APST(HA)7.2, APST(HA)7.4, APST(Lead)6.2

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:

Standards/Attributes/Criteria

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Plan for professional learning by accessing and critiquing relevant research, engage in high-quality targeted opportunities to improve practice and offer quality placements for pre-service teachers where applicable.

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - LEAD

On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:

Standards/Attributes/Criteria

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

Model exemplary ethical behaviour and exercise informed judgements in all professional dealings with students, colleagues and the community

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

Initiate, develop and implement relevant policies and processes to support colleagues’ compliance with and understanding of existing and new legislative, administrative, organizational and professional responsibilities.

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

Take a leadership role in professional and community networks and support the involvement of colleagues in external learning opportunities.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Booth, A., Papaioannou, D., & Sutton, A. (2016). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review (2nd ed.). Sage.

Creswell, J., & Guetterman, T. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). Handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). Sage.

Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S., & Smith, L. T. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of critical and indigenous methodologies. Sage.

Fink, A. (2013). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper (4th ed.). Sage.

Galvan, J. L., & Galvan, M. (2017). Writing literature reviews: a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (7th ed.). Routledge.

Hobson, C., & McCartan, K. (2015). Real world research (5th ed.). Wiley.

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2009). Educational research quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.

McGregor, S. (2018). Understanding and evaluating research. Sage https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781071802656

Newman, M., & Gough, D. (2020). Systematic Reviews in Educational Research: Methodology, Perspectives and Application. In O. Zawacki-Richter, M. Kerres, S. Bedenlier, M. Bond, K. Buntins (Eds) Systematic Reviews in Educational Research. Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27602-7_1

Silverman, D. (2010). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook (3rd ed.). Sage.

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