Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworks

Question 1

What is the purpose of a literature review?

Answer 1

• Determines what is known/not known about a problem, subject or concept
• Determines gaps, consistencies and inconsistencies
• Helps to identify conceptual frameworks used to examine problems
• May uncover new practice interventions and/or provides rationale for current and proposed interventions, protocols and policies
• Helps generate useful research questions and hypotheses of interest to nursing
• Helps determine appropriate research design, methodology, and analysis based on earlier reports
• Determines need for replication of study or refinement (e.g. other target populations)
• Synthesizes strengths and weaknesses of earlier reports in a concise manner
• Provides rationale and clinical significance for new research endeavors (research proposals)

Question 2

What is conceptual literature?

Answer 2

• Considered the “softer” literature comparatively
• Theoretical
• Conceptual frameworks
• Integrative reviews (literature review)
• Sources such as books, chapters, journal articles (e.g. our research textbook would be considered conceptual literature)

Question 3

What is data-based literature?

Answer 3

• Qualitative/quantitative studies
• Work that is unique to the author; their study is based off of their own work and not someone else
• Empirical literature
• Research literature
• Scientific literature
• Sources such as journal articles, professional/gov’t reports, dissertations

Question 4

How do we critique a literature review?

Answer 4

• Is the literature review organized to demonstrate the progressive development of ideas through previous research?
• What is the state of current knowledge? Is a knowledgeable gap clearly identified?
• What concepts are included in the review?
• Is the literature relevant? Is the literature current? (look at resources compared to relevance of when paper was PUBLISHED [i.e. papers 3-5 years before article was published]
• Are sources paraphrased/organized for logical flow?
• Should leave you having an understanding of what is known about the topic and what gaps are present

Question 5

What are theories?

Answer 5

• Viewpoints or ways of perceiving
• Principles to explain, predict, and control phenomena
• Not discovered; they are created and invented
• Perspectives on truth and reality
• Theories come out of an individuals paradigms

Question 6

What are conceptual frameworks that are common in nursing?

Answer 6

• Health locus of control
• Theory of reasoned action
• Health belief model
• Coping
• Hardiness
• Stress

Question 7

What is the relationship of theory to research?

Answer 7

• Set of interrelated concepts that structure a systemic view of phenomena for the purpose of explaining or predicting outcomes
• Guides practice and research
• Practice allows testing of theory and generates questions for research
• Research contributes to theory building an establishing practice guidelines
• What is learned through practice, theory and research interweaves to create knowledge fabric of the discipline of nursing

Question 8

To summarize, how do conceptual and theoretical frameworks keep research on track by?

Answer 8

• Providing clear links from the literature to the research goals and questions
• Informing the research design
• Providing reference points for discussion of the methodology and analysis of the data.
• Contributing to the trustworthiness of the study.

Question 9

How do we critique theoretical frameworks?

Answer 9

• Is the framework clearly presented, or must the reader deduce the framework?
• Is a particular theory or model identified as the framework?
• Does the framework describe and define the concepts of interest?