CSI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, PARASSALA

1. Review of Related literature

2. • an integral part of research project.
• an important pre-requisite to actual
planning and execution of any research.
• Knowledge of related literature enables
the investigator to define the frontiers of
his field.
• The review provides a comprehensive view
of the topic, the relevance, significance and
practicability of the topic.

3. • needed to demonstrate relationship between
completed research and the topic under
investigation.
• ”It promotes greater understanding of the
problem and its crucial aspects and ensures the
avoidance of unnecessary duplication” (Mouly,
1964).

4. • Thus a research can never be undertaken in
isolation of the work that has already been
done on the problems which are directly or
indirectly related to the study proposed for a
research.
• “A resume or review of related literature
provides evidence that the researcher is
familiar with what is already known and also
with what is unknown. Thus it is helpful in
avoiding duplication and providing suggestions
for further investigations” (Sukhia, 1976).

5. • Related literature would be of immense help to
the investigator to define properly the problem
at hand and to discover new problem for
further investigation.
• the findings of one research study can be
interpreted and assumed on the basis of
related studies.
• It enables him to delimit the problem area of
the current study.

6. • Regarding the significance of review of
related literature, Borg et al.(1974) states, “ It
gives the students a great deal of insight into
methods, measures, subjects and approaches
used by other research workers and can thus
lead to significant improvements of his
design”.
• Analysis of related literature can contribute a
lot to the scholarship of the investigator and
fill the gaps in his knowledge.

7. • According to Turney and Robb (1971),
identification of problem, development of
a research design and determination of
the scope of the problem, all depends to
a great extent the core and intensity with
which a researcher has examined the
literature related to the intended
research.

8. • According to Mouly (1964), A review of related
literature is a very important step not only in
finding a problem but also in the foundation of
hypothesis, in selection of methods as well as
tools to be employed. Besides, it is essential to
the development of the problem and the
derivation of an effective approach to its
solution.

9. • In the opinion of Fox (1969), in experiencing
research the review of literature scores a variety
background functions preparatory to the actual
collection of data in these research approaches,
the literature is reviewed to create the context
from the past for the new study to be
conducted with new subjects and newly
obtained data.
• In the words of Haymann (1968) “The purpose
of the review of literature is to allow the
researcher to acquaint himself with current
knowledge in the field in which he is going to do
his research”.

10. • Survey of related literature implies “locating,
reading and evaluating reports of research as
well as reports of casual observations and,
opinions that are related to the individual’s
planned research project”(Aggarwal, 1966).
• “Since effective research is based upon past
knowledge, the review of related literature
helps to eliminate the duplication of what has
been done and provides useful hypotheses and
helpful suggestions for significant investigation”
(Best, 1992).

11. Survey of related literature provided:
 valuable help in the development of knowledge
or research project
 helps the investigator to gain insight into
various aspects of the problem area that is in
formulating a frame work for the study
developing the methodology, constructing the
tool for data collection and planning the analysis
of data.
 has a special relevance in the formulation of
the hypotheses, construction of apt tools,
drawing up of a suitable methodology and in
arriving at generalizable conclusions.

12. • According to Good et al. (1954), “a systematic
canvas of the related literature is the means of
determining whether the proposed study
unnecessarily duplicates some earlier
investigation i.e., it help the investigator to
know what has been already done in this area”.
Thus it is needed to demonstrate the
relationship between completed research and
the topic under investigation.

13. Survey of related studies has two phases.
• The first phase involves identifying all the relevant
published materials in the problem area and
regarding that part of it with which we are not
familiar.
• The second phase of the review of literature
involves writing these foundations of ideas into
section of research report. The search for related
materials is a time consuming but fruitful phase of
any research programme.
Thus the researcher must be thoroughly
familiar with both previous theory and research and
for this any research project has the review of the
theoretical and research literature as one of its early
stage.

14. Sidhu (1990) summed up the specific purposes
of survey of related literature as,
 It helps the research worker to find what is already
known, what others have attempted to find out,
what methods of attack have been promising or
disappointing and what problem remain to be
solved.
 is the basis of most of the research projects.
 enables the researcher to know the means of
getting to the frontier in the field of his research.
 furnishes the researcher with indispensable
suggestions about comparative data, good
procedures, likely methods and tried techniques.

15. Through it, he will also know in detail about all
related research completed or reported.
The insight into the methods, measures, etc
employed by others will lead to significant
improvement of his research design.
It makes him alert to research possibilities that have
been overlooked and research approaches that
have proved to be sterile.
It provides ideas, theories, explanations, hypothesis
or methods of research valuable in formulating and
studying the problem.
It helps in locating comparative data useful in the
interpretation of results.