A pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation

A pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation: a proposal

Joseph Kim-keung Ho

Independent Trainer

Hong Kong, China

Abstract: In doing dissertation projects, most students need a lot of pragmatic guidelines. For this reason, the writer reflects on his teaching experience on Research Methods, primarily for part-time students in social sciences, e.g. on business management, as well as his research interest in systems-based research and intellectual learning, to come up with a pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation. A brief introduction of it is presented in this article with referencing which points to other readings for further conceptual clarification of the methodology. The article delivers some academic, pragmatic and pedagogical values to both teachers and students involved in dissertation project works. At the same time, the pragmatic methodology also points to a relevant, agile and guided pathway to carry out managerial intellectual learning and the Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research, which are also the research interest of the writer.

Keywords: a pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review, applied business research, dissertation proposal, mind mapping-based literature review, literature review

1.     Introduction

In spite of the wide availability of Research Methods textbook materials on the topic of literature review, this writer recognizes that many tertiary education students experience tremendous difficulties doing final year dissertation projects. One of the areas these students have difficulties to cope with is preliminary literature review. The task of preliminary literature review is critical to conducting of a dissertation project. This is because it fundamentally informs the proper formulation of a dissertation proposal with (i) research objectives having academic value and (ii) research method design incorporating appropriate academic theories and notions. At the same time, it is well recognized by Research Methods academicians and educators that the normative research methodologies and methods cannot be rigidly employed in actual dissertation projects. The reason is that the real-world contexts and actual dissertation project processes are quite dynamic and messy (Gibbs, 2012). As such, the writer finds it useful to formulate a pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review to tertiary education students who are inexperienced in dissertation projects, in particular on applied business research.  The methodology proposed by the writer is primarily targeted for social sciences students, especially in business management for the writer’s teaching experience has been in this field.

2.     The intellectual context of the pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review

The various guidelines and techniques for conducting preliminary literature review originated from (i) the writer’s teaching experience on Research Methods in social sciences, notably on business management as well as (ii) the writer’s research interest in managerial intellectual learning (see the Managerial intellectual learning Facebook page), including the closely associated topic on mind mapping-based literature review (see the Literature on mind mapping Facebook page) and the Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research (see the Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research Facebook page). Via a personal reflection on this teaching and research experience, the wrier formulates the pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation; the exercise drew on intellectual stimuli from these sources. Vice versa, the pragmatic methodology presented here offers a relevant, agile and guided pathway to conduct managerial intellectual learning and the Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research. Specifically, such agile orientation is endorses ideas such as responsiveness, flexibility, evolutionary prototyping and rapid learning from practices. Having clarified the intellectual context of the pragmatic methodology, the writer is now ready to make an account of the pragmatic methodology in the next section.

3.     A description of the pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review

Unmistakably, literature review itself is a core topic in the subject of Research Methods (see the Literature on literature review Facebook page). As to the pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review, it is shown in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the pragmatic methodology comprises three steps and a set of conceptual tools/ advice. Step 1 endorses expansive thinking; it tries to explore comprehensively the relevant literature in a radiant thinking[1] mode to generate a broad image of the knowledge structure of the topic under investigation.  Step 1 is further broken down into three sub-steps. Step 1a involves mind mapping-based literature review on academic literature (see Ho, 2016a). Step 1b makes up of snowballing literature review[2] (Ho, 2016b) and value and interest assessment (VAIA)[3] (Ho, 2016c). Step 1c is about mind mapping-based literature review on newspaper articles (Ho, 2016a). Step 2 is grounded on application-driven thinking. Application-driven thinking cherishes a deep, focused and creative way to conduct literature review. This thinking essentially mirrors the orientation of applied business research by being attentive to concrete business concerns often present in case study research (see the Literature on case study research Facebook page). Both focused and snowballing literature reviews are practiced in Step 2 (re: step 2a). Formulation of theoretical framework[4] (re: step 2c; see also Ho, 2016d) is an optional endeavor in Step 2. The next step, Step 3, is refinement-driven. Its main endeavor is to finalize the dissertation proposal (step 3a) with another value and interest assessment (step 3b). Figure 1 also recognizes another component, labeled as other factors.  This component includes the elements of (i) personal voice, (ii) research methods knowledge of the researcher and (iii) external support such as coaching and mentoring support. These elements definitely affect and/or contribute to literature review and dissertation preparation. Moreover, they are not small topics either. Nevertheless, these elements of other factors are not of direct research interest for this intellectual attempt on the pragmatic methodology formulation; thus, there is no immediate intention on the writer’s part to dwell on them. On the whole, the pragmatic methodology is intended to be an organized thinking framework to inform preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation, primarily for applied business research. It specifically suggests when and how some practical review and assessment tools, e.g., snowballing literature review and value and interest assessment, could be employed in this agile review and preparation exercise. The underlying idea is that inexperienced students need pragmatic guidelines to go through this review and preparation exercise in an agile mode. It would be much less helpful to conceive the pragmatic methodology (re:  Figure 1) as a bureaucratic waterfall type of methodology to conduct preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation.

4.      Concluding remarks

By reflecting on the writer’s teaching experience on Research Methods to tertiary education students in social sciences, especially on business management and housing studies, as well as research works on systems based research and learning, the writer comes up with the pragmatic methodology for preliminary literature review and dissertation proposal preparation. In this respect, having some idea of the intellectual background of this article is helpful to comprehend the nature of this pragmatic methodology. It is beyond the writer’s expertise to suggest that the pragmatic methodology is also suitable for students doing engineering dissertation literature review and proposal writing. The pragmatic methodology explicitly considers a set of conceptual tools developed and explained in the writer’s previous writings; this is clearly identified in Figure 1.

Students, especially part-time ones, need this kind of pragmatic methodology because their learner profiles[5] are very often of the activist and pragmatist types. Very few of them are theorist and reflector types of learner. Thus, research methods of textbook-type, essentially normative in nature, are not easy for them to master and apply in their dissertation projects. This is not to deny that Research Methods textbooks are essential readings to learn the Research Methods subject. On top of that, more often than not, for the part-time students, dissertation projects are done under much time pressure and tight time availability. Besides, their learning mindset is not quite ready for doing a dissertation project which has to be quite engaging to do well. Because of that, the pragmatic methodology delivers practical, academic and pedagogical values to both teachers and students involved in dissertation project works.

Lastly, this article is a brief one, serving to offer only a terse and provisional account of the pragmatic methodology. For instance, how it is related to managerial intellectual learning and the Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research is not examined here; this question should be examined in future research works.

Bibliography

FutureSchool. 2016. “Learning Styles: Activist, Pragmatist, Theorist, Reflector – Which One is Your Child?” FutureSchool.com April 4 (url address: https://www.futureschool.com/blog/learning-styles-activist-pragmatist-theorist-reflector-one-child/) [visited at December 14, 2016].

Gibbs, G.R. 2012. “Practical Issues of Social Research Part 1 of 3 on Practical Issues and Ethics” Youtube video December 19 (url address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKgm1TiQFh0) [visited at December 13, 2016].

Ho, J.K.K. 2016a. Mind mapping for literature review – a ebook, October 7 (url address: http://josephkkho.blogspot.hk/2016/10/mind-mapping-for-literature-review-ebook.html).

Ho, J.K.K. 2016b. “Snowballing literature review – an example” Joseph KK Ho re-resources blog November 9 (url address: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2016/11/snowballing-literature-review-example.html) [visited at December 13, 2016].

Ho, J.K.K. 2016c. “Value and interest assessment grids (VAIAGs) for dissertation project evaluation” Joseph KK Ho e-resources blog November 12 (url address: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2016/11/value-and-interest-assessment-grids.html) [visited at December 13, 2016].

Ho, J.K.K. 2016d. “Examples of theoretical framework” Joseph KK Ho e-resources blog November 11 (url address: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2016/11/examples-of-theoretical-framework.html) [visited at December 14, 2016].

Literature on case study research Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/literature.case.study.research/).

Literature on literature review Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/literature.literaturereview/).

Literature on mind mapping Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/literature.mind.mapping/).

Managerial intellectual learning Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/managerial.intellectual.learning/).

The Multi-perspective, Systems-based Research Facebook page, maintained by Joseph, K.K. Ho (url address: https://www.facebook.com/multiperspective.systemsbased.research/).

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[1] Radiant thinking is the underlying thinking for mind mapping.

[2] Snowballing literature review involves reviewing the main concept under investigation as well as its associated ideas discovered in the process of literature search.

[3] Value and interest assessment (VAIA) involves evaluating the extent of interest from academicians and practitioners on a piece of academic work, including a dissertation proposal/ report.

[4] The kind of theoretical frameworks primarily considered here is a diagrammatic conceptual structure tailor-made with ingredient academic ideas to study a chosen research theme and concern by a dissertation project researcher.

[5] Please refer to FutureSchool (2016) for a brief introduction to the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles.