I have recently begun participating in a series of facilitated workshops at uni that focus specifically on thesis writing. The data collection stage is coming to a close, so I am thinking more seriously about my next steps to put everything into writing.
In preparation for the second workshop, which focuses on literature reviews, we have been tasked with reading a chapter of Kamler and Thomson’s (2006) book “Helping Doctoral Students Write”. Kamler and Thomson discuss literature reviews as “identity work” that the researcher does to both situate themselves within their field of research as well as their contribution. My literature review has been evolving dramatically over the last three years. I have struggled at multiple stages to make concise arguments and find direction reviewing the mountains of literature that talk about international students and language and culture in learning. I love the notion of developing an identity in the process of constructing a literature review because that perfectly describes my journey.
Kamler and Thomson’s chapter mentions the challenge of navigating a wide range of literature simultaneously with identity work. To understand why literature reviews remain a major challenge for higher degree research students, they asked them what metaphors they could use to describe their feelings. For myself, the literature review feels like a river. There are potions of the literature where ideas flow nicely however, other portions are like rapids that do not make sense. Many of the students in Kamler and Thomson’s study used metaphors that illustrated the difficulties and discomfort in constructing a literature review.
How can negative ideas be shifted towards a positive attitude of using and evaluating literature? Change the image! Kamler and Thomson (2006) explain that we can look at literature reviews like a dinner party. There is conversation between those who attend the party but the host is able to direct conversation. Such an image portrays a less daunting approach to reviewing literature. We can seek comfort in knowing that others also struggle with the same thing and to perceive literature reviews as an opportunity to showcase the brilliance of our field and our research.
Reference:
Kamler, B & Thomson, P 2006, Helping doctoral students write: pedagogies for supervision, Routledge, London.
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