Chapter 22: Re-Examining The Literature Review: Purposes, Approaches, and Issues

The word “review” means, quite literally, to see again. In academic contexts, the process of reviewing goes beyond a mere retrospective to offer a synthesis and critical reappraisal of the scholarly work published thus far on a particular topic (Cooper, 1998; Mertler & Charles, 2005). The general characteristics of a high-quality literature review are “appropriate breadth and depth, rigor and consistency, clarity and brevity, and effective analysis and synthesis” (Hart, 1998, p. 1). For scholars in general, and the early childhood field in particular, the material under review must consist of authoritative sources—the theory, research, and professional wisdom that have been subjected to peer review and published in widely-respected outlets (Barnes, 2005; Ngai & Wat, 2002).