PSY535 Module 2 Assignment 3 - which focused on research methods

2.3 Assignment. Introduction to Literature Review Draft

Getting Started

You completed a literature review assignment in PSY-535, which focused on research methods. Use your experiences with that assignment to help improve and enhance the literature review that you will complete for this course. As you work on your literature review, keep in mind that the focus of this course is on research findings and the application of those findings. Additionally, your emphasis for the literature review for this course should be your capstone project. Thus, you will want to deepen your understanding and application of the results that you will read about in the scholarly articles you locate for the literature review for this course, as well as gather materials and resources for your capstone project.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Draft an introduction of a literature review.

Background Information

For this assignment, you will do a search of the scholarly literature on a topic related to your specialization in life coaching and positive psychology, focusing on your capstone project. Then, you will select a minimum of two articles and write your literature review introduction. Ensure that you emphasize research findings and application of the findings to life coaching and positive psychology. Recall that in PSY-535, you were informed that you will need to read quite a large number of articles to start learning about the big picture and themes of the topic you are interested in, as well as to gain a good sense of the story or current state of the field. This holds true for the literature review you will complete for this course, as well.

Instructions

1. Review the following resources (originally reviewed in PSY-535):

a. Article:  Happiness, Excellence, and Optimal Functioning Revisited: Examining the Peer-Reviewed Literature Linked to Positive Psychology (new tab)

b. File:  What is a Literature Review? (PDF) (new tab)

c. Article:  How to Write a Stellar Literature Review (new tab)

d. File:  Literature Review Outline (Word document)

e. Webpage:  Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: The Literature Review (new tab)

2. Conduct a literature search, selecting two articles on research findings and applications in the field of life coaching and psychology. Write a minimum two-page, APA-formatted draft of the introduction to your literature review, including the topic.

a. Using the  Literature Review Outline (Word) (Word document) , describe the overall topic that you have been investigating, why it is important to the field, why you are interested in the topic, and how it relates to your possible capstone project.

b. Identify themes and trends in research findings and applications in the field. Write a “big picture” of the literature.