Making Sense of Literacy Scholarship

Approaches to Synthesizing Literacy Research

Catherine Compton-Lilly, Rebecca Rogers, Tisha Lewis Ellison

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000388619
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This book is a roadmap to the key decisions, processes, and procedures to use when synthesizing qualitative literacy research. Covering the major types of syntheses – including the dissertation literature review, traditional literature review, integrative literature review, meta-synthesis, and meta-ethnography – Compton-Lilly, Rogers, and Lewis Ellison offer techniques and frameworks to use when making sense of a large body of scholarship.

Addressing the standard and untraditional forms a research synthesis can take, the authors provide clear and practical examples of synthesis designs and techniques, and consider how epistemological, ontological, and ethical questions arise when designing and adapting a research synthesis. The extensive appendices feature sample literature reviews, guidance on communication with editors of journals, useful charts, and more.

The authors' critical reflection and analysis demonstrates how a research synthesis is not simply a means to an end, but rather reflects each scholar's interests, target audience, and message. This book is crucial reading for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career and more experienced researchers in literacy education.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Authors
• Introduction: Reviewing Bodies of Literacy Scholarship: Practices, Possibilities, and Potentials
• Chapter 1: Surveying the Landscape of Published Qualitative Research Syntheses in Literacy Studies
• Chapter 2: Reflecting on and Redefining Approaches to Writing Dissertation Literature Reviews
• Chapter 3: Traditional Literature Reviews and Follow Up Reviews
• Chapter 4: Integrative Critical Literature Reviews
• Chapter 5: Meta-Ethnographies
• Chapter 6: A Metasynthesis of Scholarship by Black, Indigenous People of Color
• Chapter 7: Conclusions
• Appendix A: Common Qualitative Research Synthesis Designs
• Appendix B: Final Analytic Review Template for the Meta-Ethnography (ART)
• Appendix C: Databases Used by University Scholars for Educational Research
• Appendix D: Code Book from 2005 Literature Review
• Appendix E: Code Book from 2016 Literature Review
• Appendix F: Coding Chart for Spreadsheet
• Appendix G: Sample Response Letter to Editors and Reviewers
• Appendix H: Final Analytic Review Template for the Integrative Critical Review (ART)
• Appendix I: Inter-Rater Reliability Check
• Appendix J: Response Letter to Editors for Our Critical Integrative Literature Review
• Appendix K: Response Letter to Editors for Our Meta-Ethnography
• Appendix L: Analytic Review Template (ART) for our Metasynthesis of Family Literacy Scholarship Conducted by BIPOC Scholars
• Appendix M: Descriptive Table for BIPOC – List #1
• Index