Overview
Throughout this course, you will work on a research project related to the topic of grit and openness (one of the Big 5 personality traits). You will have a research question, but before you conduct research (later in the course, the research data will be provided for you to analyze), you need to develop a problem statement, identify the gap in the literature that leads to this research, and provide supporting literature on this topic through a literature review, which will be the first part of your project.
Your literature review provides an overview of existing scholarly literature on the research topic. It helps the reader understand the current state of knowledge on the topic, and the gaps, or what is not yet known or addressed in research. It provides context on why this research topic is important.
Note: This literature review is a part of the final research report assignment.
Note: FirstPass, an AI-powered feedback tool, is available to use as you draft this assignment. The FirstPass tool for this assignment is available in the Weekly To Do List and includes directions on how to upload your draft to receive real-time feedback before you submit for a grade.
Preparation
Review the following document for tips and also an overview of how this course's assignments fit together:
- Overview of the Research Project and Report [PDF].
Instructions
For this assignment, write a 3–5 page literature review, incorporating at least seven peer-reviewed journal articles as sources. At least two articles should be from the last 3–5 years, and at least one article should be a study from an international source (a journal published outside the United States or written by authors from outside the United States) or one that includes non-Western participants. You may use the articles in the Research ProjectLinks to an external site. reading list. For this assignment, you may benefit from analyzing one or more of your articles using the Literature Review Matrix [DOCX].
Write Your Literature Review
Use the Literature Review Template [DOCX] for instructions on what to include. Ensure that each main point of your paper is supported clearly with evidence from your sources. Under some points, there are guiding questions to guide your thinking, but be sure to consult the Literature Review rubric to make sure you cover all that will be assessed.
Once you complete your work in this required template and submit it through FirstPass, FirstPass will help you correct writing errors. Include a few sentences at the end of your literature review document on what you learned from using FirstPass. Then submit your literature review paper for grading.
In the template, address the following points:
- Explain the key research question and why it’s important. A distinguished review would also define key psychological concepts and ideas.
- Explain key findings and evidence from among articles. A distinguished review would explain how the key findings and evidence are similar and different.
- Synthesize the major themes among at least five articles into a summary. In a distinguished review, this would include a summary of what is known and most meaningful about the topic.
- Describe the theory that will support your research plan, and for a distinguished review, how the selected theory is relevant to the research problem.
- State a gap in the literature that your study can fill. A distinguished review would use relevant peer-reviewed scholarly articles.
- Clearly state the hypothesis of your research. For a distinguished review, the hypothesis would be both specific and measurable.
- Describe what you learned about the draft of your assignment from using First Pass. A distinguished review would also describe the changes made in response.
- Include an APA style reference for all sources cited.
Additional Requirements
Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:
- Length: 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages.
- Written communication: Must be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- Resources and citations: A minimum of five peer-reviewed journal articles are required. Refer to Academic WriterLinks to an external site. for guidance in using proper APA style. See the Writing CenterLinks to an external site. for APA resources specific to your degree level.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
- Competency 1: Differentiate between types of psychological research methods.
- Explain key findings and evidence from among articles.
- Synthesize the major themes among at least five articles.
- Competency 2: Design research that controls for variations in behavior related to individual differences.
- Explain a key research question and why it's important.
- Describe the theory that will support your research plan.
- State a gap in the literature that your study can fill.
- Clearly state the hypothesis for your research.
- Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
- Describe what was learned from using FirstPass.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors. Support references with proper in-text citations and vice versa.
- Use APA style paper formatting with only minor errors.
- Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.