Research Modules: Tourism, Hospitality, And Events Literatur

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Research Modules (Tourism, Hospitality and Events) The Literature The starting point for any research is to read what has already been covered on the topic. The books, journals, articles, websites, newspapers and magazines you are reading are known as the literature - information that has been produced covering the topic. When you start to read books and articles on a topic you will find a number of areas where authors discuss the same topics and they may have similar or different views on these topics. There will also be some topic areas that one article covers but some of the others do not cover. How we organise these summaries can help, or hinder, our research.

The more you read the more confusing all this information can get. If when you write an essay or research project you just describe the content of each article or book in turn your reader will be left as confused as you might be. This also only shows that you can find information but, by doing this, you do not prove that you understand how it all fits together. Making sense of the Literature One way of dealing with this complex collection of information is to summarise all the different ideas. A good way to do this is to use a table that summarises all the different ideas and helps you to organise them.

This summary table is known as a literature matrix. It identifies the different topics relevant to your reading/research and what each author has said about these themes. Once you have this summary of the issues you can work your way down the themes, indicating the main points and which authors agree and disagree and write up these findings. This written summary of what the literature says is the literature review. This is, therefore, much more than a description of what the articles say because you are comparing and contrasting the content and helping the reader to understand the issues.

Identifying Themes (a) Deciding on themes before reading The themes you will explore will be determined by your research topic. For example, if you are researching the value of work placements for full-time students there are a number of areas that might seem to be relevant:

– Employers’ perspective

– Students’ perspective

– Institutional perspective

Or you may decide to narrow these down more precisely:

– Benefits from the students’ perspective

– Drawbacks from the students’ perspective

– Benefits from the employers’ perspective

– Drawbacks from the employers’ perspective

– Benefits from the institutional perspective

– Drawbacks from the institutional perspective

Alternative method (b) Basing themes on reading An alternative way of deciding on the themes is to read around the topic and let the themes suggest themselves from your reading. For example, from: Riggert, S., Boyle, M., Petrosko, J.M., Ash, D. & Rude-Parkins, C. (2006) Student Employment and Higher Education: Empiricism and Contradiction, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 76, No. 1, pp.63-92, an extract states: “A number of sources raised concerns about the impact of student employment. The NCES (Horn & Malizio, 1998) observed that ‘the likelihood of students attending for a full year was related to their employment intensity.’ Astin (1993) noted that ‘working full-time is associated with a pattern of outcomes that is uniformly negative... Working full-time also has uniformly negative effects on every arena of (student) satisfaction except [with] Facilities, and on willingness to re-enroll at the same college’ (p. 388).” This extract suggests a main theme: ‘problems with students working.’ Continuing reading may reveal other themes. Using themes to summarise your reading Once you have an idea of the themes, you can draw up a summary table like the one below.

You can use MS Word or MS Excel to create this table or find templates in resources. As you read books or articles, note the main findings under relevant headings such as:

– Author and date

– Type of publication

– Employers’ views

– Students’ views

– Institutional views

Record the articles in chronological order to observe changes over time. A literature matrix is created by filling such a table, making it easier to see patterns, agreements, and conflicts in the literature. For example, a sample matrix might look like:

- Seam & Knols (2002): Employers prefer candidates with work experience; students seek and believe work experience increases their grades.

- Pens (2004): Students seek work experience but face financial pressures.

- Benis (2006): Working over 20 hours leads to lower grades and higher dropout rates; employers criticize students for taking time off for exams.

Notes on designing your matrix:

- Articles should be listed in date order.

- Not every article covers all themes.

- Include references to other authors to deepen your review.

Writing a Literature Review The literature review synthesizes previous research by comparing and contrasting issues and themes. It involves analyzing (breaking down) and synthesizing (bringing together) findings. A good review demonstrates broad and deep understanding, critically evaluating sources, and highlighting points of agreement, disagreement, and evidence quality.

For example, instead of merely stating “Smith (2007) says...,” incorporate analytical language: “Smith (2007) identified important issues...,” “Jones (2010) disputed this finding...,” or “Kinsley (2011) built upon Smith’s work...” This way, your review narrates a critical dialogue among sources.

Using varied reporting verbs (e.g., demonstrate, establish, argue, suggest, contend, support, examine, propose, advise, believe, emphasize, state, evaluate, hypothesize, disagree, reject, claim) adds nuance and clarity to your synthesis. Word choices reveal your stance—whether you agree, contest, or support the authors’ points.

A well-structured literature review provides a comprehensive, critical, and evaluative overview, demonstrating your understanding of the research landscape.

Summary Research on topics such as student employment reveals complex and sometimes conflicting perspectives. While some studies (e.g., Seam & Knols, 2002) highlight benefits of work experience, others (e.g., Benis, 2006) focus on its drawbacks, like lower academic performance and dropouts. The literature indicates that the context, amount of work, and institutional support influence these outcomes. Critical evaluation of such research can guide policymakers and educational institutions to develop balanced strategies that enhance student employment benefits while mitigating adverse effects.

References

- Benis, R. (2006). Working Students – Is it worth it? Journal of Occupational Employment, 8(1), pp. 45-50.

- Horn, L., & Malizio, A. (1998). Student employment and college persistence. National Center for Education Statistics.

- Jones, T. (1997). The impact of work experience on graduate employment prospects. Journal of Career Development, 24(2), pp. 123-134.

- Kinson, M. (2009). Academic benefits of work experience. Australian Journal of Higher Education, 13(2), pp. 89-102.

- Pens, H. (2004). Work and Study – Higher Education. Pitman, London.

- Seam, T., & Knols, R. (2002). Work and Study. Journal of Occupational Employment, 5(2), pp. 254-265.

- Smith, J. (2002). Balancing work and study: Effects on students. Higher Education Review, 33(4), pp. 245-260.

- Smith, M. (2007). Issues in staff training. Training Journal, 50(3), pp. 40-45.

- Riggert, S., Boyle, M., Petrosko, J.M., Ash, D., & Rude-Parkins, C. (2006). Student Employment and Higher Education: Empiricism and Contradiction. Review of Educational Research, 76(1), pp. 63-92.

- Lowe, T. (2005). Work hours and student grades. Journal of Student Success, 4(3), pp. 45-59.