Literature Search and Analysis: Higher Education Module Assignment

This assignment provides a detailed analysis of three research papers, evaluating their research questions, methodologies, and conclusions. The first paper, by Lepp, Barkley, and Karpinski (2015), investigates the relationship between cell phone use and academic performance using a quantitative approach. The analysis confirms the presence of a clear research question and appropriate methodology. The second paper, by Young and Chen (2008), explores knowledge-sharing habits, employing a phenomenological methodology. The analysis notes the absence of a clear research question but finds the methodology suitable for understanding personal experiences. The third paper, by Ribes and Finholt (2009), examines e-infrastructure development through an ethnographic study. The analysis highlights the absence of a clear research question and the appropriateness of the methodology for documenting personal experiences. The assignment assesses whether the authors' conclusions are justified by the empirical data and suggests additional studies to strengthen the research results.

Running head: LITERATURE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS
LITERATURE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1LITERATURE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Lepp, A., Barkley, J.E. and Karpinski, A.C., 2015. The relationship between cell phone use and
academic performance in a sample of US college students. Sage Open, 5(1),
p.2158244015573169.
1. Yes the study has a clear research question, which is identifying the relation between
total cell phone use, including calling, texting and gaming, browsing the web, using
social networks and other applications, and the overall academic performance in terms of
college GPA.
2. Yes, the researchers chose the appropriate research methodology. Finding out the answer
to the research question in the selected context requires statistical and other empirical
processes. Using a quantitative methodology is therefore appropriate for this paper.
3. Yes the research methodology is adequate to answer the research question, given that the
controlling variables have already been accounted for.
4. The empirical data for this research justifies the authors’ conclusion that cell phone use is
a negative predictor for overall high school GPA.
5. Other studies that can potentially strengthen the research results include those that
identify how educational applications for cellphones are benefitting the students. That can
be considered a controlling factor given that it is not considered one in the current
research.

2LITERATURE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Young, M.L. and Chen, C.C., 2008. A Study of the Changing Process of Knowledge-Sharing
Habits. AMCIS 2008 Proceedings, p.309.
1. This research does not have a clearly defined research question. It is underpinned by the
drive to find out how the different knowledge management systems and the introduction
of the faculty-student knowledge sharing affects the teachers when sharing their materials
and resources with the students.
2. For this research, the methodology (phenomenological) is appropriate. Since it does not
have a clear research question, the methodology allows for understanding personal
experiences.
3. Yes the research methodology is adequate for answering the research question.
4. The conclusion is supported and justified by the resulting data as it explores four different
parameters with respect to teachers’ experience and concerns regarding their resources.
The conclusion provides a justified response as well as suggests a future direction for
study.
5. The following study discusses open sharing of course materials from the perspective of
senior university students and discusses concerns regarding whether open sharing of
materials can be worth considering.
‘It's Not Their Job to Share Content’: A Case Study of the Role of Senior Students in
Adapting Teaching Materials as Open Educational Resources at the University of Cape
Town. By Hodgkinson-Williams, C. and Paskevicius, M. (2013).
Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2304/elea.2013.10.2.135

3LITERATURE SEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Ribes, D. and Finholt, T.A., 2009. The long now of infrastructure: Articulating tensions in
development. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 10, pp. 375-398.
1. This research does not have a clear research question given that it is an ethnographic
study directed towards documenting the personal experience and orientation of the
participants.
2. Given that this paper attempts to highlight the struggles of e-infrastructure designers as
they work towards designing, developing and implementing e-infrastructure, an
ethnographic study is an appropriate research methodology.
3. Yes the research methodology is appropriate to answer the questions that the research
tends to look answers for, as it presents ethnographic records.
4. There is no explicit empirical data. Instead the results are a record of the participants’
experiences and struggles, which are then evaluated. There is also no clear conclusion,
but a suggestion towards the different strategies of the Long Now.
5. Other studies that can strengthen the research’s results include studies that present
ethnographic reports of workers in other departments, especially in ones where they are
significantly knowledgeable about the production requirements. This would highlight the
results of the current research as well.