theories and methods others have used to the topic in
the past and what findings are there (Macionis, 1997).
According to Marshal and Rossman (1989: 35), review
of literature has the following four purposes:
First, it demonstrates the underlying assumptions
behind the general research question.... Second, it
demonstrates that the researcher is thoroughly
knowledgeable about related research and the
intellectual traditions that surround and support the
study. Third, it shows that the researcher has
identified some gaps in previous research and that
the proposed study will fill a demonstrated need.
And finally, the review refines and redefines the
research questions and related tentative
hypotheses by embedding those questions in larger
empirical traditions.- Hypothesis Formulation
Hypothesis is a statement that can be proved to be
correct or incorrect. Hypothesis formulation involves
identifying basic research objectives and determining
research questions. This should be tested empirically.
We put some guiding assumptions to the research in
this step. We ask some basic research questions.
However, we may note that this may not be always the
case. The type of research may determine whether