sample apa papers literature review

• UWF Libraries

Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
• Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
• Finding "The Literature"
• Organizing/Writing
• APA Style This link opens in a new window
• Chicago: Notes Bibliography This link opens in a new window
• MLA Style This link opens in a new window

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

• Literature Review Sample 1
• Literature Review Sample 2
• Literature Review Sample 3

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post?

Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged.

• << Previous: MLA Style
• Next: Get Help! >>
• Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 11:00 AM
• URL: https://libguides.uwf.edu/litreview

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base

Methodology

• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

Don't submit your assignments before you do this

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students. Free citation check included.

Try for free

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, what is a theoretical framework | guide to organizing, what is a research methodology | steps & tips, how to write a research proposal | examples & templates, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

How to Write a Literature Review: Writing a Literature Review in APA Format

• Writing a Literature Review in APA Format
• Chicago/Turabian Citation Style
• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Basic Research Strategies
• Evaluating Sources
• Using the Library's Ebooks
• Using the Library's Catalog
• Copyright Information
• Contact Information & Feedback

Writing a Literature Review in APA

• << Previous: Videos
• Next: APA/Chicago/Turabian/MLA Citation Style >>
• Last Updated: Sep 25, 2023 2:24 PM
• URL: https://tuskegee.libguides.com/c.php?g=692585

Literature Review

• Steps for Conducting a Lit Review
• Finding "The Literature"
• Organizing/Writing
• Sample Literature Reviews
• FAMU Writing Center

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

• Literature Review Sample 1
• Literature Review Sample 2
• Literature Review Sample 3
• << Previous: MLA Style
• Next: FAMU Writing Center >>
• Last Updated: Oct 20, 2022 11:24 AM
• URL: https://library.famu.edu/literaturereview

Literature Reviews

• Steps to Writing a Lit Review
• Sample Literature Reviews from the APA
• Topic Selection
• Keywords & Search Terms
• Advanced Search Techniques
• Government Information
• Find Images This link opens in a new window
• News & Journalism
• Evaluating Information Sources This link opens in a new window
• Citation Style Help This link opens in a new window
• Citation Management
• << Previous: Steps to Writing a Lit Review
• Next: Topic Selection >>
• Last Updated: Jul 3, 2024 10:23 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.montana.edu/literaturereviews

Accessibility Statement

Exercise Science Research Guide

• Brainstorming for a topic....
• Your Research Question
• Find Research (Databases)
• Physical Therapy Journals
• Sports Medicine Journals
• Exercise Science Journals
• Accessing Articles on the Web with LibKey
• Using the "Find It" Button for Articles
• Linking to Google Scholar
• Interlibrary Loan
• EndNote x9 This link opens in a new window
• EndNote Web/Online This link opens in a new window
• Importing Citations
• Create Annotated Bibliography with Endnote basic/web/online
• Literature Review Example / APA Examples & Tools

Literature Review Examples

• Literature Review Example Paper
• STRATEGIES FOR WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
• Writing a Literature Review
• APA 6th Template
• Academic Writer APA Manual of Style, writing templates, plagiarism tutorials, and research tools.
• << Previous: Create Annotated Bibliography with Endnote basic/web/online
• Last Updated: May 15, 2024 2:34 PM
• URL: https://libguides.marian.edu/c.php?g=719967

APA 7: Sample Paper

• Paper Sections
• Quote & Paraphrase
• Format in Word
• In-Text Citations
• Reference List
• Sample Paper

Examples of the Different Paper Sections

• Title Page - APA 7 Example
• References Page
• Student Paper - Example in APA Format Includes title page, body, and references.
• Sample Annotated Student Paper in APA Style
• APA 7 Quick Reference Guide

Optional Paper Sections

• Headings - APA 7 Style Guide
• Accessible Use of Colors in APA 7
• Figures - APA 7 The basics of figure setup, including figure components, principles of figure construction, and placement of figures in a paper.
• Tables - APA 7 The basics of table setup, including table components, principles of table construction, and placement of tables in the paper.
• << Previous: Reference List
• Next: FAQs >>

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Sample APA Papers: Literature Review

Related Papers

Joshua Maserow

Archives of Scientific Psychology

Harris Cooper

Gillian Rowe

Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0956797612457386

Bruce Overmier

jennifer walinga

This book is designed to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. The focus on behaviour and empiricism has produced a text that is better organized, has fewer chapters, and is somewhat shorter than many of the leading books. The beginning of each section includes learning objectives; throughout the body of each section are key terms in bold followed by their definitions in italics; key takeaways, and exercises and critical thinking activities end each section.

Gregory T Papanikos

This book includes the abstracts of all the papers presented at the 11th Annual International Conference on Psychology, 29-31 May & 1 June 2017, organized by the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER). In total 27 papers were submitted by 30 presenters, coming from 16 different countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Norway, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA). The conference was organized into 10 sessions that included a variety of topic areas such as Education Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, International Perspectives in Psychology, Psychology in the Arts & Professions. A full conference program can be found beginning on the next page. In accordance with ATINER’s Publication Policy, the papers presented during this conference will be considered for inclusion in one of ATINER’s many publications.

(FUHL - Soft Skills) Nguyễn Thị Phương

This abstract book includes all the abstracts of the papers presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Psychology, 26-29 May 2014, organized by the Athens Institute for Education and Research. In total there were 31 papers and 35 presenters, coming from 16 different countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA). The conference was organized into IX sessions that included areas of Psychology in Medicine, Mental Health, Clinical Psychology and other related fields. As it is the publication policy of the Institute, the papers presented in this conference will be considered for publication in one of the books of ATINER.

Herbert Walberg

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

RELATED PAPERS

Philipp Kanske

Rizky Farandi

Marcie Sonneborn

San Beda College Alabang

Savipra Gorospe, C.Ht., RPm , Renzen Martinez , Chennie Regala

Rick Froman

Marilyn Freimuth

Tatsuya Kameda

Suleiman Ahmad

Alisa Williams

Ricardo Antonio Altamiranda

Public Services Quarterly

Kael Moffat

Nikita Novikov

Educational Psychology

Journal of Marketing Research

Barry Rogers

Gazelle Academic

Matthew Burns

John Bosco M Erick

National Press Associates

Dr Yashpal Azad

Psychology Learning & Teaching

Tamarah Smith

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

APA Literature Review

Ai generator.

The realm of academia thrives on knowledge expansion, and a crucial element in this quest is the literature review. Whether it be delving into an extensive body of research, analyzing a book or article, or comprehending a research paper format , the literature review serves as a cornerstone for scholarly pursuits. In this article, we explore the intricacies of an APA literature review, providing a step-by-step guide on how to craft one effectively. Let us embark on this enlightening journey, acquainting ourselves with the vital aspects of citation, in-text citation, and the construction of a reference list. Along the way, we will answer three frequently asked questions to further enhance your understanding. So, let’s dive in!

1. Literature Review Template

• Google Docs

2. APA Literature Review

Size: 24 KB

3. Instruction for APA Style Literature Review

Size: 181 KB

4. APA Style Literature Review

Size: 616 KB

5. Sections of APA Literature Review

Size: 26 KB

6. APA Paper Literature Review

Size: 799 KB

7. APA Style Literature Review Example

Size: 120 KB

8. Types of APA Paper Literature Review

Size: 411 KB

9. Sociology APA Literature Review

10. APA Writing Style and Language Literature Review

Size: 269 KB

11. APA Literature Review in Psychology

Size: 454 KB

12. APA Literature Review Format

13. APA Style Literature Review Guidelines

Size: 134 KB

14. APA Annotated Bibliography Literature Review

Size: 55 KB

15. APA Literature Review Guidelines

Size: 107 KB

16. APA Literature Review Citation

Size: 30 KB

17. APA Literature Review Action Research Proposal

Size: 15 KB

18. APA 6th Edition Literature Review

Size: 734 KB

19. APA Writing Literature Review

Size: 110 KB

20. APA Contextual Literature Review

Size: 605 KB

What is an APA Literature Review?

An APA literature review encapsulates a systematic examination and synthesis of scholarly sources relevant to a specific research topic. It serves to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing knowledge, identify gaps in research, and present a theoretical foundation for further investigation. Distinct from a book review or an article review that focuses on analyzing a single publication, a literature review involves an in-depth exploration of a broad range of sources. By adhering to the guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA), this review ensures clarity, consistency, and credibility throughout the process.

How to Write an APA Literature Review

Embarking on the journey of crafting an APA literature review requires careful planning and meticulous execution. By following these steps, you can streamline your writing process and ensure a cohesive and comprehensive review.

Select a Topic:

Begin by choosing a research topic that aligns with your area of interest or academic requirements. This topic should be broad enough to provide an adequate range of relevant sources but specific enough to maintain focus.

Gather Relevant Literature:

Conduct a thorough search of scholarly databases, libraries, and academic journals to collect a diverse array of sources that contribute to your topic. Evaluate the quality and relevance of each source to ensure credibility and significance.

Read and Analyze:

Engage critically with each selected source, comprehending the key arguments, methodologies, and findings presented. Take diligent notes and identify common themes or gaps in the existing literature to guide the structure of your review.

Organize Your Thoughts:

Create an outline to organize your literature review effectively. Arrange the sources thematically or chronologically to present a logical flow of information. Introduce each section with an informative heading to guide the reader.

Compose the Review:

Begin writing your literature review by providing an engaging introduction that highlights the importance of the topic and presents the scope of your review. Subsequently, present the findings from each source, critically evaluating the methodologies, results, and implications. Use appropriate in-text citations to acknowledge the authors and support your claims.

Conclude with Insight:

Wrap up your literature review with a well-crafted conclusion that summarizes the main findings, identifies research gaps, and suggests avenues for future investigation. Reinforce the significance of your review and its contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

What is the difference between a literature review and a book review?

A literature review examines a range of scholarly sources on a specific topic, while a book review focuses on analyzing a single publication, typically for the purpose of providing a critique or evaluation.

Do I need to include all the sources I find in my literature review?

No, it is crucial to evaluate the quality and relevance of each source. Include sources that contribute significantly to your research topic and present diverse perspectives.

How can I format the reference list in APA style?

The APA style requires a specific format for the reference list. To ensure accuracy, you can check out 9+ reference list examples here , which demonstrate how to cite different types of sources in APA format.

The journey of crafting an APA literature review demands meticulous research, critical analysis, and skillful presentation. By immersing yourself in the vast sea of literature, navigating the intricacies of citation and in-text citation , and adhering to the guidelines set forth by APA, you can construct a compelling review that contributes to the scholarly discourse. So, let your words breathe life into the existing body of knowledge, igniting the curiosity of readers and propelling the pursuit of wisdom forward. Happy reviewing!

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Types of APA Papers

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report. Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper.

Literature review

A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct.

A literature review typically contains the following sections:

• Introduction section
• List of references

Some instructors may also want you to write an abstract for a literature review, so be sure to check with them when given an assignment. Also, the length of a literature review and the required number of sources will vary based on course and instructor preferences.

NOTE: A literature review and an annotated bibliography are not synonymous. If you are asked to write an annotated bibliography, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for the APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies.

Experimental report

In many of the social sciences, you will be asked to design and conduct your own experimental research. If so, you will need to write up your paper using a structure that is more complex than that used for just a literature review. We have a complete resource devoted to writing an experimental report in the field of psychology here .

This structure follows the scientific method, but it also makes your paper easier to follow by providing those familiar cues that help your reader efficiently scan your information for:

• Why the topic is important (covered in your introduction)
• What the problem is (also covered in your introduction)
• What you did to try to solve the problem (covered in your methods section)
• What you found (covered in your results section)
• What you think your findings mean (covered in your discussion section)

Thus an experimental report typically includes the following sections.

• Introduction
• Appendices(if necessary)
• Tables and/or figures (if necessary)

Make sure to check the guidelines for your assignment or any guidelines that have been given to you by an editor of a journal before you submit a manuscript containing the sections listed above.

As with the literature review, the length of this report may vary by course or by journal, but most often it will be determined by the scope of the research conducted.

Other papers

If you are writing a paper that fits neither of these categories, follow the guidelines about General Format , consult your instructor, or look up advice in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

When submitting a manuscript to a journal, make sure you follow the guidelines described in the submission policies of that publication, and include as many sections as you think are applicable to presenting your material. Remember to keep your audience in mind as you are making this decision. If certain information is particularly pertinent for conveying your research, then ensure that there is a section of your paper that adequately addresses that information.

• University of La Verne
• Subject Guides

ASA Citations: American Sociological Association

• Literature Reviews
• ASA Manual & Guides
• Sample Citations
• ASA Outline Template
• What is a Literature Review?
• Sample Review in ASA
• Literature Review Resources
• Five Steps to Writing a Literature Review
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Organize Citations

What is a literature review?

• A literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. As a researcher, you collect the available literature on a topic, and then select the literature that is most relevant for your purpose. Your written literature review summarizes and analyses the themes, topics, methods, and results of that literature in order to inform the reader about the history and current status of research on that topic.

What purpose does a literature review serve?

• The literature review informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies.
• As part of a senior project, the literature review points out the current issues and questions concerning a topic. By relating the your research to a knowledge gap in the existing literature, you should demonstrate how his or her proposed research will contribute to expanding knowledge in that field.

Take a look at our Literature Review Guide for more information. 

• SAMPLE: Literature Review in ASA This is a sample literature review from a professional journal that publishes in ASA style. ***Lit review begins on page 384 and ends on page 387. DATA AND METHODS section is NOT part of the lit review.
• Literature Review Matrix (Excel Doc) Excel file that can be edited to suit your needs.
• Literature Review Matrix (PDF) Source: McLean, Lindsey. "Literature Review." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/literature-review.
• Academic Writer (formerly APA Style Central) This link opens in a new window This resource has templates available for literature reviews and other types of papers.
• Sample Literature Reviews: Univ. of West Florida Literature review guide from the University of West Florida library guides.
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) Sample literature review in APA from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

• << Previous: ASA Outline Template
• Next: Annotated Bibliographies >>
• Last Updated: Aug 16, 2024 3:09 PM
• URL: https://laverne.libguides.com/ASA_citations

A systematic literature review of education for Generation Alpha

• Open access
• Published: 15 August 2024
• Volume 3 , article number  125 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Alena Höfrová 1 , 2 ,
• Venera Balidemaj 1 &
• Mark A. Small 1  

14 Accesses

Explore all metrics

Generation Alpha are the first to grow up immersed in digital technology and presumed to be wired differently than previous generations. This systematic review synthesizes the research literature on what has been learned so far and broadly answers the following question: What is happening in the education and training of Generation Alpha? The literature review was conducted based on guidelines outlined by The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Titles of 2,093 studies, abstracts of 603 studies, and 335 full-text studies were evaluated for inclusion criteria. A total of 83 studies were included into the literature review. The studies were sorted into four major categories: (1) the role of teachers, (2) the role of new approaches to education, (3) the role of teaching tools, and (4) the role of blended/online learning. Despite frequent use of the term “Generation Alpha” in the research literature, relatively few studies report generational differences that reveal how children of this generation are characteristically different from previous generations. There is simply a strong assumption that Generation Alpha is different. A major concern is that the use of technology by Generation Alpha has decreased opportunities for social-emotional development and increased mental health problems. There are digital educational tools and online strategies being developed and tested but none have emerged to be dominant.

Explore related subjects

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Education and Educational Technology

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 A systematic literature review of education for generation alpha

Generation Alpha has received a lot of attention by scholars seeking to understand how current advances in technology may impact their learning. The underlying assumptions are that Generation Alpha students differ qualitatively from students from other generations and that there should be corresponding changes to education based on these differences. To date, these assumptions have not been systemically examined, though there have been reviews in related areas (e.g., [ 39 ]). Accordingly, a systematic review of education literature is necessary to discover whether and how Generation Alpha should be considered by educators. The significance of this review is to guide future educational efforts designed to target specific cohorts like Generation Alpha.

The term “generation” can be used to classify people based on year of birth, age, location, similar values, and/or important events and usually spans about 20 years [ 47 ]. The first use of the term “Alpha Generation” is credited to Mark McCrindle who in 2005 coined the term to describe the cohort following Generation Z [ 103 ]. While there is general agreement that the Millennial Generation are classified as those born between 1980–1994, and GenZ/iGen are classified as those born between 1995–2012, there are some differences in the literature identifying the starting date for Generation Alpha. This report follows most of the literature which uses 2010 as the starting date []. Table 1 presents different generations and significant technical milestones.

Generation Alpha and those immediately preceding generations could all be understood to be digital generations with the only difference being the quantity and quality of digital opportunities that were available while growing up. All future generations will be considered true digital natives with Generation Alpha simply being the first to be so immersed in digital technology. For comparison, members of Generation Alpha are unlikely to carry a wallet or take a written exam [ 76 ]. When all members of this generation have been born, they are expected to number almost two billion [ 99 ].

Despite their large numbers, research on characteristics of Generation Alpha is limited. The assumption that Generation Alpha is qualitatively different than Generation Z is largely untested (Nagy & Kolcsey, [ 81 ]) and sometimes disputed [ 59 ]. There are very few direct comparisons between generations measuring the nature and extent of digital fluency or competence. Perhaps the only certainty is that for this generation, the everyday role of digital devices is not perceived as a “tool” or “instrument” to augment life, but as a normative and necessary means to interact with the world. This chief characteristic has important developmental implications, most notably in the construction of identity and social-emotional learning (SEL). Still, there are some research findings that suggest that Generation Alpha can be distinguished from previous generations.

2 Personal characteristics

In a rare study comparing generational differences, Apaydin and Kaya [ 14 ] identified characteristics of Generation Alpha from the perspective of pre-school teachers. Using a qualitative design with a small sample (n = 12) they found Generation Alpha to:

Exhibit behaviors such as being more curious, free from any rules, being more ill-tempered, more mobile and more self-centered than Generation Z; moreover, they also had high self-esteem, and they were more emotional and more conscious. In terms of communication, Generation Alpha was also determined to be more closed and behave more individually than Generation Z. Considering classroom management techniques, preschool teachers were found to use the reconstructive approach for the alpha generation and traditional classroom management techniques for Generation Z. (p. 123)

The above quote from the study by Apaydin and Kaya [ 14 ] is frequently cited in the Generation Alpha literature and the basis for most of the generation’s characteristic assumptions. dos Reis [ 33 ] found similar findings of cognitive flexibility and dynamism and inferred that Generation Alpha will be employed in jobs characterized by decision-making autonomy. This may lead to Generation Alpha being more entrepreneurial (Ziatdinov & Cillers, 2021). Similarly, Selvi et al. [ 100 ] notes Generation Alpha to lack qualities such as “loyalty, thoughtfulness, compassion, open-mindedness, and responsibility” (p. 273).

3 Family dynamics

Few researchers have examined how family dynamics such as family structure and roles of family members interact with Generation Alpha learning. For example, the research looking at family dynamics is almost exclusively concerned with marketing. The marketing industry is especially interested in how Generation Alpha may exert more influence on parental buying decisions because of increased media exposure [ 45 , 63 , 89 , 109 ]). In one study of 206 parents in India, the critical factors in the selection of educational toys for Generation Alpha were found to be brand recognition, brand attributes (e.g., safety) and product appeal [ 92 ].

4 Social media

The use of social media through mobile devices is a chief characteristic of Generation Alpha. The continuous rise in mobile internet use by Generation Alpha is blurring traditional boundaries between news, information, entertainment, socializing and research. Over 80% of parents of Generation Alpha say their children watch videos or play games on a mobile device daily [ 24 ] and on average spend 7–8 h on screen [ 111 ]. As early as kindergarten, children’s individual consumption of digitally streamed movies drives their classroom social interactions (Kaplan-Berkeley, [ 54 ]).

There are ongoing concerns that the rise in interpersonal communication through text will result in a loss of oral communication skills and that a reliance upon social media influencers to learn about current events will result in less critical thinking. Although there is much written about the potential and real harms of social media, there is little research from which to speculate how the impact on Generation Alpha will be different [ 38 ].

5 Social emotional development

The increased use of technology has resulted in a decline in opportunities for social-emotional development. Moreover, the increased use of social media has led to an increase in mental health problems as children who spend more time on screens experience more mental health challenges [ 112 ]. The potential good news is that because Generation Alpha are children born to late Millennials or members of Generation Z, these parents often spend more time and are more engaged with their children’s lives [ 26 ], 32 ). Thus, parents and other adults may be able to mediate harmful effects of social media use. In a rare study of adult–child interaction with 100 parents and children, Mariati et al. [ 73 ] found that “When social media and online games are introduced into a child’s environment, it has been demonstrated that they mediate their conceptualization of learning and cognitive development,... through the interactions between teachers, children, and technology, children conceptualize higher mental functions such as continuous and ongoing problem-solving dispositions, as well as language acquisition and social learning” (p. 95).

More research is needed to understand the optimal conditions to provide social-emotional learning opportunities with parents and teachers. Settings are also important. Schools also might be designed with embedded instruction of non-cognitive skills and opportunities for interpersonal skill development [ 67 ]. Not only schools, but also informal educational settings such as afterschool programs can be reimagined to provide more “edutainment” for Generation Alpha to increase social-emotional development [ 94 ].

6 Worldwide concern

There is widespread concern for the social-emotional and mental health of Generation Alpha and role of teachers and parents. In Slovakia, there is concern for the lack of emotional intelligence in Generation Alpha [ 53 ]. In Romania, based on the results of a previous investigation carried out in the same locations during the period of 2015–2016, exploratory qualitative research concluded that young children in Romania have a low level of digital literacy due to their parents’ and educators’ lack of technology knowledge and skills. Additionally, issues like online privacy and security are rarely of adults’ concern: parents worry more about their children’s eyesight and social isolation (Bako & Tokes, 2018).

In Indonesia, Zulkifli et al. [ 119 ] note “The results of the study [from 25 kindergarten principals] indicate that the role of preschools in the use of gadgets in digital native generation children in Pekanbaru City is included in the low category. Only a few preschools have organized parenting education for parents. There are almost no rules governing children's use of gadgets at home, and few preschools educate children on how to use gadgets properly. It is expected for teachers and preschools to add special programs in the curriculum to provide information about positive gadget use and parenting programs that discuss digital native generation and collaborate with parents to establish rules such as frequency, duration and content of children using gadgets” (p. 1).

In Malaysia, Fadzil et al., [ 35 ] concluded “This study showed that more than half of the respondents (parents and kids) surveyed felt very dependent upon gadgets. Parents need them as kids control, while kids need them for their pleasure and entertainment tools. They feeling the need to have their phones on them 24 h or using their phones every day. This will have caused them to feel anxious, disconnected, or even upset if they did not use and utilize it in their future and daily live” (p. 621). Finally, in Russia, [ 16 ] found that preschool children with prolonged immersion “in virtual leisure and limited social contacts with other people contribute to a decrease in the level of self-esteem and increase in the level of anxiety and social distancing from parents” (p. 11).

This review synthesizes the research literature on what has been learned so far and seeks to accomplish the following goals: (1) Identify the roles of teachers in the education of Generation Alpha; (2) Identify novel educational strategies in the teaching of Generation Alpha; and (3) Identify the roles blended or hybrid learning played in the education of Generation Alpha. There is a growing body of literature focused on answering the question: What is known about learning practices of Generation Alpha?

The systematic review of the Generation Alpha literature was conducted based on guidelines outlined by The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, updated in November 2021 [ 85 ]. Figure  1 illustrates the PRISMA review.

Systematic literature review

In November 2022, searches were conducted using the following databases and search engines: ERIC, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, ProQuest One Academic, Google Scholar, and Clemson Library (a search engine that includes Scopus and 724 other databases). These databases were selected as they include research focused on education, psychology, and other related areas commonly used in the field of education. The databases covered peer-reviewed articles as well as dissertations. Table 2 illustrates the detailed search strategy for this literature review and provides information about the specific search terms used in the specific databases with numbers of searched returned publications. No filters were used, nor were there language or date restrictions while searching the literature.

The literature search identified a total of 3,067 studies. We retrieved all the records and exported them as a Research Information Systems (RIS) file into Mendeley Reference Manager, where duplicate records were identified and removed from the searches [ 65 ]. Subsequently, the records were reviewed, and 974 duplicates were identified. After deleting the duplicates, we exported 2093 records into an Excel document for further review and coding of titles, abstracts, and full texts.

In the first stage of screening, the titles of 2093 records were evaluated to identify the relevant literature and 1,490 studies were excluded. Studies that were older than 2011 were excluded as not applicable to Generation Alpha (children born from 2010 to 2024). Exclusion criteria were applied to titles that clearly indicated topics unrelated to education of Generation Alpha. Excluded studies: (1) were in a language other than English; (2) focused on disciplines unrelated to education (e.g., finances, marketing, medicine); (3) focused on different generations (e.g., Gen X); (4) focused on school leadership; (5) focused on religious education or Sunday church schools; or (6) focused on homeschool education or family education. While topics such as school leadership and religious education other than formal education may seem relevant, the reviewed titles did not indicate any direct connection to education of Generation Alpha (e.g., they were models of religious education or leadership development and styles).

Titles that were included focused on: (1) education; (2) digital education; (3) digital games in education; (4) virtual reality in education; (5) technology use in education; (6) social media use in education; (7) language development; (8) employment skills; (9) generational differences in the workplace; and (10) labor market trends. Studies with titles that were not descriptive enough to apply the inclusion or exclusion criteria were also included for further review.

In the second stage of screening, the abstracts of 603 records were read to identify the relevant literature and 268 studies were eliminated. Because many titles of papers were not specific, an overabundance of abstracts were read to determine if they applied to Generation Alpha. Publications without abstracts were also included in the full text review to ensure that all essential publications for our review were included. After further review, abstracts were eliminated because they focused on: (1) different generations or different age groups; (2) different disciplines (e.g., medicine, investments, economics, technology outside education); (3) different types of education (e.g., character education, citizenship education, religious education); or (4) soft skills. Abstracts that were included focused on: (1) characteristics of Generation Alpha; (2) curriculum development; and (3) technology and specific teaching tools usage in education.

In the third stage of screening, the full text of 335 records were reviewed to assess them for eligibility. From this stage of review, 84 studies were excluded because: (1) the focus was on different generations or different age groups; (2) the focus was from different disciplines (e.g., investments, architecture, marketing); (3) the language of the publication was other than English; and (4) the publication was not available or was available only after purchase. During this stage, we sorted the studies by the country of origin, type of publication, original research, methods/samples, focal point of the paper (e.g., students, teachers, parents).

In the final stage of screening, the full text of 251 publications were extensively reviewed and 168 studies were excluded from the literature review. The publications were excluded due to the following: (1) lack of empirical research, such as being theoretical or without a data-driven analysis; (2) insufficient sections of the publications, such as studies that lacked clear analysis, had insufficiently detailed data collection description, or had an unclear method section that did not distinguished between empirical research and a literature review; (3) had a focus on different generations; (4) had a focus on non-formal education (e.g., out of school educational settings).

The systematic review concluded with 83 relevant publications that could be analyzed and coded for the literature review. We utilized an indictive coding approach, when the codes, categories, and themes naturally emerged from reading and analyzing the articles. The coding process was performed continuously, starting from the title screening stage and repeated throughout the abstract and the full text review phases. Codes were revisited and refined at each step of the literature review to ensure that the thematic structure accurately represented the data. The result of this coding process, including codes, categories, and themes, are summarized in Table  3 . Four major themes concerning the education of Generation Alpha emerged from the coding process: (1) the role of teachers (18 studies), (2) the role of new approaches to education (12 studies), (3) the role of teaching tools (43 studies), and (4) the role of blended/online learning (10 studies).

Publications came from around the world, with a majority from Indonesia (33 studies), Malaysia (17 studies), followed by the United States (11 studies). Figure  2 . shows the distribution of publications by country, darker color indicating more studies.

Distribution of publications by country

The four themes derive from research that was conducted from around the world and describe common points of emphasis to accomplish the following goals: (1) Identify the roles of teachers in the education of Generation Alpha; (2) Identify novel educational strategies in the teaching of Generation Alpha; and (3) Identify the roles blended or hybrid learning played in the education of Generation Alpha.

9 The role of teachers

If Generation Alpha is special, then the expectation is that teachers would be the first to be impacted by the need for innovative teaching strategies. A synthesis of the 18 studies that focused on teachers confirms the gradual impact of an increased technology expertise needed to teach Generation Alpha. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the research tells a story of how teachers struggle to keep up with technology, recognize the importance of staying updated and innovate to teach Generation Alpha. To tell this story, seven publications were from Asia, five publications were from Europe, three from the United States, two from the Middle East, and one from Brazil.

9.1 Teachers struggle

For teachers (and most others), the speed of technological advances generally outpaces the ability to stay current on the latest educational innovations. The gap between teachers’ and students’ digital competence is dependent upon both teacher training and teacher commitment to staying updated. Regarding teacher training, a study conducted by Galindo-Domínguez and Bezanilla [ 40 ] showed only a medium level of digital competence among 200 future teachers enrolled in educational degrees in universities in Spain. Once in the classroom, whether or not teachers use social media may depend on attitudes toward its usefulness. In a dissertation, Turnbull [ 110 ] explored reasons for the low integration of social media into higher education classroom assignments in the United States. Professors who integrated social media into assignments believed that social media is an important part of students’ present lives and future employability. Professors who did not integrate social media into assignments believed that social media is not relevant to their class and not useful for learning. These professors were also older and unfamiliar with social media. Similarly, Adnan et al. [ 5 ] investigated teachers’ content development utilizing innovative teaching and learning technologies among tertiary teachers in Malaysia. The results showed that after training, very few teachers created interactive learning materials (e.g., virtual reality) on their own. The results affirm the necessity of offering opportunities for teachers to master new digital technologies throughout their careers.

9.2 The need for training for teachers

In educational institutions around the world, there is a growing acknowledgment that teacher training needs to be responsive to the assumed growing digital divide between teachers and students. In Brazil, future teachers were able to identify Generation Alpha’s use and ease with digital technologies but also recognized that their courses did not sufficiently prepare them to teach this new generation [ 25 ]. Similarly, future teachers in the Czech Republic believed that information and communication technology could support classes such as mathematics and elementary science but reported that for their own learning, they prefer textbooks and notes from lectures rather than the internet [ 113 ]. Finally, Aditya et al. [ 4 ] found that although early childhood education teachers in Indonesia had positive attitudes toward the use of information and communication technology, the lack of technical support and training led to difficulties with integrating technology in their online activities.

Even if proper teacher training is possible, how to train teachers is an important challenge. In a longitudinal case study dissertation, Mullen [ 78 ] investigated teachers’ jobs, administrative technology, education technology, and self-reported educator self-efficacy from the beginning of their employment through orientation and the first 60 days of an onboarding process in the United States. Unfortunately, the results showed that the onboarding intervention resulted only in minor changes in teachers’ self-efficacy.

Can the presence of older more experienced teachers from other generations make a difference? In a dissertation, Teske [ 108 ] exanimated generational differences of Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials regarding educational and workplace values among American public-school teachers. Differences were found among the generations in work ethic, ability to establish positive relationships, utilization of technology, willingness to change, patience, and respect for hierarchy. Similarities between generations were found in motivation and types of leadership. In general:

The Baby Boomer generation perceived themselves resisting and experiencing difficulties when making changes . . . Millennials were identified by the other generations and perceived themselves as being flexible and open-minded to change, which was classified as a positive value. Generation Xers felt they aligned with the Baby Boomers’ difficulty to accept change, while the other two generations believed Generation Xers adapted well to change. (p. 174-175)

Overall, the findings suggest that it may be difficult to teach digital skills (see also, [ 60 ]).

As a model for understanding teachers’ preparedness, in Indonesia, there is significant national effort directed at measuring teachers’ capacity and competence with scientific literacy and digital technology. A national initiative creates teacher profiles through measures of a teacher’s ability to plan and integrate technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge for effective teaching to support student learning. Known at TPACK (Technological Pedagogy Content Knowledge), the framework has proved useful [ 60 ]. For example, Fakhriyah et al. [ 36 ] found that TPACK ability was good among future teachers and the factors that contributed the most to the abilities were the pedagogic component and the content knowledge component. Recommendations are for schools to improve teachers TPACK scores through individualized teacher training because group trainings fail to consider teacher characteristics. Following this recommendation, Churiyah et al. [ 28 ] evaluated a program that aimed to train and assist Indonesian vocational high school teachers in developing learning media and models that can accommodate the creativity skills of students. The results showed that teachers who took part in the program had skills in developing media and implementing learning models that support the students’ creative skills.

In addition to preparing teachers based on pre-existing competencies, specialized training can increase the chance of digital competence. For example, Karacan and Polat [ 55 ] examined the factors that predict Turkish pre-service English teachers’ intentions to use augmented reality in their classes. The pre-service teachers attended a training on augmented reality in language classes and a workshop to create augmented reality experiences. The results indicated that the pre-service teachers who perceived the augmented reality useful were more likely to adopt the augmented reality in their future classes. In addition, pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs also positively affected their adoption of augmented reality.

Training with the use of flipped classrooms had mixed results. Hashim and Shaari [ 44 ] examined Malaysian primary and secondary school teachers’ perception of flipped classrooms. Teachers perceived the flipped classroom as useful and believed it can improve their knowledge and skills. However, the teachers faced some challenges during the implementation, most of them believed that their students do not like watching short, flipped videos and they are not interested in the educational material in flipped classrooms.

Competencies other than mastering technologies are still important. Fauyan [ 37 ] conducted a study that investigated the roles and competencies of millennial teachers in Indonesia. The results showed that teachers had roles of agents of transferring the knowledge, managers, learning agents that created active and creative learning environment, motivators who encourage students’ involvement by using multimethod, multimedia, and multisource. Additionally, the following competences were found crucial: planning, implementing, and evaluating. Those roles and competencies showed teachers’ readiness in implementation of the latest technology during remote teaching in the COVID-19 period. In summary, there appears to be increasing efforts to understand how best to improve teacher competencies.

9.3 Teachers are Innovating

Teachers have been innovating and experimenting with new teaching methods for Generation Alpha with mixed success. In Ukraine, Morze et al. [ 77 ] examined competences required for critical evaluation of internet resources among future primary school teachers. The results showed that most future teachers have faced different types of fraud online and all teachers were aware of cybersecurity measures carried out at the national level. Most of the future teachers believed that critical evaluation of Internet resources should be developed in the computer science classes. The future teachers believed that the following techniques should be used most often in the development of future teachers’ internet critical thinking: project activity, effective use of digital tools, and collaboration in groups. Based on the findings, the authors designed a model of the system of formation of internet resource critical evaluation skills of future primary school teachers.

In another effort to improve Generation Alpha’s reading skills, Aberšek and Kerneža [ 2 ] examined Slovenian primary teachers’ attitudes towards an Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) method that aims to improve students’ functional literacy competence when using the internet and screens. Research with previous generations suggest that paper-based reading produced better learning outcomes than screen-based reading [ 31 ]. Teachers believed that the IRT method is suitable for developing functional literacy in digital learning environment among students 9–11 years old and should be modified for younger students. There was an acknowledgement that there was no going back to paper-based reading.

Games and robots are also making inroads into Generation Alpha curriculums. Masril et al. [ 74 ] found that the use of robotic technology (Lego Mindstorms Ev3) as a learning resource by Indonesian elementary school teachers had a positive effect on behavior and was perceived as a learning tool that should be used in the elementary school curriculum. In Turkey, Akkaya et al. [ 9 ] found that most teachers considered themselves competent in using technology and they used digital games mostly in mathematics classes. Teachers believed that although there are many educational benefits, the usage of games could lead to physical health problems, communication problems, focusing problems, mental disorders, and excessive time loss.

In summary, the experimentation with novel approaches has some promising results, but there was no single innovation that has been replicated or scaled to an extent to be seen as universally effective.

10 The role of new approaches to education

New approaches to education are occurring at every level. Twelve studies focused on rethinking curriculums and programs for Generation Alpha. Five studies were from Indonesia, two studies were from Europe, two from the United States, one from Turkey, one from Algeria, and one from Kuwait.

10.1 Rethinking national approaches

In some countries, researchers are discovering how best to train teachers at the national level. In Croatia, Jukić and Škojo [ 51 ] conducted interviews with 10 information and communication technology (ICT) experts and 10 university professors to assess the future and integration of technology. Reflecting their orientation, the ICT experts perceived that teachers have insufficient training, their computer literacy is lower than students, and schools do not have adequate equipment. According to the ICT experts, teaching must be more dynamic and should be gamified as future occupations will be related to highly developed technology and artificial intelligence. The professors raised concerns about challenges associated with insufficient social interactions, problems of socialization, and insufficient development of social competencies and communication skills. In other words, social-emotional learning was important. The professors also agreed that the teaching process must be updated to be more interesting, teaching methods need to be multimodal with visualization of the teaching content, the teaching process must be more dynamic with active learning and interactive teaching, and the curriculum must be attractive with elective subjects.

When countries do innovate to meet the needs of Generation Alpha, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach. In Algeria, Sarnou [ 97 ] investigated the reasons of unsuccessful technologization of schools and universities and found the major reasons for the failure of an effective integration of ICT into the classrooms were social, cultural, economic, and educational factors. Specifically, there were deeply rooted regional differences in culture, politics, and financing within the country that made integration of ICT difficult. The ineffective integration of ICT was also found to negatively influence the relationship between teachers and students.

In summary, although a few articles depict efforts to understand how best to educate Generation Alpha, the results have not yet translated into national policies.

10.2 Rethinking language programs

An important goal in many educational systems is to improve language proficiency of non-native speakers and there has been some success with new programs aimed at increasing language proficiency for Generation Alpha. For example, Kadir et al. [ 52 ] examined the effectiveness of a 3 year foreign language program of Arabic-English-Japanese in three Indonesian schools. The language program implemented smart and creative learning methodologies with audio and visual gadgets. The findings reveled that the program created engaging and enjoyable learning environment for students. Also in Indonesia, Rombot et al. [ 91 ] developed a blended learning model for foreign speakers that gave the students the opportunity to repeatedly read the text and ultimately improved Indonesian reading skills. Finally, Shamir et al. [ 101 ] explored the effectiveness of the Waterford Early Learning curriculum, a game-based curriculum designed to promote English as a foreign language through reading, writing, and typing among students in kindergarten through second grade. The results showed that students that used the curriculum had significantly higher literacy scores than students who did not use the curriculum.

In summary, as more language curriculums innovate to take advantage of technology, there will likely be an increase of research that capitalizes on Generation Alpha’s presumed digital competence.

10.3 Rethinking STEM and ICT programs

For a generation that is digitally fluent, there is a natural increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) programs in education. This increased emphasis has yielded research attempting to take advantage of Generation Alpha’s ability to learn. A quasi-experimental dissertation by LiCalsi [ 68 ] examined the effects of robotics curriculum on American elementary students’ attitude, interest, persistence, self-efficacy, and career interest in STEM. The results indicated that younger students in the treatment group had an increase in the measured variables compared to older students. Girls in the treatment group had an increase in self-efficacy and career interest in STEM compared to girls in the control group.

In another dissertation, Malallah [ 71 ] developed a computational thinking pedagogy framework with a virtual world environment for early childhood education. Using a developed STEM model designed to meet the needs of Arabic/Persian Gulf region students, the STEM program improved students’ computational thinking abilities. The study compared the implementation of the STEM program in the U.S. and in Kuwait and examined factors that influence female and male preference and performance in STEM education in Kuwait.

In a study aimed at second graders, Lucenko et al. [ 70 ] examined the effectiveness of an innovative curriculum design in a Ukrainian primary school. The design used project-research activities in the lessons and the teacher’s role was an organizer of the student project activity. The results showed that the innovative curriculum design was more effective than a traditional methodological approach.

Turkish gifted students perceived that a flipped learning model was fun, different, instructive, useful, increased learning, saved time, provided opportunities for practice, advantageous, and flexible in terms of in-class practices. The study also showed that there was not a significant difference in the emotional semantic orientations in the in-class practices between female and male students. However, there were significant differences in the out-of-class effectiveness and entertainment. Male students perceived the flipped learning model more effective than female students and female students perceived that the flipped learning model as more fun than male students did [ 80 ].

10.4 Rethinking other programs

Two studies fell outside the category of language and science programs. Akmal et al. [ 10 ] evaluated the application of a social-emotional learning model that involves collaboration with parents in early childhood education institutions in Indonesia. The results indicated that a program that aims to teach social-emotional skills in early childhood can be successfully implemented by teachers and parents. In another program aimed at teachers, Defit et al. [ 30 ] developed a Literacy and Technology-based Elementary School Teacher Development model that integrates coaching and mentoring. The aim of the program was to optimize teachers’ leadership abilities to improve the quality of Indonesian teachers in the current digital era. The feasibility of the program design was assessed by lecturers and school principals and deemed suitable for teachers.

Overall, the role of new approaches to the education of Generation Alpha has been to reimagine traditional STEM and languages areas and experiment with some non-traditional areas such as social-emotional learning. Although the cited research is included because of the link to Generation Alpha, there are likely many more relevant efforts naturally occurring with this population that do not operationally define their populations by generation.

11 The role of teaching tools

Next to the role of teachers, the availability of teaching tools (broadly construed) to teach Generation Alpha is the most important factor in understanding how and whether education differs for Generation Alpha. Tools were categorized according to whether there was some evaluation or whether they were in development. Forty-three studies examined a development, or a usage, of a specific technological teaching tool designed for use with Generation Alpha. Out of the forty-four studies, thirty-one studies were conducted in Asia (mostly in Indonesia and Malaysia), four in Europe, two in the United States, two in Middle East, one in Australia, one in Ecuador, one in collaboration between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, United Kingdom, and Sweden, one in collaboration between Indonesia and Portugal, and one in a collaboration between Indonesia and Germany.

11.1 Evaluated teaching tools

Eleven studies employed either a pre-test and post-test or experimental design with a control group to evaluate the effect of the educational tool. The teaching tools that were used were the following: virtual reality glasses [ 93 ], Project Based Learning assisted by Electronic Media [ 95 ], Loose Parts learning media [ 86 ], learning media based on modules and GeoGebr [ 15 ], augmented reality pictorial storybook [ 69 ], QR codes as an Augmented reality [ 11 ], Six Facets of Serious Game Design and Ernest Adams’ Game Design [ 27 ], jazz chants approach [ 102 ], collaborative planning and teaching with virtual reality [ 72 ], multimedia learning environment Augmented Reality English Vocabulary Acquisition [ 114 ], and AsKINstagram [ 50 ].

Overall, the teaching tools were effective. Positive outcomes included improved drawing performance [ 93 ], increased motivation [ 95 ], improved science process skills [ 95 ], improved mathematics learning outcomes and performance [ 15 , 27 ], improved naturalist intelligence [ 86 ], increased anxiety in mathematics learning [ 69 ], enhanced student performance [ 11 ], improved academic performance in English as a second Language [ 102 , 114 ], improved vocabulary learning in English as a second Language [ 72 ], and improved students’ writing English as a second language [ 50 ].

11.2 Unevaluated teaching tools

Nineteen studies focused on a usage of a specific teaching tool without an evaluation of the tool’s effect. The teaching tools that were used were the following: Science Technology Engineering and Math-Project Based Learning [ 82 ], Virtual Reality technology [ 3 , 49 , 61 ], serious games [ 1 ], expected game-based learning for protracted waste problem [ 64 ], code.org [ 20 ], Minecraft [ 107 ], digital board game Master Malaysia 123 v2 [ 57 ], Instagram [ 18 ], Instagram interactive face filters [ 90 ], social media [ 116 ], YouTube [ 87 ], WhatsApp [ 105 ], interactive digital phonics show [ 42 ], voca-lens [ 117 ], virtual game using the Sphero haptic device [ 23 ], Chromebook [ 115 ], educational mobile applications (Nevřelová, 2020), and use of technology [ 98 ].

The goals of these projects were to increase cognitive engagement [ 115 ], increase phonological awareness [ 42 ], increase communication skills [ 82 ], increase engagement and entertainment [ 61 ], increase reading skills [ 107 ], increase computational thinking [ 20 ], enhance knowledge [ 57 ], increase language skills for English as a second language [ 116 , 117 ], increase motivation to speak English as a second language [ 18 , 90 ], engaged students [ 98 ], build children’s awareness of waste problems [ 3 ], increase early mathematic skills [ 87 ], increase early literacy skills [ 87 ], increase socio-emotional development [ 87 ], increase executive function [ 87 ], improve narrative writing [ 105 ], improve quality of life [ 1 ], and improve the visual-motor coordination [ 23 ].

11.3 Tools in development

Thirteen studies focused on a development of a teaching tool specifically to improve or capitalize on the digital competency of Generation Alpha. The following teaching tools were developed: argumentation-based educational digital game (Bağ &Çalık, [ 19 ]), game design activity [ 48 ], Android based educational games [ 79 , 96 ], escape room-based mobile game [ 13 ], motion comic storyboard [ 56 ], digital map application with hand gesture recognition [ 84 ], mobile-based learning application [ 17 ],Omar & Abd Muin, [ 83 ]), story digital book [ 43 ], lift the flap book digital media [ 21 ], lift-a-flap picture book with audio [ 62 ], and Edmodo-Based Science Module [ 6 ].

Those teaching tools led to improved mathematical skills [ 56 ], improved literacy [ 43 ], improved science process skills [ 6 ], improved language skills (Omar and Abd Muin, [ 83 ]), improved vocabulary learning [ 62 ], increased motivation [ 19 ], increased creativity [ 48 ], improved motivation to learn English [ 13 ], improved English language skills [ 13 ], increased interests in learning mathematics [ 96 ], improved historical learning [ 84 ], improved early reading [ 79 ], and increased interests in learning science among alpha generation [ 21 ].

In a rare study that focused on a disabled sub-population within Generation Alpha, Aziz et al. [ 17 ] developed an application to improve math skills for those with poor vision. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the mobile application was not evaluated. Given the benefit of new educational technologies for the disabled, it is surprising that more educational technologies are not developed [ 46 ].

Only one study acknowledged disadvantages associated with the use of technology in classrooms. A study conducted by Kurniawati et al. [ 61 ] focused on the integration of virtual reality into English vocabulary teaching in Indonesia. Teachers were able to incorporate the virtual reality into classes despite some challenges with device availability, workloads, teaching media, and classroom managerial skills. The students perceived that learning English vocabulary using virtual reality was engaging and entertaining. However, the students reported headaches from prolonged exposure to the virtual reality lens. Overall, the studies reveal technology being developed to appeal to students. The state-of-the-art of research has not yet focused on potential negative effects and how to overcome them.

In summary, the development of tools represents the greatest portion of the literature reviewed and reflects the ongoing interest in discovering how best to teach Generation Alpha.

12 The role of blended/online learning

The review of blended/online learning for Generation Alpha is a subset of a far greater research literature on teaching modalities. The literature review directly related to Generation Alpha produced ten studies that examined online or blended learning: five studies were conducted in Asia, two studies in Europe, one study in the United States, and two studies in the Middle East. The findings of the articles are best synthesized and sorted into categories describing the importance of experienced teachers and parents in improving experiences with Generation Alpha and describing some successes and some challenges with adopting distance and blended learning.

12.1 Experienced adults are important

During distance learning, parent–child interaction was an important factor that influenced the success of early childhood education in Indonesia [ 88 ]. To ensure success for distance learning, teachers in Turkey recommended parental support, active participation of students, use of Web 2.0 tools, gamification, and sharing information about training for parents [ 29 ]. Another study showed that experience with technology matters. Masry-Herzallah and Stavissky [ 75 ] found that older elementary and middle school teachers and younger elementary students had more difficulties than younger teachers and older students to transition to online learning during the pandemic in Israel.

12.2 Success with online and blended learning

Although the entire world adopted online and blended learning models during the pandemic, only a few studies used the term “Generation Alpha” in defining their success. Because the overall findings in the literature review are not driven by common research paradigms or common outcome measures, the results are specific to the researchers’ interests and relevant primarily within the context of the country’s education system. Thus, there is a limitation in generalizing the findings from the following countries:

In Ukraine, when teachers incorporated videos and online learning games, students perceived the online learning more beneficial [ 106 ].

In Indonesia, secondary school teachers reported that the best way to provide learning materials was through WhatsApp, Google Classroom and for some students, directly through the school [ 7 ]. In another study, Indonesian high school teachers reported that they used synchronous video conference platforms, asynchronous learning management systems (LMSs), and various learning media to help them conduct laboratory work [ 12 ]. The implementation of the blended learning when done in collaboration between Indonesians schools, teachers, parents, and students leads to more effective and meaningful learning [ 41 ]. Duggal et al. [ 34 ] found that Indian students were accepting the online education but there was a need to keep them engaged and enticed. The implementation of new learning methodologies such as gamified online education can help to overcome the online education challenges.

In Turkey, teachers reported the use of Google Classroom, Edmodo, Classdojo, Microsoft Teams, and Twinspace during distance teaching. They used these Learning Management Systems (LMS) for course and project management, flipped education practices, personal and professional development activities, and management of extracurricular and guidance activities. They described that the LMSs allowed to quickly follow the learning process of the students, allowed students individual progress, and the lessons were more efficient [ 29 ].

In the United States, Kingsbury [ 58 ] compared U. S. students’ online learning experience between schools that were already virtual and traditional in-person schools during the pandemic. He found that the virtual schools outperformed the in-person schools and parents were more likely to report that their child learned a lot during online learning.

12.3 Teacher and school challenges

The challenges to implementing online and blended learning as related to Generation Alpha fell into two categories: teacher challenges and school challenges.

During kindergarten distance teaching in Israel, pre-service teachers came across some challenges with communications, attitudes, tools, and technological skills [ 8 ]. Legvart et al. [ 66 ] found that Slovenian elementary school teachers experienced issues with students limited digital literacy competences which impacted the communication between teachers and students and among the students. In Indonesia, secondary school teachers experienced obstacles with applications, limited internet data, learning management, assessment, and supervision [ 7 ]. Similarly for high school, Indonesian teachers experienced technical issues and reduced interaction during learning process [ 12 ]. Finally, Turkish teachers experienced the most issues with the deficiencies related to technological equipment [ 29 ].

Schools also faced challenges and some research addresses how improvements might be made. In a study of middle-schoolers, Bruggeman [ 22 ] confirmed that “the micro-school environment, with an intentional overlay of a student-centered philosophy, personalized learning, and small mixed-age classroom settings, has a positive impact on the development of three elements of student agency: motivation, choice, and competency” (p. 220). In addition to redesigning classroom settings, a study of 500 elementary school students in Indonesia show that the increased use of smartphones and social media (YouTube, Google) may necessitate the reimagining of how libraries remain relevant [ 104 ]. Given the slow rate of adaption to change, even universities should start thinking of how to meet the needs of Generation Alpha [ 118 ].

13 Conclusions

Despite frequent use of the term “Generation Alpha” in the research literature, relatively few studies report generational differences that reveal how children of this generation are characteristically different from previous generations. There is simply a strong assumption that Generation Alpha is different. A major worldwide concern is that the use of technology by Generation Alpha has decreased opportunities for social-emotional development and increased mental health problems. Where research has been conducted, the underlying goal is to discover how educational practices may benefit with parents and adults mediating technology use.

Within the reviewed literature, no reference was found to any field of studies or organization of scholars focused exclusively on Generation Alpha. Rather, the examined studies reveal research to be the work of independent researchers focused on mostly practical educational strategies. Most of the research literature assumes differences between Generation Alpha and previous generations without systematic observation. An open question is how Generation Alpha is qualitatively different from previous generations. Therefore, future research should utilize theoretical frameworks to identify and understand the unique characteristics, behaviors, and traits of the digital native Generation Alpha.

The term “Generation Alpha” frequently appears in international research literature and is not commonly used in studies the United States. Future researchers might conduct comparative studies across diverse cultures and educational settings while using international collaboration to develop a more comprehensive understanding of Generation Alpha’s characteristics and needs. Longitudinal studies could help understand how Generation Alpha’s experiences and exposure to technology shape their identities, needs, career choices, social-emotional development.

To improve education for members of Generation Alpha and all subsequent digital natives, research might also best be focused less on children’s use of technology and more on the roles and competencies of adults and teachers to create environments that facilitate both digital and social-emotional learning.

On a final note, during the pandemic, out of necessity, schools use of novel digital approaches to education accelerated and there may be many studies published in the future which are relevant to Generation Alpha. As noted, this literature review captures only a small portion of the education research directed at this population as there are many studies that target this age group but do not use the term “Generation Alpha.” A primary takeaway from the review should be that experienced adults matter in the success of Generation Alpha. To be sure, there are also many tools and digital educational tools and online strategies being developed and tested but none have emerged to be dominant. Indeed, there is not even consensus on the best approach. There is still much research needed to produce evidence-based tools that can be recommended. What is happening in the education research on Generation Alpha is an increased recognition of their presumed digital capacity without a corresponding consensus on best educational practices. Future policies and practices would benefit from more specific research on how generational cohorts differ from one another in their exposure and experience with technology.

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Abbasi AZ, Azeem S, Farooq MU, Hussain K, Ting DH, Rehman U, Pakpour AH. Engagement in educational games and quality of life in early and middle childhood: evidence from a developing country. Curr Psychology. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03558-1 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Aberšek MK, Kerneža M. Primary school students’ functional literacy in digital learning environments-how to teach. In: Aberšek MK, Kerneža M, editors. The 14th international scientific conference on distance learning in applied informatics. Berlin: Researchgate; 2022. p. 174–85.

Google Scholar  

Abioso WS, Imam AI, Maulana YI, Prasetyo MJ. Virtual reality utilization as a character–building of children in waste problems. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Engin. 2021;1158(1): 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1158/1/012010 .

Aditya BR, Ismiatun AN, Atika AR, Permadi A. Digital disruption in early childhood education: a qualitative research from teachers’ perspective. Proced Computer Sci. 2022;197:521–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.169 .

Adnan AHM, Karim RA, Shah DSM, Tahir MHM, Shak MY. Higher education 4.0 technologies: survey of immersive, interactive content development and materials deployment within a developing nation. J Phys Conf Ser. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1793/1/012002 .

Ahmad NF, Iksan ZH. Edmodo-based science module development on students’ mastery of science process skills: need analysis. Creat Educ. 2021;12(11):2609–23. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.1211195 .

Ahyar J, Edyansyah T, Ikramuddin I. Online learning strategies for indonesian language teachers in improving student learning effectiveness in class VII SMP Negeri Lhokseumawe. J Sosial Teknologi. 2021;1(12):1–526. https://doi.org/10.36418/jurnalsostech.v1i12.257 .

Aizenberg M, Zilka GC. Preservice kindergarten teachers’ distance teaching practices during the COVID-19 lockdown period. J Early Child Teach Educ. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2075813 .

Akkaya S, Zeynep TAN, Kapidere M. Examination of primary-school teachers’ views on digital game-based teaching. J Primary Educ. 2021;11:39–55. https://doi.org/10.52105/temelegitim.11.4 .

Akmal Y, Koeswantono S, Hartati S. Character development in generation alpha through social-emotional learning with parent involvement. In: Akmal Y, Koeswantono S, Hartati S, editors. 1st international conference on early childhood care education and parenting (ICECCEP 2019). Amsterdam: Atlantis press; 2020. p. 87–93.

AlNajdi SM. The effectiveness of using augmented reality (AR) to enhance student performance: using quick response (QR) codes in student textbooks in the Saudi education system. Educ Tech Res Dev. 2022;70(3):1105–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10100-4 .

Anazifa RD. The role of technology in biology teaching during and post pandemic era. In: Anazifa RD, editor. 5th international conference on current issues in education (ICCIE 2021). Amsterdam: Atlantis press; 2022. p. 46–51.

Andysa S, Wildan M, Sarasevia F, Teguh W, Limantara N. Escape room mobile game design for remote learning. In: Andysa S, Wildan M, Sarasevia F, Teguh W, Limantara N, editors. 2022 international conference on information management and technology (ICIMTech). New York: IEEE; 2022. p. 339–44.

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Apaydin Ç, Kaya F. An analysis of the preschool teacher’s views on alpha generation. Eur J Educ Stud. 2020;6(11):123–40. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3627158 .

Aspari DC, Hartono M. The effectiveness of module and geogebra based learning media to improve mathematics learning outcomes of grade IV students. In: Aspari DC, Hartono M, editors. 2021 7th international conference on education and technology (ICET). New York: IEEE; 2021. p. 315–9.

Astapenko EV, Klimova TV, Molokhina GA, Petrenko EA. Personal characteristics and environmentally responsible behavior of children of the generation Alpha with different leisure orientation. E3S Web Conf. 2021;273:10042. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127310042 .

Aziz N, Ahmad SZ, Rahman WRZWA, Binsaleh S. Design and development of affective 4-dimensional mobile mathematics for low vision Alpha generation. TEM J. 2021;10(4):1828. https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM104-46 .

Azlan NAB, Zakaria SB, Yunus MM. Integrative task-based learning: developing speaking skill and increase motivation via instagram. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci. 2019;9(1):620–36. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i1/5463 .

Bağ H, Çalık M. Designing an argumentation-based educational digital game to teach the subject of force. Phys Educ. 2021;56(3): 035002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/abdae8 .

Barradas R, Lencastre JA, Soares S, Valente A. The Code.org platform in the developing of computational thinking with elementary school students. In: Lane HC, Zvacek S, Uhomoibhi J, editors. Computer supported education. CSEDU 2020. Communications in computer and information science. Cham: Springer; 2021.

Bintoro T, Lestari I, Rofiqoh F. Learning media innovation: lift the flap book digital in increasing interest in learning science for third-grade elementary school students. J Penelitian Dan Pengemb Pendidikn. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3887/jppp.v6i2.50636 .

Bruggeman AL. Examining motivation, choice, and competency in 21 st century micro-schools: a comparative mixed-methods study of middle grade students’ perceptions of student agency. Nampa: Northwest Nazarene University; 2021.

Capelo, D. C., Sánchez, M. E., Hidalgo, C. L., & Chicaiza, D. B. Development and improvement of the visomotriz coordination: virtual game of learning and using the sphero haptic device for alpha generation. In: Á Rocha, T Guarda (Eds.) Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology & Systems (ICITS 2018 ). Springer International Publishing: Cham. 2018. Pp.907–916.

Carter C. The complete guide to generation alpha, the children of millennials. Washington: Forbes; 2016. p. 1–3.

Carvalho RN, Monteiro CEF, Martins MNP. Challenges for university teacher education in Brazil posed by the Alpha generation. Res Educ Learn Innov Archiv. 2022;28:61–76. https://doi.org/10.7203/realia.28.21408 .

Chitra A. Impact of socioeconomic status of parents’ on the emotional intelligence of generation Alpha kids. Int J Latest Technol Engin Manag Appl Sci. 2020;9(5):46–9.

Chowanda A, Prasetio YL, Fadhlurrahman N, Fadhlurrahman NR. Designing digital games as learning tools for mathematics. ICIC Expr Lett. 2020;14(9):927–34.

Churiyah M, Basuki A, Filianti F, Sholikhan S, Akbar MF. Canva for education as a learning tool for center of excellence vocational school (SMK pusat keunggulan) program to prepare competitive graduates in the field of creativity skills in the digital age. Int J Soc Sci Res Rev. 2022;5(3):226–34. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v5i3.228 .

Davut ATIŞ. Teachers‘ views on the use of learning management systems. Political Econ Manag Educ. 2022;3(1):20–43. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28778.59848 .

Defit S, Achmad N, Dewi YN, Srinovita Y. Elementary school teacher quality improvement model based on literacy and technology. Int Conf Res Dev (ICORAD). 2022;1(1):210–7. https://doi.org/10.47841/icorad.v1i1.27 .

Delgado P, Vargas C, Ackerman R, Salmeron L. A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension. Educ Res Rev. 2018;25:23–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.09.003 .

Drugaș M. Screenagers or ‘screamagers’? Current Perspectives on Generation Alpha. Psychological Thought. 2021;15(1):1–11. https://doi.org/10.37708/psyct.v15i1.732

dos Reis TA. Study on the alpha generation and the reflections of its behavior in theorganizational environment. J Res Humanit Soc Sci. 2018;6(1):9–19.

Duggal K, Singh P, Gupta LR. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for online teaching in COVID-19: applications, issues, and solution. In: Duggal K, Singh P, Gupta LR, editors. Emerging technologies for battling Covid-19: applications and innovations. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2021. p. 327–49.

Fadzil NM, Abdullah MY, Salleh MAM. The level of tolerance sanctioningchildren using gadgets by parents lead to nomophobia: early age gadgets exposure. Int J Arts Sci. 2016;9(2):615.

Fakhriyah S, Masfuah FS, Hilyana NM. Analysis of technological pedagogical content knowledge ((TPACK) ability based on science literacy for pre-service primary school teachers in learning science concepts. Indones J Sci Educ. 2022. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v11i3.37305 .

Fauyan M. The role and competency of millennial teachers of SD/MI in the utilization of learning resources in the time Covid-19 pandemic. Proc Intal Conf Islam Educ (ICONIE). 2021;1(1):803–27.

Fernandez TE. Educating the homo digitalis: the role of education and digcomedu to palyate the effects of algorithms, fake news, polarization and lack of critical thinking. Vivat Acad Revista De Comunicación. 2021;154:71–92. https://doi.org/10.15178/va.2021.154.e1378 .

Fernando PA, Premadasa HS. Use of gamification and game-based learning in educating generation Alpha: a systematic literature review. Educl Technol Soc. 2024;27(2):114–32. https://doi.org/10.30191/ETS.202404_27(2).RP03 .

Galindo-Domínguez H, Bezanilla MJ. Digital competence in the training of pre-service teachers: perceptions of students in the degrees of early childhood education and primary education. J Digit Learn Teach Educ. 2021;37(4):262–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2021.1934757 .

Ginting S, Tjandra M, Wianto E. Blended learning: post pandemic solutions. Aksara J Ilmu Pendidik Nonform. 2021;7(2):425–38. https://doi.org/10.7905/aksara.7.2.425-438.2021 .

Gon F, Yunus MM. The use of interactive digital phonics show (IDPS) to enhance phonological awareness among young learners. Int J Innov Res Creat Technol. 2019;5(1):1–8.

Hamimah H, Arlis S, Arwin A, Chandra C, Anita Y, Kenedi AK, Kharisma A. Thinking the most convenient analysis of alpha generation by using social science story digital books. İlköğretim Online. 2020. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2020.654895 .

Hashim NA, Shaari ND. Malaysian teachers’ perception and challenges towards the implementation of flipped learning approach. Asian People J (APJ). 2020;3(2):62–76. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2020.3.2.196 .

Harikishni N, Attree AK. Parental perception of alpha kids’ Influence in general buying decisions during the covid-19 pandemic in India. Ramanujan Int J Bus Res. 2022;7(1):1–9. https://doi.org/10.51245/rijbr.v7i1.2022.361

Heiman T, Shemesh DO. Students with LD in higher education: use and contribution of assistive technology and website courses and their correlation to students’ hope and well-being. J Learn Disabil. 2012;45(4):308–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410392047 .

Howe N, Strauss W. Generations: the history of america’s future, 1584 to 2069. New York: William Morrow & Company; 1991. https://doi.org/10.1177/15366006930140020 .

Book   Google Scholar  

Ibharim L, Yatim MM, Zain NM, Azizan U, Fabil N. Development of rubric to measure children’s creativity in game design. Int J Multimed Appl. 2021;13(1):27–34. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijma.2021.13203 .

Ignaciuk, M. The educational potential of virtual reality in polish schools. Innov Teach Method. 2022: Pp. 65–84.

Jalaludin AM, Abas NA, Yunus MM. AsKINstagram: teacher-pupil interaction. Int JAcad Res Bus Soc Sci. 2019;9(1):125–36. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i1/5369 .

Jukić R, Škojo T. The educational needs of the Alpha Generation. In: Jukić R, Škojo T. (Eds.) 2021 44th international convention on information, communication and electronic technology (MIPRO). 2021. Pp. 564-569

Kadir PM, Risagarnwia YY, Ma’mun, T. N. Arabic english Japanese learning program in madrasah diniyah takmiliyah (MDT): a study on the role of MDT in Bandung City. Humanit Soc Sci Rev. 2020;8(3):824–35. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8387 .

Kaliska, L. Trait emotional intelligence development possibilities of primary school-aged children. In: Kaliska, L.(Ed.) Education and New Learning Technologies 19 Proceedings. ‎IATED: Palma. 2019. Pp. 9801-9807

Kaplan-Berkley S. Digital tools and streaming media converge to inspire social interactions of generation alpha. Int J Early Childh. 2022;54(2):185–201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-021-00301-y .

Karacan CG, Polat M. Predicting pre-service English language teachers’ intentions to use augmented reality. J Digit Learnn Teach Educ. 2022;38(3):139–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2022.2083731 .

Karlimah K, Hamdu G, Pratiwi V, Herdiansah H, Kurniawan D. The development of motion comic storyboard based on digital literacy and elementary school mathematics ability in the new normal era during covid-19 pandemic. J Phys Conf Ser. 2021;1987(1): 012026. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1987/1/012026 .

Kassim, N. F. B., & Petani, S. Enhancing knowledge through digital game-based learning: a case study among year two and three pupils. In The 14th Kuala Lumpur international communication, education, language, social sciences conference (KLiCELS14). 2020.

Kingsbury, I. Online learning: how do brick and mortar schools stack up to virtual schools? working paper 2020-4. EdChoice. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10450-1

Kirschner PA, De Bruyckere P. The myths of the digital native and the multitasker. Teach Teach Educ. 2017;67:135–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001 .

Kumala FN, Ghufron A, Pujiastuti P. Elementary school teachers‘ TPACK profile in science teaching based on demographic factors. Int J Instr. 2022;15(4):77–100. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.1545a .

Kurniawati N, Sofarini A, Maolida EH, Jatmika RTD. The praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners. Engl Rev J Engl Educ. 2022;10(2):371–80. https://doi.org/10.17244/eku.1175087 .

Kusumaningtyas EA, Sihombing RM. Designing picture book about the javanese vocabulary through lift a flap for children 4–5 years old. In: Kusumaningtyas EA, Sihombing RM, editors. ICON ARCCADE 2021: The 2nd international conference on art, craft, culture and design. Amsterdam: Atlantis press; 2021. p. 493–500.

Kralovicova B. Teaching comes naturally–or does it?: Environmental education in Indian primary schools and the impediments of its application from teachers’ perspectives. Thesis, Lund University Master of Science in International Development and Management. 2020.

Kusumawati Hidayat I, Rebelo F, Noriega P. Exploring children’s behavioral intention of using the expected game-based learning for protracted waste problem. In: Soares MM, Rosenzweig E, Marcus A, editors. Design, user experience, and usability: design for emotion, well-being and health, learning, and culture HCII 2022. Lecture notes in computer science. Cham: Springer; 2022. p. 265–78.

Kwon Y, Lemieux M, McTavish J, Wathen N. Identifying and removing duplicate records from systematic review searches. J Med Libr Assoc JMLA. 2015;103(4):184. https://doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.103.4.004 .

Legvart P, Aberšek MK, Kerneža M. Developing communication competence in digital learning environments for primary science students. J Balt Sci Educ. 2022;21(5):836–48. https://doi.org/10.3225/jbse/22.21.836 .

Lemley JB, Schumacher G, Vesey W. What learning environments best address 21st-century students’ perceived needs at the secondary level of instruction? NASSPBulletin. 2014;98(2):101–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636514528748 .

LiCalsi MK. A quasi-experimental examination of the effects of integrating robotics on elementary students‘ STEM-related perceptions. Scottsdale: Northcentral University; 2021. 

Lubis AH, Dasopang MD, Ramadhini F, Dalimunthe EM. Augmented reality pictorial storybook: how does it influence on elementary school mathematics anxiety? Prem Educ. 2022;12(1):522383. https://doi.org/10.25273/pe.v12i1.12393 .

Lucenko G, Hrechanyk N, Gavrilenko T, Lutsenko O. Using the project method as a means of developing the creative potential of primary school children in Ukraine. Education. 2022;3–13:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2053182 .

Malallah SA. Developing computational thinking best practices for early childhood education in Kuwait and United States. Manhattan: Kansas state university; 2022.

Maolida EH, Mulyana A, Adetia E, Rizki A. Collaborative planning and teaching english vocabulary with virtual reality: a community service in SD gunung batu cianjur. AJAD J Pengabd Kpd Masy. 2022;2(1):73–81. https://doi.org/10.35870/ajad.v2i1.40 .

Mariati P, Djazilan S, Hartatik S. Before the pandemic and its impact to the future about IoT and the transformation of children,s social education. Pegem J Educ Instr. 2022;12(2):95–102. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.12.02.09 .

Masril M, Jalinus N, Hendrik B. Robotic education in 21st century: teacher acceptance of lego mindstorms as powerful educational tools. Int J Adv Comp Sci Appl. 2021;12(2):119–26. https://doi.org/10.4569/IJACSA.2021.0120216 .

Masry-Herzallah A, Stavissky Y. The attitudes of elementary and middle school students and teachers towards online learning during the corona pandemic outbreak. SN Soc Sci. 2021;1:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00083-z .

McCrindle M, Fell A. Understanding generation alpha. Sydney: McCrindle Research; 2020.

Morze N, Boiko M, Varchenko-Trotsenko L, Vember V. Formation of internet resources critical evaluation skills of future primary school teachers. CPITS-II-2021 Cybersecur Provid Inform Telecommun Syst. 2021;3187:69–78.

Mullen LD. Supporting new-hire educators through onboarding intervention. Delaware: Wilmington University; 2021.

Mustadi A, Sayekti OM, Rochmah EN, Zubaidah E, Sugiarsih S, Schulze KM. Pancalis: Android-based learning media for early-reading in new normal. J Cakrawala Pendid. 2022;41(1):71–82. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v41i1.45883 .

Nacaroğlu O, Bektaş O, Tüysüz M. Examining the emotional semantic orientation of gifted students towards the flipped learning model. Technol Knowl Learn. 2023;28(1):117–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09581-8 .

Nagy Á, Kölcsey A. Generation alpha: marketing or science? Acta Technologica Dubnicae. 2017;7(1):107–15. https://doi.org/10.1515/atd-2017-0007 .

Nopiyanti I, Adjie N, Putri SU. STEAM-PBL in early childhood education: optimization strategies for developing communication skills. In: Nopiyanti I, Adjie N, Putri SU, editors. 1st international conference on early childhood care education and parenting (ICECCEP 2019). Amsterdam: Atlantis press; 2020. p. 81–6.

Omar AC, Aziz N, Abd Muin MA. User experience on BM year 2 mobile-based learning application for alpha generation. Int J Interact Mobil Technol. 2021;15(6):65–76. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i06.20639 .

Padmasari AC, Hernawan AH, Rostika D, Wahyuningsih Y. Usability testing of digital map application using hand gesture recognition as a historical learning media for elementary school. J Phys Conf Ser. 2021;1987(1): 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1987/1/012010 .

Page McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, Shamseer L, Tetzlaff JM, Akl EA, Brennan SE, Chou R, Glanville J, Grimshaw JM, Hróbjartsson A, Lalu MM, Li T, Loder EW, Mayo-Wilson E, McDonald S, Moher D. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71–n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71 .

Priyanti N, Warmansyah J. The effect of loose parts media on early childhood naturalist intelligence. J Pendidik Usia Dini. 2021;15(2):239–57. https://doi.org/10.21009/JPUD.152.03 .

Puspita BB, Edvra PA. The use of youtube and apps by digital moms to support early childhood learning. Athen J Mass Media Commun. 2022;8(4):237–56. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajmmc.8-4-2 .

Putri PKD, Adeni S. Parent-child interaction in distance learning during the corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Proc Int Conf Commun Sci. 2022;2(1):131–9. https://doi.org/10.29303/iccsproceeding.v2i1.84 .

Raja MAS, Gurung DJ, Vincent TN. Market segmentation framework for generation alpha cohorts. Productivity. 2021;62(3):248–54. https://doi.org/10.32381/PROD.2021.62.03.04 .

Rohaizat R, Nie A, Yunus M. Instagram interactive face filter to motivate speaking skill among year 5 ESL learners in rural sabah: pupils perception. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci. 2021;11(7):1286–96. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i7/10401 .

Rombot O, Boeriswati E, Suparman A. The development of blended learning model for reading comprehension learning of BIPA students in grade v elementary school. Ilkogr Online. 2021;20(5):1155–64. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2021.05.126 .

Rose A, Thomas MR. Critical factors in the selection of educational toys for generation alpha. Specialusis Ugdymas. 2022;1(43):5199–218.

Rupel N, Selan J. The significance virtual experience for drawing performance of a 7-year old child. In: Vogrinc J, Bevetak I, editors. Contemporary topics in education IV. Slovenia: University of Ljubljana; 2022.

Rusman NS, Ismail HN, Jaafar SMRS. Demand of preschool education by alpha generation on edutainment leisure in the city. Intl J Built Environ Sustain. 2019;6(1–2):121–8. https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v6.n1-2.391 .

Safaruddin S, Ibrahim N, Juhaeni J, Harmilawati H, Qadrianti L. The effect of project-based learning assisted by electronic media on learning motivation and science process skills. J Innov Educ Cult Res. 2020;1(1):22–9. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v1i1.5 .

Sarifah I, Rohmaniar A, Marini A, Sagita J, Nuraini S, Safitri D, Sudrajat A. Development of android based educational games to enhance elementary school student interests in learning mathematics. Int J Interact Mobil Technol. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i18.32949 .

Sarnou D. Questioning the significance of technologizing Algerian schools and universities: did it fail or succeed. Int J Integr Technol Educ. 2020;9(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijite.2020.9101 .

Scarnavack H. Implementing technology in the classrooms to increase students‘ engagement and academic achievement. Trinity Christian College: Palos Heights; 2021.

Schawbel, D. (2014). Gen Y and Gen Z global workplace expectations study. Millennial branding news release. . http://workplaceintelligence.com/geny-genz-global-workplace-expectations-study .

Selvi V, Bhuvaneswari M, Sandra S. Stories: a tool to rejuvenate the culture of generation z and generation alpha. YMER Digital. 2022;21(1):267–76. https://doi.org/10.37896/ymer21.01/25 .

Shamir H, Pocklington D, Feehan K, Yoder E. Game-based learning for young learners. Int J Learn Teach. 2019;5:206–12. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijlt.5.3.206-212 .

Singh PKP, Hashim H. Using jazz chants to increase vocabulary power among ESL young learners. Creat Educ. 2020;11(03):262. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.113020 .

Sterbenz, C. (2015). Here‘s who comes after Generation Z and they‘ll be the most transformative age group ever. Bus Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/generation-alpha-2014-7-2

Sugihartati R. Information seeking behavior in academic assignments using smartphone among elementary school students. Libr Philos Pract. 2019;11(19):1–17.

Suhaimi ND, Mohamad M, Nie WW, Yunus MM. Writing the whatsapp way. Int J Innov Res Creat Technol. 2018;4(3):51–6.

Sysoieva SO, Mospan NV. Trends in digital adaptation of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inform Technol Learn Tool. 2022;91(5):21–35. https://doi.org/10.33407/itlt.v91i5.5063 .

Taylor LE. A millennial case study of literacy in minecraft based on the four resource model for reading. Cooranbong: Avondale College of Higher Education; 2017.

Teske SS. Teacher perspectives on values, motivation, and leadership through a generational lens. Macomb: Western Illinois University; 2020.

Thomas MR, Shivani MP. Customer profiling of alpha: the next generation marketing. Ushus J Bus Manag. 2020;19(1):75–86. https://doi.org/10.2725/ujbm.50.5 .

Turnbull S. Social media and higher education: an exploratory case study of the low rate of social media integration into classroom assignments. Chandler: Ashford University; 2020.

Twenge JM. IGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy— and completely unprepared for adulthood—and what that means for the rest of us. New York: Simon & Schuster; 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12345 .

Twenge JM, Martin GN, Campbell WK. Decreases in psychological well-being among American adolescents after 2012 and links to screen time during the rise of smartphone technology. Emotion. 2018;18(6):765–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000403 .

Valek J, Hetmankova M, Kohout O. Digital competences of teachers in vocational education in the Czech republic. Online J Res Educ. 2022. https://doi.org/10.53349/resource.2022.iS24.a1115 .

Vedadi S, Abdullah ZB, Cheok AD. The effects of multi-sensory augmented reality on students’ motivation in English language learning. In: 2019 IEEE global engineering education conference (EDUCON). New York: Ieee; 2019. p. 1079–86.

Wallace-Spurgin M. Measuring student cognitive engagement when using technology, monument. ISTES Organization: San Antonio; 2019.

Xin TC, Yunus MM. Primary pupils use of social media to learn ESL. Int J Innov Technol Explor Engin. 2019;8(12):2076–80. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.L3272.1081219 .

Yunus MM, Suliman A, Huei LS, Kai TF, Kiew S. The use of voca-lens to enhance the students vocabulary repertoire. Intl Jf Engl Lang Lit Stud. 2020;9(3):172–84. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2020.93.172.184 .

Ziatdinov R, Cilliers J. Generation Alpha: understanding the next cohort of university students. Eur J Contemp Educ. 2021;10(3):783–9. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2021.3.783 .

Zulkifli N, Novianti R, Garzia M. The role of preschool in using gadgets for digital natives generation. J Pendidik Usia Dini. 2021;15(2):221–38. https://doi.org/10.21009/JPUD.152.02 .

Download references

Open access funding provided by the Carolinas Consortium.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, Clemson, United States

Alena Höfrová, Venera Balidemaj & Mark A. Small

Department of Psychology, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Alena Höfrová

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

A.H. conducted search; V.B. manuscript writing; M.S. original idea and manuscript writing. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Venera Balidemaj .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Höfrová, A., Balidemaj, V. & Small, M.A. A systematic literature review of education for Generation Alpha. Discov Educ 3 , 125 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00218-3

Download citation

Received : 17 January 2024

Accepted : 30 July 2024

Published : 15 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00218-3

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Generation alpha
• Online learning
• Teacher’s training
• Teaching tools
• Use of technology in education
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Affiliate 💸

Get started free

Literature Review

17 Best Literature Review Tools For Efficient Papers

Explore the 17 best literature review tools to streamline research and create efficient, high-quality papers.

Aug 16, 2024

You’ve spent hours, maybe even days, doing a literature search for your research paper. You’ve gathered a heap of studies, articles, and books. Now, it’s time to write your paper. But when you open your document and read through your research, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed. How will you organize this information and pull together your literature review? Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. 

Literature reviews and their associated tasks, like writing and organizing, stress out tons of students and researchers alike. The good news is that literature reviews don’t have to be daunting. This guide will offer valuable insights into literature review tools and how they can help you write efficient research papers and get unique study material with AI. One valuable tool you can use to achieve your literature review objectives is Otio's AI research and writing partner. This powerful software can help you organize your research, write your literature review, and get fantastic study material to breeze through your following literature review. 

Table of Contents

What is a literature review, structure of a literature review, how to write a literature review in 4 simple steps, what are the 4 methods of literature review, supercharge your researching ability with otio — try otio for free today.

A literature review summarizes published information on a particular topic. It can focus on research within a specific time frame or be a simple summary of existing sources. However, it typically has an organizational pattern combining summary and synthesis . A summary recaps the important information from a source.

In contrast, a synthesis reorganizes that information. It may combine existing information with new findings, give a new interpretation of existing material, or trace the intellectual progression in the field, including primary debates. Depending on the situation, literature reviews may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent. 

The introduction of your literature review sets the stage. It defines your topic and provides an appropriate context for reviewing the literature. Next, it establishes your reasons for reviewing the literature. Here, you’ll explain your point of view. The introduction also explains the organization of the review. This means you’ll outline the sequence of how the review will unfold. Finally, the introduction states the scope of the review. 

This means you’ll define what is included and what isn’t included. For example, if you were reviewing the literature on obesity in children, you might say something like: There are many studies on obesity trends in the general population. However, since this research focuses on obesity in children, these will not be reviewed in detail and will only be referred to as appropriate.

What Comes Next? The Main Body of a Literature Review

Your literature review's middle or main body does most of the heavy lifting. This is where you organize the literature according to common themes. You’ll also provide insight into the relation between your chosen topic and the broader subject area, e.g., between obesity in children and obesity in general. Finally, the main body moves from a general, more comprehensive view of the reviewed literature to the specific focus of your research. 

Finish Strong: The Conclusion of a Literature Review

The conclusion of your literature review summarizes the essential aspects of the existing body of literature. It also evaluates the current state of the literature reviewed, identifies significant flaws or gaps in existing knowledge, and outlines areas for future study. Finally, the conclusion links your research to existing knowledge. 

Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today !

Related Reading

• Literature Search Template • ChatGPT Prompts For Research • How To Find Gaps In Research • Research Journal Example • How To Find Limitations Of A Study • How To Do A Literature Search • Research Concept Map • Meta-Analysis Methods • How To Identify Bias In A Source • Search Strategies For Research • Literature Search Template • How To Read A Research Paper Quickly • How To Evaluate An Article • ChatGPT Summarize Paper • How To Take Notes For A Research Paper

Define Your Research Scope

Outline the focus of your literature review . What research question will your literature review help to define? Are there any specific number of sources that your review should include? 

Identify the Literature 

Start by searching broadly. Literature for your review will typically be acquired through scholarly books, journal articles, and/or dissertations. Develop an understanding of what is out there, what terms are accurate and helpful, etc., and keep track of it with citation management tools. 

Critically Analyze the Literature 

A critical analysis of the literature collected around your topic is key to your literature review. The analysis will explore relationships, significant themes, and any vital gaps in the research expressed in the work. Read and summarize each source to analyze authority, currency, coverage, methodology, and relationship to other works. 

Categorize Your Resources 

Divide the available resources that pertain to your research into categories reflecting their roles in addressing your research question. Possible ways to categorize resources include organization by chronology, theme methodology, and theoretical/philosophical approach. 

Regardless of the division, each category should be accompanied by thorough discussions and explanations of strengths and weaknesses, value to the overall survey, and comparisons with similar sources. You may have enough resources when You've used multiple databases and other resources (web portals, repositories, etc.) to get a variety of perspectives on the research topic. The duplicate citations are showing up in a variety of databases.

1. Otio: Your AI Research and Writing Partner

Researchers, students, and knowledge workers today face the daunting challenge of content overload. Anyone can create content online with a button, and this problem will only worsen. Otio solves this problem by providing researchers with one AI-native workspace. It helps them go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Here’s how it works: 

1. Collect a wide range of data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos. 

2. extract key takeaways with detailed ai-generated notes and source-grounded q&a chat. , 3.. create draft outputs using the sources you’ve collected. .

Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster . Here are our top features that researchers love: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enabling you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT and AI-assisted writing. 

2. Science Open: An Open Alternative to Paywalled Research

If you want to perform a literature search without paying for Web of Science or Scopus, or if you are tired of the limited functionality of the free Google Scholar, check out ScienceOpen. This scientific search engine is freely accessible with a visually appealing and functional design. Search results are clearly labeled for the publication type, number of citations, altmetrics scores, etc., and allow for filtering. You can also access citation metrics, i.e., display which publications have cited a certain paper.

3. Semantic Scholar: AI for Research

Semantic Scholar is a powerful tool for researchers looking to access and analyze scholarly literature. This tool is designed to leverage AI and semantic analysis to enhance research and unlock valuable insights from academic papers. Semantic Scholar is a go-to platform for researchers seeking in-depth exploration of scholarly literature.

4. Research Rabbit: Researching Papers Made Easy

Research Rabbit is an AI-powered app that helps researchers find, organize, and analyze research papers. It is a free tool that anyone can use, regardless of their research experience. Research Rabbit uses AI to scan the web for relevant scholarly articles. The AI-based tool also allows you to save and organize articles in your library. 

To use Research Rabbit, you first need to create an account. Once you have created an account, you can start searching for research papers. You can search by keyword, topic, or author. Once you have found the papers you are interested in, you can add them to your collections. Collections are a way to organize your research papers. You can create as many collections as you need.

5. Rayyan: Accelerate Systematic Reviews

Rayyan is an AI-powered app that helps researchers conduct systematic literature reviews. A systematic literature review is a comprehensive research process that involves identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing all the available research on a particular topic. 

Rayyan helps you work quickly through even your most significant reviews. It lets you deduplicate, screen, and organize references, collaborate with your team, and generate reports. You can use Rayyan to import references from various sources, apply inclusion and exclusion criteria, assign labels and ratings, and export your data for further analysis.

6. SciSpace: The Research Paper Reading Assistant

SciSpace is an AI-powered literature review tool that excels in helping users find, read, and comprehend research papers. With a repository housing over 270 million research papers, SciSpace offers an extensive collection to explore. The key highlight of SciSpace is its AI research assistant, Copilot, which provides explanations, summaries, and answers as users navigate research papers.

7. The Lens: Search Literature and Patents

The Lens is a tool that allows you to search for scholarly literature and patents! Millions of patents from over 95 jurisdictions can be searched. The Lens is run by the non-profit social enterprise Cambia. The search engine is free to use for the public, though charges occur for commercial use and to get additional functionality.

8. Scholarcy: Your Automated Reading Assistant

Scholarcy is an AI-powered app that can help you with your academic reading. It can

automatically summarize articles, create flashcards, and generate bibliographies. Scholarcy can also help you find related research and identify essential article information. 

To use Scholarcy, you first need to create an account. Once you have created an account, you can add articles to your library. Additionally, you can add academic papers from various sources like Google Scholar, PubMed, and your library. Once you have added scholarly articles to your library, you can use Scholarcy’s features.

To summarize an article, simply click on the “Summarize” button. Scholarcy will then generate a summary of the article in a few seconds. Scholarcy is a valuable tool that can help you with your academic reading. If you are looking for a way to save time, improve your understanding, and increase your productivity, Scholarcy is an excellent option.

9. Elicit.org: Streamline Your Research Workflow

Elicit.org is a top choice for researchers looking to streamline the process of extracting, organizing, and synthesizing information from various sources. By enabling efficient data analysis, Elicit.org empowers users to delve deeper into their academic pursuits and uncover valuable insights.

10. Citation Gecko: Visualize Citation Networks

The literature search tool Citation Gecko is an open-source web app that makes it easier to discover relevant scientific literature than your average keyword-based search engine for research papers. It works like this: First, you upload about 5-6 “seed papers.” 

The program then extracts all references in and to these seed papers and creates a visual citation network. The nodes are displayed in different colors and sizes depending on whether the papers cite a seed paper or are cited by it and how many. You can discover new papers relevant to your scientific literature search by combing the citation network. You can also increase your citation network by including more seed papers.

11. Scite AI: Analyze Citations to Find Relevant Research

Scite.Ai stands out as a popular literature review tool that transforms the research process for scholars. With its innovative citation analysis feature, Scite.Ai enables researchers to evaluate the credibility and impact of scientific articles. By providing valuable insights, researchers can make informed decisions when incorporating scientific articles into their work.

12. Lateral: Find Research and Write Better Papers

Lateral is an AI-powered app that can help you with your academic research. It can help you find relevant research, organize your findings, and write better papers. Lateral uses artificial intelligence to analyze research papers and identify key concepts, relationships, and trends. 

This information can then be used to help you find relevant research, organize your findings, and write better papers. It helps you organize, search, and save information from collections of articles. You can import articles from various sources, create tags and notes, and use natural language queries to find specific information in your collections. You can use Lateral to manage your literature review workflow, keep track of your sources and citations, and access your information anytime and anywhere.

13. DistillerSR: A Trusted Literature Review Tool

DistillerSR is a reliable literature review tool trusted by researchers for its user-friendly interface and advanced search capabilities. With DistillerSR, researchers can quickly identify relevant studies from multiple databases, saving time and effort in the literature review process.

14. Consensus AI: Find Research Answers Quickly

If you are looking for a way to quickly and easily find answers from scientific research, you might want to try Consensus AI, a new search engine that uses artificial intelligence to extract and distill findings directly from peer-reviewed studies. Consensus AI is a powerful tool that can help you find evidence-based answers from scientific research quickly and easily. You can also use various features to refine your search and explore more options. Consensus AI can help you save time and effort in finding reliable information from scientific research.

15. RAx: The Reading Assistant for Researchers

It is an AI-powered reading assistant that helps you organize, annotate, and collaborate on your research. It helps you fine-tune your literature search, generate summaries, highlight and compare ideas, and share and discuss literature with your team. You can use RAx to create different projects for your research topics, import articles from various sources, annotate them with notes and comments and get personalized suggestions for further reading.

16. Sysrev: AI for Literature Review Screening and Collaboration

Sysrev is an AI-powered tool for article review, screening, collaboration, and data extraction. By leveraging machine learning, Sysrev facilitates the exploration of academic publications, abstracts, and PDF documents. The platform is free and supports public and Open Access projects exclusively.

17. Read by QXMD: Stay Updated on Research in Your Field

Read By QXMD is a versatile literature review tool that is available in an app or browser window. This tool lets users create a daily personalized feed with new research papers on chosen topics or journals. With Read, users can access openly accessible articles with a single click, making it easy to stay up-to-date with the latest research in their field.

Narrative Review: Research's Storyteller

Narrative reviews weave a well-structured account that reads like a cohesive story, providing a comprehensive overview of a specific research topic. These reviews often incorporate historical context and offer a broad understanding of the subject matter, making them valuable for researchers looking to establish foundational knowledge of their area of interest. They are handy when a historical perspective or a broad context is necessary to comprehend a field's current state of knowledge.

Systematic Review: The Gold Standard of Literature Reviews

Systematic reviews are renowned for their methodological rigor. They involve a meticulously structured process that systematically selects relevant studies, extracts comprehensive data, and synthesizes their findings. This systematic approach minimizes bias and subjectivity, making systematic reviews highly reliable and objective. They are considered the gold standard for evidence-based research as they provide a clear and rigorous assessment of the available evidence on a specific research question.

Meta-Analysis: The Power of Numbers

Meta-analysis is a powerful method for researchers who prefer a quantitative and statistical perspective. It involves the statistical synthesis of data from various studies, allowing researchers to draw more precise and generalizable conclusions by combining data from multiple sources. Meta-analyses are especially valuable when the aim is to quantitatively measure the effect size or impact of a particular intervention, treatment, or phenomenon.

Scoping Review: An Early Exploration Tool

Scoping reviews are invaluable tools, especially for researchers in the early stages of exploring a topic. These reviews aim to map the existing literature, identify gaps, and help clarify research questions. Scoping reviews provide a panoramic view of the available research, which is particularly useful when researchers are starting exploratory studies or trying to understand the breadth and depth of a subject before conducting more focused research.

Researchers today face more challenges than ever when it comes to literature reviews. The shift from qualitative to quantitative research in academic circles has increasingly emphasized data collection and analysis. Literature reviews, once considered a mere summary of existing knowledge on a topic, are now considered essential for identifying knowledge gaps and informing subsequent research. 

Today, literature reviews can involve extensive data collection from diverse sources, including academic journals, repositories, social media, podcasts, books, websites, and more. The problem? There is so much content that conducting a thorough literature review has become a gargantuan task. Otio is designed to help researchers lighten the load when collecting and organizing existing knowledge on a topic.  

Otio: Your AI Research Assistant in the Age of Overload  

Research has never been easy. But today, the volume of existing content on any given topic can be overwhelming. To make matters worse, the tools available to researchers are often fragmented, complex, and manual. This means knowledge workers, researchers, and students can navigate these cumbersome processes independently. Otio is designed to help researchers tackle literature reviews, lighten the load, and get on with their original research.  

Otio Collects Data From Diverse Sources  

Otio helps researchers collect various data sources , from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos. With Otio, you can organize your research quickly - before you even read a single article. 

This AI-native research tool helps you to go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster. Here are our top features that researchers love: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enables you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, as well as AI-assisted writing. 

• How To Identify Theoretical Framework In An Article • Graduate School Reading • Research Tools • AI For Academic Research • Research Paper Organizer • Best AI Tools For Research • Zotero Alternatives • Zotero Vs Endnote • Mendeley Alternative • Literature Matrix Generator • ChatGPT For Research Papers • Unriddle AI Alternatives • AI For Summarizing Research Papers • Sharly AI Alternatives • ChatGPT Literature Review

Aug 15, 2024

8 Best Research Paper Organizer Tools For Easy Management

Aug 14, 2024

Comparing Zotero Vs Endnote (Which One Is Better?)

Join over 50,000 researchers changing the way they read & write

Chrome Extension

© 2024 Frontdoor Labs Ltd.

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

Refund Policy

Join thousands of other scholars and researchers

Try Otio Free

© 2023 Frontdoor Labs Ltd.

HSCI 702 Health Sciences Scholarship and Literature

• Course Description

An intensive engagement with contemporary health sciences literature. This course will focus particularly on critical thinking, assessment, and the type of synthesis needed for writing doctoral literature reviews. Here students will be looking for how to identify gaps in the literature as well as finding literature that addresses and relates to research questions.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

Requires a student login to access.

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

The Literature Review is foundational to the dissertation, and it includes an exploration of theoretical foundations, methodologies, and best practices associated with conducting and writing a literature review. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the purpose and significance of the literature review in the research process, as well as developing the critical thinking and writing skills necessary for synthesizing and analyzing existing scholarship.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations.

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: Literature Review Topic Introduction

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate will complete one discussion in this course. It includes an introduction and a formal Discussion on the candidate’s proposed Literature Review topic. This will be more formal than most discussions as this is a doctoral course.  In an initial thread of at least 800 words in length, the candidate will analyze the literature review section of a dissertation pulled from the Jerry Falwell Library’s Digital Commons, Scholar’s Crossing. The candidate will also identify his/her own chosen topic for the literature review within the thread. The student will submit the initial thread within a Word document formatted according to APA style, complete with a reference page. For the initial thread, the candidate must support his/her assertations with at least 3 peer-reviewed sources cited in APA format. After this, the candidate will post 2 replies of at least 500 words in length. Each reply must incorporate sources published within the last five years. In addition to the minimum number of peer-reviewed sources, the Galvin and Galvin course textbook and the Bible must be used and cited in the initial thread and replies. The candidate will be graded on content, writing style, mechanics, organization, APA format, and clarity.

Literature Review Assignments (4)

Literature Review: Overview Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will create an overview document at least 5 pages in length (excluding the title, abstract, and reference pages) for his/her literature review. The overview must include a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources published within the last five years. The Galvin and Galvin textbook and the Bible must also be used and cited. The required components of the literature review overview are included within the assignment instructions in Canvas. A reference list should be included. The candidate should be sure to also incorporate any feedback he/she has received within the Discussion: Literature Review Topic Identification from his/her instructor regarding his/her topic selection into the overview assignment. The overview should be formatted in current APA format.

Literature Review: Outline Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will write a 7-10-page (excluding front and back matter) essay in current APA format written in a Word document. This essay will serve as the outline to the candidate’s literature review. The candidate should be sure to conform to the order of headings and include all required sections of the outline as mentioned within the assignment instructions. The candidate may use additional headings for any other needed sections and/or subsections, but the general order of the headings within the instructions must still be maintained. A minimum of 15 citations are required in addition to the Galvin and Galvin course text and the Bible. Acceptable sources include peer-reviewed sources that have been published within the last five years and/or seminal works for the theory you have selected (which can be published more than 5 years ago).

Literature Review: Initial Draft Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will create an initial draft of the literature review in preparation for the dissertation. The essay should be written in a Word document, be 10 pages in length, and be in current APA format.  The initial draft should include all of the required elements of the literature review as mentioned within the assignment instructions in Canvas. A minimum of 15 sources are required in addition to the Galvin and Galvin course textbook and the Bible Acceptable sources include peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years and/or seminal works for the theory the candidate has selected (which can be over 5 years old).

Literature Review: Final Draft Assignment

The candidate will develop a final draft of the literature review containing a minimum of 15 full pages of content (excluding the title and reference list pages) written in a Word document. The final draft should include, at a minimum, all of the required components of the literature review as listed within the assignment instructions in Canvas. It must also use appropriate APA format and incorporate instructor feedback and course content from previous weeks in the course. A minimum of 15 sources are required in addition to the Galvin and Galvin course text and the Bible. The sources used should generally be ones the candidate used within the initial draft assignment (it is understood that the candidate may have added, removed, and/or swapped some sources from the Initial Draft assignment; he/she should just be sure to meet the source requriements for this assignment). Acceptable sources include peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years and/or seminal works for the theory the candidate has selected (may be older than 5 years).

Theory Identification Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will select two theories that will serve as foundational and formative for the literature review for his/her dissertation topic. The candidate will select two articles that discuss significant theories that are written by the primary theorists to serve as the basis for his/her analysis of his/her chosen theories. The candidate’s articles must be primary sources or seminal works regarding the selected theories. For each theory, the candidate will use the provided template to complete some assigned prompts, filling in each section of the template with the relevant information about the chosen article.  The candidate should refer to the assignment in Canvas for a further breakdown of the assignment requriements.

Synthesis Paper Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will need to write a 4-7-page (excluding front and back matter) essay in a Word document. Generally using the references he/she selected previously from the Literature Review: Initial Draft Assignment (it is understood that the candidate may have added, removed, and/or swapped some sources from the Initial Draft assignment; he/she should just be sure to meet the source requriements for this assignment), the candidate will synthesize the literature in the essay and present his/her findings and perspectives. Further breakdown of the synthesis paper requirements can be found within the assignment instructions in Canvas. A minimum of 15 sources are required in addition to the course text and the Bible for this assignment. Acceptable sources include peer-reviewed sources published within the last five year and/or seminal works for the theory the candidate has selected (may be more than 5 years old).

Quiz: Academic and Scholarly Writing

This quiz will cover the Learn material for the module in which it is assigned. This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice and true/false questions, be limited to 1 hour and 30 minutes in length, and allow for one attempt.

Have questions about this course or a program?

Speak to one of our admissions specialists.

Inner Navigation

• Assignments

Have questions?

Are you ready to change your future?

Apply FREE This Week*

Request Information

*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

Request Information About a Program

Request info about liberty university online, what program are you interested in, choose a program level.

Choose a program level

Bachelor’s

Master’s

Certificate

Select a Field of Study

Select a field of study

Select a Program

Select a program

Next: Contact Info

Legal first name.

Enter legal first name

Legal Last Name

Enter legal last name

Enter an email address

Enter a phone number

Full Address

Enter an address

Apt., P.O. Box, or can’t find your address? Enter it manually instead .

Select a Country

Street Address

Enter Street Address

Enter State

ZIP/Postal Code

Enter Zip Code

Back to automated address search

Start my application now for FREE