a Not applicable.
Table 3 summarizes the intersection of the 3 domains of SDT and 5 categories of game taxonomy (n=9). On the basis of our findings, game elements that should be inserted in a proposed SG framework for children with chronic diseases include feedback, such as tailored messages and links to social media (social); visual designs, such as images, videos, animations, and cartoons, and audio designs, such as music and sounds (presentation); avatars, characters, and emotions (identity); storyline (narrative); rewards and progress bar (rewards and punishments); and challenges, choices, competitions, goals, rules, levels, and tasks (manipulation and control). Details of the intersection of SDT and game taxonomy (n=9) are described in Table S8 in Multimedia Appendix 1 .
Self-determination theory of the proposed SD framework | Game taxonomy | ||||
Social features | Presentation | Narrative and identity | Rewards and punishments | Manipulation and control | |
Competence | — | Educative materials [ , ]: learning content and learning instructions | — | Rewards [ , , , , - ]: points, progress bar, badges, and stars; punishments: NR | Challenges [ , , , , - ]: competitions [ , , , , , , ], levels [ , , , , , , ], tasks [ , , , ], game rules [ , , , ], and goals [ , , , , ] |
Autonomy | — | Presentation: visual design [ , , , , - ]: images, videos, animations, cartoons, and attractive layout; audio design [ , , , - ]: music and sounds | — | — | Choices [ , , , , , ] and difficulty adjustment [ , , , , ] |
Relatedness | Feedback [ , , , , - ]: tailored messages [ , , ] and social media [ , ] | — | Narrative [ , , , , , ]: storyline; identity [ , , , , - ]: avatars, characters, and emotions | — | Motivation [ ] |
b NR: not reported.
Table 4 presents the determination of SG fragments from the included studies (14/30, 47%) and then assembles those SG fragments into a proposed SG framework. Each existing study offered different procedural steps for developing an SG prototype, yet the game elements and behavioral theories complemented each other. Only 50% (7/14) of the studies created SG prototypes [ 24 , 25 , 40 , 47 , 49 , 52 , 53 ]. Of the 14 SG framework studies, 3 (21%) specifically targeted self-management activities [ 21 , 41 , 47 ]. On the basis of these findings, we reintegrated those fragments into 3 main phases with 6 step-by-step procedural techniques.
In phase 1 (requirements), there are 2 important steps, including exploring the idea and SG requirements (step 1) using literature reviews and identifying target users’ needs (step 2) using iterative discussions or interviews. The outputs of phase 1 are relevant theories, game taxonomy, and children’s needs and preferences. In phase 2 (design and development), 2 steps should be considered by designers, including designing the game elements and educative materials (step 3) and building an SG prototype (step 4) using appropriate software programs and hardware equipment. The output of phase 2 is the SG prototype with a game structure. The final phase is phase 3 (evaluation), which is concerned with evaluating the SG prototype using a clinical trial design (step 5) and marketing the SG and monitoring its use (step 6) throughout clinic-based practice. Outputs of phase 3 are health outcome results and the final SG prototype with recommendations for its use.
Study, year | Step 1 (objective definition) | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 (implementation) | Step 5 (monitoring) | |||||
Users’ needs | Game element identification | Game mechanic | Prototyping | |||||||
AlMarshedi et al [ ], 2016 | + | NR | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Baranowski et al [ ], 2011 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Carvalho et al [ ], 2015 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Beristain-Colorado et al [ ], 2021 | + | NR | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Dörrenbächer et al [ ], 2014 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Epstein et al [ ], 2021 | + | + | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Hansen [ ], 2017 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Jaccard et al [ ], 2021 | + | NR | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Khaleghi et al [ ], 2021 | + | + | + | + | + | NR | NR | |||
Mummah et al [ ], 2016 | + | NR | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Starks [ ], 2014 | + | + | + | + | NR | NR | NR | |||
Thompson et al [ ], 2010 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Verschueren et al [ ], 2019 | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |||
Wattanasoontorn et al [ ], 2013 | + | NR | + | + | NR | NR | NR |
a Present or reported.
On the basis of our knowledge base and analytical base, we propose a new SG-based framework that integrates the principles of SDT and game elements into self-management practices, titled Self-Management Interactive Learning and Entertainment for children with chronic diseases, as presented in Figure 3 . It consists of 3 main phases, starting from the requirements of SG educational tools (phase 1), design and development (phase 2), and evaluation of the SG educational tools (phase 3). In total, 2 procedural steps are included in each phase, resulting in 6 procedural steps. Each step has input materials as the foundation to support the actions and process and to produce output materials. Output materials in the first phase (phase 1) can be used as the input for the next phase (phase 2), and so forth. Each phase has critical points, revisions, and adjustments that should be considered by any game designer, researcher, or health care provider who would like to create an SG educational tool. Each game should be suitable for target users and their conditions; for example, an SG educational tool for children with asthma should have specific learning materials (asthma action plans and asthma medications), target goals (improved quality of life), and tasks and challenges (asthma self-management activities, breathing technique, and proper asthma medication use) that might differ from those of other diseases. Figure S1 in Multimedia Appendix 1 shows the gaming and learning structure of an SG prototype that blends SDT domains and game elements. The mechanism of how players achieve the target goal by accomplishing challenges should be set in clear game rules. Children will make their first choice by selecting an avatar or character, directly engaging with the game. Learning materials will help children understand their disease management, yet the game instructions will help them simultaneously observe challenges and tasks. After completing the tasks, their performance should be rewarded through points or a performance meter.
A robust theoretical SG-based foundation should be established using literature reviews that gather principles of learning theories, behavioral theories, and game theories. This step is aimed at exploring SG requirements by searching for evidence related to game-based behavior change programs for children using electronic databases, for example, behavioral and game theories. If such evidence is not available, it is recommended to consult established game developers and collect perspectives from target audiences regarding obstacles in their daily lives [ 21 ]. According to Bramer et al [ 56 ], critical points include how to determine a clear and focused research question, how to choose databases and interfaces to begin, how to use an appropriate search technique, and how to document and translate collected documents. After determining relevant SG literature, game elements and behavioral theories should be translated and adopted for use by children with chronic diseases. Relevant articles can be used as inputs to conduct iterative discussions to identify users’ needs.
Step 2 began through iterative discussions with a multidisciplinary, collaborative team. The iterative approach refers to the iterative process of refining, creating, and revising a project until agreement is achieved, and it is commonly used for agile software development [ 57 ]. The aim of this step is to collect perspectives on identifying users’ profiles and needs, their daily difficulties and barriers related to their chronic conditions, and target outcomes [ 7 ]. In this step, critical points emphasize what the players’ backgrounds are, what age groups are considered, to which chronic conditions would the SG educational tool be applied, how many users would be involved in the game, and what outcomes need to be achieved [ 53 ]. A multidisciplinary team consisting of pediatricians, child psychologists, child educators, game prototype designers, and multimedia experts [ 54 ] needs to identify resilient attitudes and consistent stimuli that suit children’s characteristics. Designers should carefully identify users’ cultures, beliefs, mindset, and literacy to concisely adopt those preferences into the game’s elements [ 24 ]. Directly involving children through focus group discussions or in-depth interviews will help the team gamify self-management tasks based on their needs and level of understanding, including medication adherence, physical exercise, and maintenance of healthy dietary habits.
A key driver for successful SG education is consolidating a balance between self-management tasks (serious) and game elements (entertainment) [ 6 , 58 ]. This step aims to design the mechanism and user interface of the game itself by consolidating the most appropriate behavioral theories, learning materials, and game elements. Designers begin to create a prototype after establishing selected relevant theories, game elements, and users’ needs and outcomes (input). First, designers should elucidate selected, well-established behavioral and learning theories into educational materials and game taxonomy into appropriate game elements for children. Game designers should consider several critical points, including what topics are inserted into the learning materials, which game elements are best suited to achieve the desired outcomes, and how interacting with the game can lead to targeted behaviors [ 49 ]. The educational materials should contain disease information, including its pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, treatments and medications, self-management, side effects, the importance of adherence, and daily practices.
It is recommended to insert game elements that offer enjoyment to stimulate children to play, at the same time directly motivating them to learn [ 51 ]. Cartoon characters, genres, and stories represent personalization for children [ 52 ]. To grow children’s mindset, challenges should be designed with competitive levels and rewards provided when a mission is accomplished [ 12 ]. A role model with a positive attitude should be inserted into the SG design to encourage children to become masters of practicing self-management activities. Adding these elements facilitates children responding when confronted with conflicts [ 50 ] and enhances their sense of resilience. It is important to design an SG prototype that mimics real-world circumstances by setting precise goals and instructing players to perform targeted skills over time [ 25 ]. It is also suggested to embed the features of feedback, a progress bar, or trend alerts to evaluate their performance after completing the challenges.
Step 4 aims to develop an actual prototype based on the selected behavioral theories and game elements. It requires extensive discussions with researchers, multimedia experts, and the game industry to integrate the technology into a game console. A graphic user interface should be built to present the set of game rules. Designers may consider facilitating level adjustments if children fail to win to maintain the developed mindset. Critical points are how the prototype can be built for efficient learning and playing, how to perform such tasks, and how to rapidly respond regarding those performances. Esthetics is an essential aspect to be considered. Game visuals can be appropriately created using 2D or 3D formats [ 55 ]. Music and animation can be added to enhance excitement and enjoyment. To effectively promote self-management tasks, virtual reality SGs should be equipped with body movement tools that specifically target childhood chronic diseases that involve physical disabilities [ 50 ]. Moreover, privacy should be protected because SG prototypes can be used in multiplayer settings, and the accessibility to enter measured data should be restricted [ 13 ].
Step 5 focuses on evaluating the efficacy of the SG educational tools and unexpected effects after implementation. This step allows researchers to gather feedback from experts and children for further improvements [ 20 , 59 ]. A pilot test, followed by a clinical trial, is recommended, which quantitatively analyzes how the prototype achieves the intended outcomes and qualitatively explores users’ experiences. An RCT study design is preferred due to its high quality. The ability to perform a task at an expected level and with minimal adverse events may be set as the intended outcome. It should be carefully determined how long participants will be engaged in the game, how many sessions a child needs to reach the goals, and how long it takes to complete a session. A short duration is associated with unfamiliarity with the tasks, whereas a long duration leads to boredom [ 60 ].
Moreover, health outcomes, including clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes, should be periodically evaluated [ 61 ]. Clinical outcomes may include symptom improvement and reduction of morbidity, whereas humanistic outcomes may include knowledge and attitudes, behavior changes, and an improved mindset. As no economic outcomes were available in the studies in this review, researchers are encouraged to evaluate economic outcomes when using the prototype. Possible unexpected impacts of SG interventions on aggressive behaviors should also be evaluated, especially for SG interventions that encompass violent elements [ 62 , 63 ]. Continued discussions with clinicians are still relevant to ensure that the game world setting can be applied to the real world.
Disseminating and promoting a well-evaluated SG educational tool can enhance access to a broader population that may benefit the most and promptly inform the game industry to invest in such interventions. Commercialization of an SG educational tool for children remains a challenge due to the need for high-end technologies, animated multimedia design, artists, illustrators, and other consoles. Gameplay is rapidly changing due to advances in technology, and it should be developed in line with current modalities to minimize the obsolescence of software and hardware [ 39 ]. To ensure market readiness, business experts should be consulted and involved throughout the process. It is recommended for researchers to accelerate partnerships with the gaming industry for sustainable SG maintenance.
Specific practice skills can be designed in a modest simulation. For example, children with type 1 diabetes should be able to use insulin regularly, exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and be aware of the signs of hypoglycemia. Modest instruction will help clinicians in applying SG education for children with chronic diseases in the real world. It is important to underline that an excellent performance in the game world is not directly associated with mastery in the real world. Practicing self-management skills, such as physical activities and medication use, should regularly be guided by health care professionals. It may be relevant to consult with policy makers and health care associations regarding the establishment of policies and recommendations for appropriate uses of SG educational tools in clinical practice. Postmarketing feedback should continually be collected to improve the SG’s quality.
This scoping review proposed a digital framework to design SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases. The SG framework consists of 3 main strategies to guide the planning, design and development, and implementation of SG educational tools to allow children to practice self-management skills for their chronic condition. Major considerations of how each step is conceptualized, including a theory-driven foundation, contents of health education, joyful reinforcement, and use of technology, were discussed. The game elements and game structure should engage children’s attention and support them in performing gamified self-management tasks, changing their mindset, and increasing their self-care abilities.
Implementation of SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases has been demonstrated in several previous works [ 8 , 9 , 58 ], specifically concerning health education [ 55 , 64 ], physical activities [ 65 , 66 ], and self-management [ 9 , 67 , 68 ]; however, none of them offer a theory-driven framework for behavior change. It has been suggested that researchers articulate a scientific framework for the design of SG educational tools [ 65 ]. Although behavioral and self-management interventions can be delivered to children from 5 to 18 years of age [ 67 , 68 ], the health educational content is not applicable to the entire age range. Educational materials for children should be supplemented with communication skills, whereas activities for adolescents should focus on self-monitoring and problem-solving [ 69 ]. Multidisciplinary teamwork from conception to marketing is strongly emphasized [ 64 ], which was accommodated in this framework throughout the proposed phases.
As game-based interventions are continually growing, researchers are considering developing SG educational tools for children, but questions about how to get started have been raised. Developing an SG educational tool is expensive; therefore, several aspects should be carefully considered before initiating development of SG educational tools, including securing funding and building a collaborative team [ 69 ]. Developing SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases differs from entertainment-only video games due to their unique components of behavioral theories and learning materials to boost self-management practices and promote positive behavior changes. For example, children with asthma may need knowledge about preventing asthma triggers and adhering to medication, whereas children with cystic fibrosis may need more physical rehabilitation activities than children with other chronic respiratory diseases. Some of them may need specific, scheduled physical activities, whereas others may need the efforts of encouragement or psychological support and companionship. That is why the game design should be able to address those needs.
Establishing a solid team, which involves experienced game developers or game companies, should be noted. Once members are chosen, clear ground responsibilities and expectations regarding the prototype design should be established. The health care professional team can develop appropriate health learning contents and discuss those materials with the game developer team to analyze and resolve potential problems before programming and prototyping. As there is no reimbursement for SG use as a medical treatment [ 69 ], acquiring available funding and resources should be prioritized.
Developing appropriate SG educational tools for the specific needs of children with chronic diseases remains a challenge due to the huge investment from ideas to implementation. As the market for SG-based interventions expands across health conditions, there is a trend for SG education to be included as a supportive intervention rather than merely as pure entertainment [ 23 ].
On the basis of our heterogeneous results, the procedure through which SG educational tools deliver content might not be the only key contributor to achieve the targeted goals because the intervention should be focused not only on the learning materials but also on the intertwined mechanism of game elements and the elements of behavioral theory. In the context of game-based learning, self-management practices will be correctly performed if users are enjoying themselves, which means having the propensity to engage, blend, and learn. From this perspective, we raised several considerations on the potential of game elements to enhance intrinsic motivation, including how much autonomy (videos, animations or cartoons, choices, and difficulty adjustments of the challenges) must be given to children during play, how can relatedness (narrative or storyline, avatars, characters, and tailored messages) between children and the game be built into SG educational tools, and how can a child’s level of competence be defined to challenge them.
Several critical points in each step were pointed out for game designers to avoid failure. First, there can be failure to define suitable educative materials and targeted behaviors for children with specific difficulties. Second, one can fail to generate a dynamic between players and the game while, at the same time, players have to obtain new learning from the SG educational tools. Game levels were revealed to engage players with a positive learning effect; however, this should be in line with the player’s skills and cognitive development. A high-challenge game with low-skill, fixed-mindset users may induce frustration; meanwhile, a low-challenge game for users with high skills and a growth mindset may generate feelings of triviality [ 6 ]. Given rapid trends in digital technology, SG prototypes should be continually adjusted to prevent them from becoming hackneyed by the time the evaluation trial is finished.
Safety aspects of SG educational tools should be of general concern because these tools are considered a persuasive technology for changing human behaviors. Game-based interventions appear to be most effective in users aged <18 years [ 23 ]; nevertheless, children and adolescents vary in their ability to master a mission. Children may feel engaged with customizable avatars, but some of these may contain violent characters [ 19 ]. Game designers should ensure that the SG intervention is not dangerous or does not increase risks to children, such as by promoting sedentary or aggressive behaviors [ 47 ] or increasing the risk of physical injuries due to practicing skills. Several harmful risks are associated with sleep disorders and internet gaming disorders, such as anxiety, unsuccessful attempts at control, and jeopardizing environments [ 19 , 70 ].
The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated concerns about the influence of digital media on the health and cognitive development of children at the ages of 0 to 5 years, and it has proposed limiting screen use to 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 5 years [ 71 ]. It is also recommended to avoid screen time 1 to 2 hours before bedtime for children and adolescents. In 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommended the 20-20-20 rule, described as a 20-second break every 20 minutes by looking 20 feet away to prevent and relieve digital eyestrain [ 72 ].
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified gaming behaviors among children, especially during school closures, and this garnered the concern of policy makers and health care professionals [ 15 ]. Sedentary time in children with chronic diseases might have increased [ 73 ] as parents were not well prepared for it due to their attention being focused on social and economic burdens caused by the pandemic. Several SG educational tools were developed during the pandemic to stimulate in-home physical rehabilitation [ 74 , 75 ] and improve anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents [ 76 ], and those positive behavioral outcomes should be maintained. Even though the pandemic situation has improved, some parents are continuing to work remotely while simultaneously caring for children, leading to obstacles to maintaining children’s learning, especially in households of a low socioeconomic status [ 77 ].
Educational, game-based interventions for the post–COVID-19 era should be integrated with appropriate recommendations for their use. Individualized family media use plans are strongly recommended; hence, parental control is central when exposing children to digital media [ 70 ]. It is considered important for parents to accompany their children during screen use to foster an effective learning process by understanding the game structure, supporting children in controlling playing times, and monitoring their activities. Instead of giving punishment as a disciplinary matter, by playing together, parents can understand more about SG educational tools and how they can facilitate parent-child interactions. As parents become familiar with their children’s games, they will be able to encourage their children to achieve the intended outcomes and avoid addictive behaviors [ 78 ].
This scoping review has a few limitations. This framework was developed based on a review of the most relevant SG educational tools in several RCTs and SG framework studies instead of a direct participatory approach involving health care professionals and children. When comparing the effects of SG educational tools, most RCTs (9/16, 56%) only captured improvements in humanistic outcomes, such as knowledge [ 57 ] and enjoyment. Studies on improving clinical outcomes were limited, and none provided economic outcome evaluations. This is in line with the findings of a previous review that presented a lack of clinical evidence of the implementation of SG educational tools in children with neurodevelopmental disorders [ 79 ]. Several studies (5/16, 31%) evaluated changes in knowledge over a relatively short duration on beneficial effects on behaviors. Exploration is still needed as to which game elements can have higher effects on self-management and behavior changes. Moreover, issues of maintenance of intended behaviors after exposure to SG interventions should be carefully addressed. With the limitations of the available literature, this framework should be tested in further studies.
This framework provides a theory-driven step-by-step approach to help health educators, clinicians, game developers, and policy makers more efficiently develop SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases. Understanding how to integrate the power of SG educational tools offers significant promise for promoting health behavior changes. Only 4% of the top-rated health apps apply the concepts of gamification [ 80 ], indicating that the opportunity to develop high-quality SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases is still wide open. Further research should explore the needs for culture-specific SG educational tools and investigate the mediators of behavior change.
A framework of SG-based educational tools promoting self-management activities and behavior changes in children with chronic diseases was developed by incorporating behavioral principles and mechanisms of SGs. It expedites the translation of fundamental behavioral theories and game elements into a scaled-up industrial level in which digital-based game interventions are being created to enhance children’s participation and motivation. The effectiveness of SG educational tools in achieving targeted behaviors depends on key designs and elements of how they address problems and mindsets of children with difficulties. Underpinning appropriate behavioral theories, learning materials, game elements, esthetics, and technology should be considered in all phases of research. The design, development, and evaluation of SG educational tools for children with chronic diseases need to be broadly explored with the support of a well-validated game-based framework and the deployment of advanced technologies.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
MAS contributed to the conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, writing—original draft, and visualization. YHL contributed to formal analysis and writing—review and editing. FYC contributed to visualization and writing—review and editing. HYC contributed to conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, resources, writing—review and editing, supervision, project administration, and funding acquisition. All authors contributed to data interpretation and manuscript preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
None declared.
Supplementary tables and figures.
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist.
context-mechanism-output |
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews |
randomized controlled trial |
self-determination theory |
serious game |
Edited by S Ma; submitted 06.06.23; peer-reviewed by R Gorantla, K Spruyt, T Baranowski; comments to author 20.12.23; revised version received 13.04.24; accepted 25.06.24; published 19.08.24.
©Made Ary Sarasmita, Ya-Han Lee, Fan-Ying Chan, Hsiang-Yin Chen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 19.08.2024.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (ISSN 1438-8871), is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
In specifying precisely one's research topic, one is also specifying appropriate limitations on the research. Limiting, for example, by time, personnel, gender, age, location, nationality, etc. results in a more focused and meaningful topic. Scope of the Literature Review. It is also important to determine the precise scope of the literature ...
It will take time to locate and review the literature relevant to your research question. Starting early will allow you sufficient time to gather and review your sources. The process of writing a literature review normally includes the following elements: 1. Defining your research question. 2. Planning the approach to your review and research. 3.
Scope. A literature review may be comprehensive or selective but should examine seminal or principal works and works that have been consequential in the field. The scope of a literature review will vary by assignment and discipline. The literature review may be part of a larger work or a stand-alone article, meaning that it is the entirety of a ...
Define the Scope Search the Literature Analyze the Literature Synthesize the Literature Write the Review. 3 Skim to identify relevant: • Empirical and theoretical literature ... literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a
A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge, identifies gaps, and highlights key findings in the literature. 1 The purpose of a literature review is to situate your own research within the context of existing scholarship ...
Defining the topic. Identifying a well-defined research question is the first step for writing a literature review. It should focus on something from the research field that needs to be explored, where there are gaps in the information. This will ensure that your contribution is valuable and that you are providing readers with a different angle ...
Your introduction should also outline your topic (including any tricky terminology or jargon) and provide an explanation of the scope of your literature review - in other words, what you will and won't be covering (the delimitations).This helps ringfence your review and achieve a clear focus.The clearer and narrower your focus, the deeper you can dive into the topic (which is typically ...
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.
A literature review is an integrated analysis-- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.
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. There are five key steps to writing a literature review: Search for relevant literature. Evaluate sources. Identify themes, debates and gaps.
Example: Predictors and Outcomes of U.S. Quality Maternity Leave: A Review and Conceptual Framework: 10.1177/08948453211037398 ; Systematic review: "The authors of a systematic review use a specific procedure to search the research literature, select the studies to include in their review, and critically evaluate the studies they find." (p. 139).
2.2 Aims of reviews of interventions. Systematic reviews can address any question that can be answered by a primary research study. This Handbook focuses on a subset of all possible review questions: the impact of intervention(s) implemented within a specified human population. Even within these limits, systematic reviews examining the effects of intervention(s) can vary quite markedly in ...
An example outline for a Literature Review might look like this: Introduction. Background information on the topic & definitions; Purpose of the literature review; Scope and limitations of the review (what is included /excluded) Body. Historical background ; Overview of the existing research on the topic; Principle question being asked
What is a literature review?A literature review is more than a list. of bibliographic references. A good literature review surveys and critiques the body of literatu. in your field of interest. It enables you to position your research in the broader academic community, synthesise existing ideas and arguments without adding your own, and ...
Describe the organization of the review (the sequence) If necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope) Body - summative, comparative, and evaluative discussion of literature reviewed. For a thematic review: organize the review into paragraphs that present themes and identify trends relevant to your topic
Be thorough: Explore a variety of literature including journal articles and books. Carefully review the abstract of each research article you find and decide if it fits within the scope of your literature review. Keep track of your searches and keywords; Use reference lists in published sources to find more literature
A scoping review is a type of knowledge synthesis that uses a systematic and iterative approach to identify and synthesize an existing or emerging body of literature on a given topic. 1 While there are several reasons for conducting a scoping review, the main reasons are to map the extent, range, and nature of the literature, as well as to determine possible gaps in the literature on a topic ...
SCOPING REVIEW. Conducted to address broad research questions with the goal of understanding the extent of research that has been conducted. Provides a preliminary assessment of the potential size and scope of available research literature. It aims to identify the nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research)
A literature review is a critical summary and evaluation of the existing research (e.g., academic journal articles and books) on a specific topic. It is typically included as a separate section or chapter of a research paper or dissertation, serving as a contextual framework for a study. Literature reviews can vary in length depending on the ...
A literature review should connect to the study question, guide the study methodology, and be central in the discussion by indicating how the analyzed data advances what is known in the field. ... This book addresses different types of literature reviews and offers important suggestions pertaining to defining the scope of the literature review ...
Researchers may conduct scoping reviews instead of systematic reviews where the purpose of the review is to identify knowledge gaps, scope a body of literature, clarify concepts or to investigate research conduct. While useful in their own right, scoping reviews may also be helpful precursors to systematic reviews and can be used to confirm the ...
The Literature Review portion of a scholarly article is usually close to the beginning. It often follows the introduction, or may be combined with the introduction.The writer may discuss his or her research question first, or may choose to explain it while surveying previous literature.. If you are lucky, there will be a section heading that includes "literature review".
Sometimes the literature review you need isn't one that answers a narrow question: for that we would use a systematic review to determine, for example, the best workplace-based assessment tool for a pediatric residency program. ... Finally, the scope of a SotA review can extend beyond peer-reviewed literature. Weaknesses. The purpose and ...
Timeframe: 12+ months, (same amount of time as a systematic review or longer). Question: Answers broader questions beyond those related to the effectiveness of treatments or interventions. A priori review protocol is recommended. Sources and searches: Is still as comprehensive as a systematic review but much broader. May involve multiple structured searches rather than a single structured search.
With this motivation in this paper, a number of pieces of literature reviewed related to hydrometeorology, fall directly and indirectly within this category. Through such a review, the scope of research in hydro-meteorology in the state can be illustrated.
The present literature review was based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) method, using a checklist, which is linked to a flow diagram of three phases: identification, screening and inclusion. PRISMA is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
2.1. Theoretical framework. The UGT propounds that each user has unique wants and motivations that determine how each one uses a particular medium or piece of technology to achieve his/her goals (Bracken & Lombard, Citation 2001; Katz et al., Citation 1973; Pantano et al., Citation 2023).This theory argues that people actively seek out media and content for specific uses and to achieve ...
The aim of this study is to analyze the gastronomy festivals in Türkiye within the scope of the United Nations sustainable development goals.,In line with this purpose, a systematic review approach, which is a qualitative research method, was adopted as the method of the study. ... Systematic literature review was used to analyze the data ...
Background: Digital serious games (SGs) have rapidly become a promising strategy for entertainment-based health education; however, developing SGs for children with chronic diseases remains a challenge. Objective: In this study, we attempted to provide an updated scope of understanding of the development and evaluation of SG educational tools and develop a framework for SG education ...