Challenges in the literature search during the process of conducting a systematic literature review for the conceptualisation of critical thinking

Abstract

This article discusses challenges in the literature search during the process of conducting a systematic literature review for the conceptualisation of critical thinking. The literature search process is described in two interconnected stages: the selection of journals and the sampling of articles. Analysis is followed by discussion, which also includes the subjective reasoning and reflections of the project team. The process of searching the relevant literature for a systematic literature review was presented in order to discuss the initial stage before literature analysis that very often remains a “grey area” and is still underrepresented in the literature. The process of selecting journals and sampling articles was impacted by objective limitations such as language and availability of access of material, as well as by subjective limitations which required flexibility in adjusting the envisaged research plan. These factors led to the unique path by which the research team processed the search and coped with methodological challenges. Some lessons, like the necessity of additional time, were already known and experienced during earlier research; however, they showed themselves in other aspects. Some lessons, such as not limiting the literature review to articles from Q1 journals, were new and unexpected, and led to the decision to discuss these challenges, thus enriching a very limited analysis on methodological issues of the literature search process for the term conceptualisation. This article focuses on how material on critical thinking for the literature review was sought, rather than the content that was found. This experience is intended to broaden the understanding of the initial phase in a systematic literature review process and to help increase awareness of what preparation for a literature review actually means.