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Practical Research 1
Quarter 3 – Module 17:
Synthesizing Information
From Related Literature
Practical Research 1 – Grade 11
Quarter 3 – Module 17: Synthesizing Information From Related Literature
First Edition, 2020

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Practical Research 1
Quarter 3 – Module 17:
Synthesizing Information
From Related Literature
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to
use this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress
while allowing them to manage their own learning at home.
Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as
they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

As a learner, you must learn to become responsible of your own
learning. Take time to read, understand, and perform the different
activities in the module.
As you go through the different activities of this module be
reminded of the following:
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on
any part of the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in
answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer Let’s Try This before moving on to the
other activities.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking
your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are
done.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this
module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always
bear in mind that you are not alone. We hope that through this
material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain deep
understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
Information about this ADM learner’s material
I. Objective: The learner demonstrates
Ia. Content Standard understanding of the criteria in
selecting, citing, and synthesizing
related literature.

The learner is able to select, cite, and

Ib. Performance Standard
synthesize properly related literature.

Ic. Learning Competency The learner synthesizes information

from relevant literature.
(CS_RS11-IIIf-j-3)

Synthesizing Information from Relevant

II. Content / Topic
Literature

Good day!

This module for practical research will guide you

in synthesizing information from your relevant
literature. Being able to synthesize information is a
skill that researcher must possess. In addition,
synthesizing information makes your research
cohesive, comprehensive and concise. It will also
turn your manuscript into a scholarly work.
This module is organized to allow self-paced
learning more convenient and easier. Hence,
synthesizing information is highly reliant on the
relevant literature you have selected; I suggest you
have those with you while reading this module.
Should you have any questions, feel free to ask
your parents or contact a teacher for clarification.

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 At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. follow the steps in synthesizing information
from relevant literature; and
2. synthesize information from relevant
literature.

Introduction
Synthesizing is the process of summarizing one step further of the
information drawn from readings the researcher conducted. It is not just
simply restating the important points from text rather it involves combining
ideas and allowing a growing understanding of text (Gaither, 2010). It can
be considered that the researcher’s ability to write syntheses depends on
his ability to infer relationships among sources like: essays, articles, fiction,
and also non-written sources, such as interviews, lectures, and
observations. This process is not new for you, since in life you always infer
relationships all the time. Example, you infer on something you have read
in the tabloids and something you have seen for yourself (Sullivan, 2011).
Synthesis is also defined as the process of crafting a new perspective
by analyzing the likeness and differences among a group of other
perspectives. Usually, it transpires in academic writing when you are
conveying together multiple sources. “When you do not synthesize your
sources, your writing tends to read like a grocery list of ingredients rather
than a fully cooked meal” (Library Information Tutorials, 2020).

Aha! I understand that you are now excited for this

lesson.

So, let’s get it on!

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(Activity 1) WORD WHEEL
Instruction: Guess the word by arranging the letters inside the wheel. The
letter on the center will be the first letter of the word. Letters
within a word are given as your clue.

1. c__ __ __ s __ __ n 2. c__ __ c__ __ e

3. l__ __ e__ __ __ u __ __e 4. s__ __ __ a __ i __ __ e

Great job! Did you have fun doing the activity?

I hope you have been energized for more exciting
challenges that await you.

Now you’re ready! The words you found there

are the keys for you to understand how you can
synthesize information using relevant literature.

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(Activity 2)
Guide Questions:

1. What words did you discover in the previous activity?

______________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think those words are for in research?

______________________________________________________________________

Lesson: Synthesizing Information from

Relevant Literature

Synthesis refers to combining multiple sources and ideas. As a writer,

you will use information from several sources to create new ideas based on
your analysis of what you have read (Ashford University, 2019).
In writing a literature review or essay, it is not simply summarizing
the article you have read but you have to go beyond– you need to synthesize
the literature in a sense that you have to show how these literatures fit
together into your own study. Synthesizing simply means combining of the
idea from different sources (McCombes, 2020). In synthesis, the researcher
will put together the ideas and findings of multiple sources in order to make
an overall point. Basically, this refers to reporting the literature in a way
that compares, makes contrasts, and critically analyzes what is found in
existing body of literature in any given field or even across fields. Your
synthesis should show the reader where the sources overlap and where they
differ.

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A visualization of synthesis
Let us try to imagine that you are working with five sources for a
paragraph, as represented by the five colored circles below.

SOURCE SOURCE SOURCE SOURCE SOURCE

A B C D E

As you notice in the figure above, it shows that there are no

connections between the sources; the five sources are simply listed in some
arbitrary order. What if we are going to synthesize the sources? That could
be possible by noting the similarities and differences between the sources
and mapping them accordingly.

SOURCE
A
SOURCE
E
SOURCE SOURCE
C B

SOURCE
D

Assuming that Sources A, B, and C make similar arguments, so they

are grouped together. You also noticed that Source B and Source E share a
similar concept, so they are linked together. But perhaps Source E does not
make the same argument as Sources A, B, and C, and Source D is
completely out there on its own. So you can now see that there are several
possibilities for synthesizing these sources.

Synthesizing Information from Relevant Literature

At this point, you will learn how to synthesize information in four easy
steps adapted from Shona McCombes (2020). The four steps are as follows:

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organize your sources, outline your structure, write paragraphs with topic
sentences, and revise, edit and proofread.

Steps in Synthesizing Information from Relevant Literature

• Organize your sources

•After collecting the relevant literature, you’ve got a lot of information to work
through, and no clear idea of how it all fits together. Before you can start

STEP 1 writing, you need to organize your notes in a way that allows you to see the
relationships between sources.

• Outline your structure

• You have a clear overview of the main connections and differences
between the sources.
STEP 2 • You need to decide how you will group your idea together and the order in
which you will discuss them.

• Write paragraphs with topic sentences

• each paragraph should discuss a few diffrent sources, and you should be
STEP 3 able to condense the overall point of the paragraph into one sentence.

• Revise, Edit and Proofread

• it involves redrafting, revising, editing, and proofreading of your work.
STEP 4

STEP 1. Organize your sources

Let us take these following excerpts of literature and identify the
relevant concept you can draw from the readings. Explore the synthesis
matrix to determine how the following resources were organized.

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Source A

Women in Politics in Kenya: an Analysis of Participation and Barriers

By: Beatrice Anyango , Beatrice Atim Alupo & Maxwell Peprah Opoku
(2018)

Women constitute more than half of the world’s population but their
representation in the political arena has consistently been lower compared to
men. Since representation is important in the allocation of resources, laws have
been passed to guarantee gender parity in decision-making. In Kenya, the 2010
Constitution introduced a two-third gender rule to enhance parity in legislative
bodies at both lower and national legislative bodies. From a sociological
perspective, this paper assessed the extent of participation of women in the
political development of Kenya. The qualitative study used interviews to analyse
the contribution of women in politics. In all, 30 key informants, made up of 11
males and 19 females, were purposively recruited for the study. The study found
that there were hindrances to women’s effective political participation which
included; political environment characterized by violence, discrimination based
on gender and lack of support from fellow women. The study and its implication
for policymaking has been discussed extensively.

Source B

Women representation in politics: local government of Davao city in context

By: Casiple, E., Gonzaga, P., Montante, J., Pates, C., Batar, A., Montana, V.,
Alberca, K., Aragasi, Y., & Ruiz, S. (2019) Unpublished

Women of old times have no political rights and decision-making, only

men. Women were not allowed to participate and exercise their right of suffrage
or the right to vote. In fact, there were restrictions on women’s rights around the
world. At the local community all the way to highest levels of government, women
are often underrepresented in leadership positions. In contrary to the women’s
political participation and leadership in other countries, The Philippine
Constitution guarantees the role of women in nation building that Davao City
also exercises.

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Source C

Women's Political Representation in the Philippines – A Study about Gender

Equality in the Government of the Philippines
By: Sara Souad Lundgren and Vaida Petrosiute (2017)

The purpose of the thesis is to understand and analyze the present

situation of gender equality in politics in the Philippines, investigate women's
opportunities to be politically active and to exercise political influence. Finally find
out if there is a difference in horizontal and vertical positions between women's
and men's representation in politics and investigate further possibilities and
problems that might be associated with women's political representation in the
Philippines.

Source D

A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES AND TEACHER

MORALE
By: Karie Lorraine Hickman March (2017)

The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to determine which

leadership characteristics, traits, and other aspects teachers and
paraprofessionals identified as contributions or hindrances to morale. Participants
included willing administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals from a small
school district in the southeastern United States. The measurement tools utilized
included the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire.
Additionally, some participants were willing to share specifics regarding the
characteristics and behaviors they felt contributed to effective leadership.
Qualitative data was examined in detail for this study, and the findings
established a significant relationship between leadership practices and teacher
morale. In summary, there are many leadership characteristics, traits, and other
aspects teachers and paraprofessionals identified as being impactful on morale.

Source E

Kevin Lanning, Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Autonomy, engagement, and equality are defining features of democracy.

Each of these features illuminates the challenge or incompleteness of our
democratic aspirations: Autonomy or self‐governance is too easily surrendered,
disengagement is evident when roughly half of eligible adults choose not to vote,
and the inequality of our political voices is manifest in many ways, including a
self‐perpetuating relationship between socioeconomic status and political
participation.

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Synthesis Matrix
A synthesis matrix is useful when your sources are more varied in
their purpose and structure – for example, when you are dealing with books
and essays making various different arguments about a topic.
Each column in the table lists one source. Each row is labeled with a
specific concept, topic or theme that recurs across all or most of the
sources.
Then, for each source, you summarize the main points or arguments
related to the theme.
The purpose of the table is to identify the common points that connect
the sources, as well as identifying points where they diverge or disagree.

Synthesis Matrix
Casiple,
Gonzaga,
Montates,
Anyango, Pates,
Lundgren &
Author Alupo & Batar, Hickman Lanning
Petrosiute
Opoku Montana,
(Year) (2017) (2017)
Alberea, (2017)
(2018)
Aragasi,
&Ruiz

(2018)

Theme 1 Women Women of political equality

representati old times inequality are
Women in
on in the have no between men defining
Politics
political political and women features of
arena has rights and has always democracy
consistently decision- been an
been lower making important
compared issue of
to men concern

Theme 2 leadership
characteristics,
Leadership
traits, and other
aspects
teachers and
paraprofessiona
ls identified as
being impactful
on morale.

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STEP 2. Outline your structure
There are few different approaches you can take to structure your
resources. Researcher may organize chronologically, thematically,
methodologically, and theoretically. However, most of the authors
subscribe to thematical approach of organizing relevant information. That
means that each paragraph or section focuses on a specific theme and
explains how that theme is approached in the literature.

STEP 3. Write paragraphs with topic sentences

What sets a synthesis apart from a summary is that it combines
various sources. The easiest way to think about this is that each paragraph
should discuss a few different sources, and you should be able to condense
the overall point of the paragraph into one sentence.
This is called a topic sentence, and it usually appears at the start of
the paragraph. The topic sentence signals what the whole paragraph is
about; every sentence in the paragraph should be clearly related to it.
A topic sentence can be a simple summary of the paragraph’s content.
For an effective synthesis, you can use topic sentences to link back to the
previous paragraph, highlighting a point of debate or critique.
As you write your paragraphs, avoid quoting directly from sources:
use your own words to explain the commonalities and differences that you
found in the literature. Don’t try to cover every single point from every single
source – the key to synthesizing is to extract the most important and
relevant information and combine it to give your reader an overall picture of
the state of knowledge on your topic.
Synthesis
Several researchers have pointed out that women have lesser voice
in politics, frequently outside the decision-making assemblies, and there are
conflicts of interest between men and women. Though equality is a
stronghold in a democratic government but women find it very hard to
compete with men in some context. However, study shows that leadership
character traits can be considered as impactful on morale standards of
being a leader.

STEP 4. Revise, edit and proofread

Like any other piece of academic writing, synthesizing literature
doesn’t happen all in one go – it involves redrafting, revising, editing and
proofreading your work.
Whether you’re synthesizing literature for an essay, a literature

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review, or any other paper, you should make sure you could answer yes to
all of these questions.
Checklist for Synthesis
 Do I mention only the most relevant findings, rather than describing
every part of the studies?
 Do I discuss the similarities or differences between the sources,
rather than summarizing each source in turn?
 Do I put the findings or arguments of the sources in my own words?
 Is the paragraph organized around a single idea?
 Is the paragraph directly relevant to my research question or topic?
 Is there a logical transition from this paragraph to the next one?

By now, you should have understood the mechanics of

synthesizing information from relevant literature. After
this we will have a little practice on how to synthesize
information.

(Activity 3) SYNTHESIZE THESE!

Instruction: Synthesize the following relevant literature about the
psychological effects of bullying to an individual. Let’s assume
as well that we have already conducted steps 1 and 2. After
you synthesize, evaluate your output using the checklist
introduced earlier. (1 -2 sentences)

Kids who had been victims only (who never bullied others) had
greater risk for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, generalized
anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia as adults (Walton, 2013).

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 One longitudinal study led by a group of scientists in Norway
investigated the long-term psychological effects of adolescents. Results of
the study indicated that all groups involved in bullying during
adolescence, both bullies and victims, experienced adverse mental health
outcomes in adulthood. While the victims showed a high level of
depressive symptoms in adulthood, both groups experienced an increased
risk of psychiatric hospitalization due to mental health disorders (Hurley,
2018).

Bully/victims also had elevated rates of childhood psychiatric

disorders, agoraphobia, panic disorder and generalized anxiety.
Interestingly, when bully/victims were followed into young adulthood,
they were at even greater risk of suicidality (suicidal or self-harmful
thoughts) than pure victims. While only 5.7 percent of young adults who
were neither bullies nor victims reported thoughts of suicide, a whopping
24.8 percent of bully/victims reported it. They also had the highest levels
of depression, anxiety and panic disorder. This indicates that something
about the combined nature of both being a bully and being bullied is very
harmful indeed (Steele, 2020).

That was a great warm up wasn’t it? Review your answers

and the concepts in preparation for the next parts.

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 1. Synthesis is the process of creating a new perspective by analyzing
the similarities and differences among a group of other perspectives
usually done in academic writing.
2. There are four easy steps to follow when we synthesize:
Step 1. organize your sources,
Step 2. outline your structure,
Step 3. write paragraphs with topic sentences; and

Step 4. revise, edit and proofread

(Activity 4) CITING MY LITERATURE

Instruction: Based from your selected relevant literature, provide a
synthesis of the information about the research topic you
have chosen. Your output will be assessed based on the
rubric attached.

STEP 1. Organize your sources.

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4
Author, Year

Method

Participants

Findings

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STEP 2. Outline your structure. Write the author in the small oblong
and the theme in the big oblong.

Author

Step 3. Write paragraphs with topic sentences

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Step 4. Revise, Edit, and Proofread

Instruction: Use the checklist for synthesis in assessing your paragraph
Checklist for Synthesis
Do I mention only the most relevant findings, rather than
describing every part of the studies?
Do I discuss the similarities or differences between the sources,
rather than summarizing each source in turn?
Do I put the findings or arguments of the sources in my own
words?
Is the paragraph organized around a single idea?
Is the paragraph directly relevant to my research question or

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 topic?
Is there a logical transition from this paragraph to the next one?

RUBRIC for RRL Synthesis

Exemplary Effective Minimal

Criteria
4 pts 3 pts 1 pt

Goals of the The goal(s) of the Some details about The goal(s) have not
study study are clearly the goal(s) of the been described at all,
explained and study are missing. with sufficient clarity
include all the The goal(s) are or they are offered in
relevant sometimes expressed the words that are
information, with sufficient too close to the
including primary clarity, and original source
and secondary sometimes not so indicating little
goals. clearly. paraphrasing.

Results of The results of the Some details about The results have not
study study are clearly the results of the been described at all,
explained and study are missing. with sufficient clarity
include all the The results are or they are offered in
relevant sometimes expressed the words that are
information, with sufficient too close to the
including primary clarity, and original source
and secondary sometimes not so indicating little
findings. clearly. paraphrasing.

Main Ideas The main ideas The main ideas Main ideas are not
derived from the derived from the been described at all,
paper are clearly paper are not always with sufficient clarity
stated and clearly stated. or they are offered in
effectively linked to Student the words that are
the general topic of demonstrates some too close to the
the research. working knowledge original source
Student clearly of class material indicating little
demonstrates a relative to the article. paraphrasing. There
strong working is no evidence of
knowledge of class understanding or
material relative to elaboration of
the article. knowledge from the
part of the student.

Grammar Sentences are well Sentences are not Sentences are poorly
and organized and easy well organized OR organized and there
Organization to follow. There are there are some are several
no spelling, grammatical errors. grammatical errors.
grammar, or
punctuation errors.

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 Citation Full citation is Citation is provided Citation is not
provided in APA in part in APA style provided
style

Adapted from: https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=T57A8A&sp=yes&

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 17
Let’s Test Ourselves
(Answers vary.)
Let’s Do This
(Answers vary.)
Possible Answer:
Much of the literature claims that children who had been victims only of bullying have
greater tendency for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, panic disorders and
agoraphobia as adults (Walton, 2013; Hurley, 2018).
However, the recent study of Steele (2020) showed that not only the bullied will
have psychological effects but also the bully can develop greater risk of suicidality.
Analysis Let’s Try This
(Answers vary.) 1. Cohesion
2. Concise
3. Literature
4. Summarize
Answer Key
References

Anyango, B., Alupo, B., Opoku, M. (2018). Women in Politics in Kenya: an

Analysis of Participation and Barriers. Pan-African University,
University of Pan-African

Ashford University (n.d.). Synthesis. Retrieved from

https://writingcenter.ashford.edu/synthesis

Casiple, E., Gonzaga, P., Montante, J., Pates, C., Batar, A., Montana, V.,
Alberca, K., Aragasi, Y., & Ruiz, S. (2019). Women representation in
politics: local government of Davao city in context. Davao City National
High School. Unpublished

Gaither, J. (2010). Summarizing and Synthesizing: What’s the Difference?

https://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/climate-change-and-the-
polar-regions/summarizing-and-synthesizing-whats-the-difference

Hickman, K.L. (2017). A qualitative Study on Educational Leadershio Styles

and Teacher Morale.
https://www.cn.edu/libraries/tiny_mce/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager
/files/Dissertations/Dissertations2017/Hickman_Final.pdf

Lanning, K. (2017). Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences,

10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8, (1-3)

Literary Research - Gathering, Evaluating & Synthesizing Data." Study.com.

June 17, 2016. https://study.com/academy/lesson/literary-research-
gathering-evaluating-synthesizing-data.html.

Lundgren, S.S., Petrosiute, V. (2016). Women's Political Representation in

the Philippines –A Study about Gender Equality in the Government of
the Philippines https://hb.diva-
portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1092399/FULLTEXT01.pdf

McCombes, S. (2020). How to synthesize written information from multiple

sources. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/synthesising.html

Rcampus) iRubric (2020). Synthesizing rubric.

https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=DXCBB32
&

Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in special education identification

and placement of English language learners. Exceptional Children.
doi:10.1177/001440291107700304

Western Washington University (2020). Synthesis.

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https://library.wwu.edu/lit/drafting-revising/writing-with-
sources/synthesis

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Davao City Division

E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City

Telephone: (082) 227 4762

Email Address: [email protected]

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