International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Understanding and spotting research gaps through a systematic literature review

Issah Baakoa¹*, Hamza Alhassanb² and Prosper Gidisua^1
1Department of Teacher Education, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana;
²Department of Educational Innovations in Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
*corresponding author

Abstract: Various researchers have established the need for researchers to position their research problem in the research gap of the study area. This does not only indicate the relevance of the study but it demonstrates the significant contribution it would make in the field of study. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review on the concept of research gaps and provoke a discussion on the contemporary literature on types of research gaps. The paper discusses the various approaches for researchers to identify, align and position research problems, research design, and methodology in the research gaps to achieve relevance in their findings and study. A systematic review of the current literature on research gaps might assist beginning researchers in the justification of research problems. Given the acceptable tenet of developing a research agenda, design, and development on a research gap, many early career researchers especially (post)graduate students have difficulties in systematically identifying research gaps as a basis for conducting research work. The significance of this paper is two-fold. First, it provides a systematic review of literature on the identification of research gaps to undertake research that would challenge assumptions and underlying existing theories in a significant way. Second, it provides a theoretical discussion on the importance of developing research problems on research gaps to structure their study.

Keywords: research gap; systematic review; research problem; PRISMA; journal articles; beginning researchers

I. INTRODUCTION

Finding study gaps seem to be a difficult task for most beginning scholars. There were no systematic or defined methods for defining or characterizing research gaps for a long time (Miles, 2017). The perception of research gaps seems to be subjective. What can be perceived to be a non-gap by a researcher, may be another researcher’s gap. The bulk of this disagreement about study gaps is based on interpretation. A Philosophy of Doctorate (Ph.D) or Masters thesis must make a significant, novel and scientific contribution of knowledge to the field of research. This so-called significant, novel, scientific contribution of knowledge is expected to address a research gap identified in the literature, research question or problem that has not been addressed in the researcher’s area of interest (Müller-Bloch & Kranz, 2015a). Identification of where and how evidence falls short is critical for the formulation of a relevant research problem as well as giving direction on how to answer such research questions (Robinson et al., 2011). It is a struggle for many beginning