Assignment
SOCW 6301: Week 10 Assignment Guidelines Qualitative Article Review and Critique In approximately 7-10 pages (including title page and references), address the following questions. Title After reading the entire article, do you think the title adequately describes the study? Does the title catch your attention? Please explain. Abstract Does the abstract contain the recommended content (see “Abstract,” pp. 314, in Yegidis et al.)? How difficult do you think it is to summarize so much information in 150–250 words? Please explain. Introduction Why did the authors conduct this study and write this article? What was the problem of interest or concern? Be specific. Use quotes and paraphrases with citations. What audience might be interested in this study? Do you feel the problem is significant enough to warrant a journal article? Did you have a “so what” reaction? If so, why do you think it was accepted for publication? Please justify your position. To what extent does the literature presented in the introduction help you understand the problem? How does the literature reviewed put the problem in context? Be specific. Does the researcher indicate how this research is different from and/or similar to earlier ones reported in the literature? Summarize what this article intends to add to the knowledge base. Do the authors state their research questions and/or hypotheses? What are the hypotheses or focused research questions? Methods What specific qualitative method is used? How does a qualitative research design correspond with the research questions? Can you determine whether the design was appropriate? © 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. 2 To what extent can the design answer the research questions? Elaborate. What were the key concepts being explored in the study? What measures or observations were used in the research? Explain why you do, or do not, think that the methods used to collect the data are described clearly enough to allow for replication. Be specific and please elaborate. How was research reactivity and bias managed in the study? Explain whether or not information was provided concerning the credibility and trustworthiness of the measures or observations. Was this information adequate? Be specific. What strategies were used to establish credibility? Was there evidence of an audit trail and/or peer consultation on the project? Sample How were the participants recruited or selected for the study? What sampling strategy was used? Did the author(s) offer any justification for the sample size? Are you satisfied with the information reported about the sample? What questions might you have about the sample that were not addressed? Please be sure to provide an explanation for all of your answers. Are the demographics of the participants (e.g., background characteristics such as age, race, etc.) described in sufficient detail? If so, how is the presentation of this descriptive data useful in evaluating the research? If not, please explain how that may affect the evaluation of the research. Was the sample reflective of the population from which it was drawn? Is representativeness important in this research? Please explain. Please explain any ethical concerns you may have about the sample and how the sample was recruited. Results How were the data analyzed? (What qualitative data analysis technique was used?) How extensive or ‘thick’ were the descriptions supporting findings? Was the context adequately described? How did the researchers corroborate their findings? For example, were triangulation, member checking, or thick descriptions used? If so, © 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. 3 please explain how it was used. If not, explain what you would recommend to corroborate the findings. To what degree do you find the research procedures increased the trustworthiness of the findings? Explain how easy or difficult it was for you to understand the reporting of results. What questions do you have after reading the results section? Please elaborate. Were the findings transferable, applicable or useful for your population, setting or area of practice? What are the limits of transferability? Do you feel the results of this study have meaning for social work practitioners or managers? Please elaborate. Discussion Explain whether or not the authors made sense of their data in the discussion section. Explain why you think the conclusions are (or are not) reasonable. Did the authors discuss the limitations of their study? Did they stay within the limitations of their findings, or did they make more of their findings than was warranted? Please elaborate. Did the author(s) suggest issues that future research should consider? If so, were there any surprises? Please elaborate.