Introduction
The research to be critiqued is the 2017 Perspectives on the Development of Professionalism as Experiences by Student Radiographers publication by Nortjé and Hoffman published in Radiography. The paper’s title condenses the paper’s contents and appropriately captures the reader’s attention. Moreover, the authors have made the title brief, attractive, and have used appropriate descriptive words (Grant, 2013).
The Type of Abstract Used and What it Communicates
The abstract is informational. It communicates the paper’s contents, outlines the research purpose, methodology, results, and findings, appropriate conclusions, and recommendations made. Structurally, the abstract is well written, employed multiple well developed, unified, concise, and coherent paragraphs. It is intelligible, provides logical connections of the research material, summarizes the report, and does not present any new ideas (Koopman 2017).
Keywords
The choice of the keywords is good. However, a notable point is that it is not necessary to repeat keywords using words already included in the research’s title as research titles are used in database indexing. Some of the repeated phrases, both in the heading and keywords, include ‘professionalism’ and ‘students’ (O’ Reilly, Hickey and Ryan 2013). Alternative keywords aligning with the recommendations of the paper that would have been potentially included are ‘professional development’ and radiography.’
Introduction
The introductory part of the research is to the point, serving to lead the reader from the implied general topic implied in the heading to the area of interest. The authors present the historical background of the area topic, then proceeds to present the current understanding of professionalism from a radiological point of view. A summary of current understandings and background information on the areas are used to present the scope, context, and significance of the research. The introduction also sheds lights on the methodological approach used to examine the research problem. however, the paper however, fails to presents a clearly outline hypothesis – the reader has to hunt for a hypothesis, but nevertheless presents four clear aims/ objectives (Charles Bazerman 2017).
Methodology
The aim of an investigative descriptive study is to find how groups/ cohorts of people make sense of their experiences (Smith, Flowers, and Larkin, 2009). Based on such research assumptions such as the ‘self-interpreting’ nature of nature, where humans actively engage themselves in the interpretation of objects, events, and people in their environments, the researches additionally drew upon the fundamentals of phenomenology to conduct their study (Pietkiewicz and Smith, 2014).
The research was carried out on a small sample size, principles aimed at understanding in detail how the participant understood, and perceived professionalism. Whereas, the sample size was relatively small, some of the non-revealed participant characteristics, which may potentially affect the research included participant degree of commitment to the study, individual participant information richness and operational constraints (Pietkiewicz and Smith, 2014). To overcome this, a researcher, may for example, decide to choose a sample with several varying characteristics (demographic, institutional, academic level and cultural) and separately conduct the study on them (Tenenbaum and Driscoll, 2005). Similarly, the use of a two-step flexible data collection design method in the research is commendable as it allows for the collection of data on a myriad of themes allowing for the realization of study objectives (Smith, Flowers, and Larkin, 2009).
Sampling
Relatively, the time and cost requirements of convenience sampling are minimal and inexpensive as compared to other probability sampling techniques, however, convenience sampling techniques suffer from various biases (Pietkiewicz, and Smith 2014). The study sample, for example, may be an under-representation of the community of radiography students in the country or globe. The authors are keen to point out that the data collected from such a convenient sample would not be generalized to the whole population but assist in the discovery of meaning in this under-researched area (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Other relevant participant characteristic not answered are the various student motivation for the participation in the study. These include reasons for failure to participate and whether the participation was voluntary or based on underlying variances such as course grievances.
As the methodology neither used a sampling frame, nor randomly chose the sample participants, the technique suffers an inherent bias whereby the sample is less likely to be a representation of the students under study. This then undermines the ability to make generalizations from the sample to the population under study (Bryman 2015).
Procedure
The use of open-ended questionnaires requires time on the part of the researcher to code and analyses the collected responses. On the other hand, the use of these questions to a minimum, and in part their use as sub-questions driven by critical responses to loosely structured questions ensured that the respondents had the freedom to give a variety of responses. This ultimately enabled the collection of richer data (Bryman 2015).
Structured questionnaires, one of the tools used to collect data in this research, are tooled to meet research objectives. Enabling only the participants who had completed the first section to progress to the second part containing structured questions ensured that the participant opinions were not contaminated or influenced by data extracted from the literature. Additionally, the use of scaled questions (rank order) puts lesser cognitive loads on the respondent (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Although the use of structured questions provides exceptional advantage to the research process, the researcher had to hope that the questions mean the same to all the respondents as they mean to him/her. To safeguard this, Bryman (2015) notes that the researcher may strive to avail themselves, or researcher assistants with relevant knowledge of the study when the questionnaire are being filled. Issues such as participants misunderstanding of the questions may affect the quality of responses given. Besides, the format of the questionnaire, more so considering that they were based on twelve of the most common attributes of professionalism and five other most likely influencers to a student’s professional development listed in the literature meant that the more complex issues and opinions had to be examined more broadly (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Ethics
The use of humans as study participants raises inimitable and complex political, legal and ethical questions. This then necessitates for research that requires ethical approval which is aimed at protecting these participating, ensuring that the research is carried out in such a manner as to serve the interests of the individuals or participant groups and that the research project and activities are ethically sound (Smith, 2003). Protection of confidential information, risk management and the process of informed are some of the roles overseen by a registered REC as the one which granted ethical person to the researchers. Participation was on a voluntary basis, anonymity was maintained, and the right to withdrawal in the face of adverse consequences was all areas addressed (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Analysis
The use of phenomenological analytical methodologies in descriptive case studies offers an accessible and adaptable approach to gaining a complete and in-depth account of the participants’’ thinking (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009). IPA analysis allows for the researcher to reach out, hear and understand the experiences of participants. Additionally, open-ended semi-structured questions allow for the collection of richer data from the participant’s unique thoughts, insights, accounts, and personal experiences. It is then through analysis that themes begin to emerge and researcher builds up personal accounts. The method allowed for a clear presentation of the results in a manner easily comprehensible by non-psychology readers (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
On the other hand the methodology is easily applicable to the small study sample, analysis and interpretation of collected data are time-consuming, requires several data re-ordering and re-reading and the researcher may influence the interpretations. However, it is evident that the researcher’s complaints of ‘looking for themes to meet their research questions’ was overcome by having the various parts of the research get conducted by two researchers, allowing for the dual analysis and comparison of responses from study participants – easily eliciting recurrent themes (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Because of the open-ended way in which the qualitative data was collected, the frequency of answer does not have to have the same meaning as the frequencies of survey questions. However, in many intermediate stages where phrases such as ‘most of the undergraduate’ may be followed with another step in the data analysis where the research pack together different responses who expressed more or less similar thoughts. Thus, at the end of the second phase the researcher no longer will be working with individual respondents but with subclasses of ‘equivalent’ respondents at least as far as the research variables are concerned (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Discussion
The theoretical commitment of IPA studies is tooled toward a person’s linguistic, cognitive, physical and affective aspects of their being and assumes the presence of a chain connecting the talk of these people and their emotional and thinking states (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009). The author’s note that the student’s understanding of professionalism acknowledges the variance in how various cohorts under study understand and define professionalism and its function as a behavior guide. However, connections between people’s talk and their thoughts and emotions are complex. People find difficulties in expressing thoughts and feelings – participant failure to disclose presents an area of probable bias where researchers have to interpret the participant’s emotional/mental status solely from what they say.
As the study was conducted on a small sample size, the aim of the study then should be tooled toward describing and understanding in detail this particular group rather than making premature generalized claims. In this ideographic mode of inquiry, specific statements about the individuals – rather than making general statements as in nomothetic studies – are easily made “the students indicated cultural competence, legal compliance and appearance to be the least important attribute towards professionalism.” This logic is similar to anthropologist studies where an ethnographic study is conducted on to a particular community and reports made are detailed on the specific culture with no claims to all the other cultures (Peoples and Bailey 2017).
Relevant to IPA studies, the sample chosen was fairly homogenous. The group was closely defined. Study limitations, such as the study participants working in predominantly English environments, being overly protected and that the students wore uniforms in the areas of study were easily pointed. Minimal cultural exposures, limited legal liabilities and the limitations students have on their dress code imply that the study results would be significant to the defined group (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
On the downside, the use of ‘most,’ ‘much,’ and ‘significant’ in the presentation of qualitative results and interpretations largely is dependent on the phase of research. If a study is for example in the exploratory or discovery phase, the researcher essentially works with raw ordinal and categorical data for which the correct analytical and report framework is descriptive statistics (Clarke and Braun, 2013). However, as the research moves from the exploratory, discovery and description to the justification, generalization and explanatory, then, of course, they may be interested in genuine regulations and laws, emerging from the data (abduction). From a scientific point of view, the foreboding the use of particular phrases however without making clarifications as to why that should be so or without making that dependent upon a given context is a mere convention without any specific added value (Pietkiewicz and Smith, 2014).
Writing style
The ideas are cohesive and make logical connections. The paper has narrative links between main ideas and sources are appropriately cited. Throughout the paper, a formal tone is used. The arguments are presented in a narrative tone. The research problem has evidently been investigated from an authoritative point of view and arguments are accurately described without loaded biases. A neural, non-confronting and anon-dismissive language are used to present argument confidently (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017). No notable structural flaws were realized.
The authors have carefully chosen their words to convey implied meanings. Well-structured paragraphs and clear topic sentences have been used to enable the reader to follow the author’s lines of thought and to understand the deeper meaning to it.
In-text citations have been made appropriately, and a list of references has been provided at the end of the document.
The paper is thesis-driven. The starting point is a perspective and idea applied to the chosen research problem. Complex concepts have been described as clearly as possible. The specific jargon has been appropriately used (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017).
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conduction of a two-phased descriptive study is not a walk in the park, despite the possible illusion that the use of a small sample size makes easy. Apparently, in the evaluation of the perceptions of undergraduate students toward the factors facilitating professional developmental and personal attributes is dependent on a researcher combining a repertoire of skills. Gathering valuable data is dependent on data collecting experience whereas sincerity and patience that are required to conduct a careful, rigorous and systemic analysis of the data collected.
The research findings presented are specific to the views of the radiography students, the authors are cautious to recommend the necessity of tooling the healthcare curricula to teach and/or present professionalism more than a list of what to do and what not to do as it creates the notion that healthcare professionals will only need to abide by the stipulated professional rules (Nortje and Hoffmann 2017). The learning processes, and teaching, in general, should be tooled to focus on reflective thinking which will ultimately lead to the development of positive behavioral changes and outlooks among students – all these are relevant to the aims of the study.
References
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Grant, MJ 2013, ‘What makes a good title?’ Health Information and Libraries Journal, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 259-260. doi:10.1111/hir.12049. [Accessed 26 Nov. 2017].
Koopman, P. 2017. Abstracts – The Writing Center: How to write abstracts. [online] Available at: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2017].
Nortje, N, and Hoffmann, WA 2017, ‘Perspectives on the development of professionalism as experienced by radiography students,’ Radiography, vol. 30, no. 2017, pp. 1-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2017.09.006
O’ Reilly, A., Hickey, T, and Ryan, D 2013, ‘Higher education professional’s perspectives on international student experiences of life and learning in Ireland: a qualitative study.’ Irish Educational studies, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 355-375.
Peoples, J, and Bailey, G 2017. Humanity: an introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Wadsworth publication company.
Pietkiewicz, I, and Smith, JA 2014, ‘A practical guide to using interpretive phenomenological analysis is qualitative research psychology,’ Psychological Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 7-14.
Smith, D. 2003, ‘Five principles of research ethics.’ Monitor on psychology, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 56. Retrieved from the American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan03/principles.aspx
Smith, JA, Flowers, P, and Larkin, M 2009 Interpretive phenomenological analysis: theory, method, and research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Tenenbaum, G, and Driscoll, MP (2005). Methods of research in sport sciences: quantitative and qualitative approaches. Oxford [u.a.]: Meyer and Meyer Sport.
