Week Five Reflection: (35 pts.)
Select a qualitative original research article related to your paper topic and analyze it using the following guidelines. Once again, meta-analysis and mixed methods are not acceptable for this assignment.
REFLECTION GUIDELINES
- First, choose an empirical, scholarly, peer-reviewed research report of an original study (ask me if you need clarification on any or all of these adjectives). I suggest you use the PsycInfo or PsycArticles database on library’s website. Be sure that this article is understandable to you. Turn in a copy of the article to me when you submit your assignment, a drop location will be provided.
- Answer the questions below for each section, making sure to answer it in relation to the articles you have chosen. Use the titles provided (i.e., follow the format below).
Title and Abstract (Helpful hint: It may help to answer these questions after you have answered the others):
- Look at the title of the article. What variables does the title of the article suggest will be examined in this article?
- Regarding the Abstract: Does the abstract provide an accurate overview of the key points made in the article? Why/why not?
Introduction:
- What research problem was studied and why?
- How does this study propose to go beyond what is already known about this topic?
- What are the researcher(s)’ hypotheses (what questions do the researchers hope to answer) with this study?
Method:
- How were the variables of interest investigated (e.g., phenomenology, grounded theory, case study, etc.)?
- Do you think that the measures used were appropriate for this study? Why/why not?
Results:
- What were the major findings of the study (to the best of your knowledge, in your own words)?
- Were the researchers’ original research question(s) supported by their observations?
Discussion:
- What conclusions do the authors draw from this study’s results?
- What new information does this study provide about the problem under investigation?
- Do the authors cite any practical and/or theoretical implications of the study’s findings? If so, what are they?
- Did the results contradict past research findings? If so, how do the researchers explain this discrepancy?
- Overall, how would you rate the quality of the article?
