ASSESSMENT TASK 2: Report Critique (2000 words)
| Aligned subject learning outcomes | Learning outcomes 1-5 | ||
| Group or individual | Individual | *Results are returned electronically | |
| Weighting | 30% | Due date | Thursday 30 August (End Week 8) |
DESCRIPTION
Report Critique: Developmental science in the media (Fake news?). We are continuously bombarded with media information concerning topics related to human development. In some cases this information is accurate and in others the information is ‘sketchy’ at best. The aim of this assessment is to assist you to develop effective evaluation skills and to be able to distinguish between scientific truths and media sensationalism in the field of human development.
In no more than 2,000 words (not including references) your task is to critique the media report that is provided in this Assessment Guide. You will need to thoroughly examine the topic background a) to determine how correct or false the report may be; b) to identify where fact and fiction diverge; and c) to discuss the possible impacts on readers of the media report.
The following questions will assist you to critically examine the media report:
I. Based on the headline and introductory paragraph, what do you believe the study discovered or “proved”?
II. What are the goals of the study?
III. What do you read about the sample and data gathering strategy of the study?
IV. What were the main concepts the study focused on? How were the concepts defined and measured?
V. Summarise the main findings in your own words.
VI. Did the media article critique the methods used in this research?
VII. What was NOT mentioned in the media report (think about strengths and limitations) that you think would be important to know about the research so that the reader could draw appropriate conclusions about the study’s findings and implications?
VIII. Did you detect any potential bias in how the author of the report presented the study (value-laden statements, and so on)?
Your critique must follow the referencing conventions of APA style. Note also the information provided on submission and return of assessments in this Assessment Guide.
Semester 2, 2018
10
The details of the assessment and its requirements are available in this Assessment Guide and will be discussed in the first tutorial of the semester.
References: References must be included for all work cited and APA format MUST be followed.
Guidelines
1. The Report Critique should be 2000 words in length (+/- 10%)
2. Essays are due by 5:00pm on the Thursday of week 8 – late penalties will be applied after this time/date.
3. Your submission MUST follow APA format and MUST include references and citations .
4. We expect that you will include at least five scholarly publications other than your textbook.
5. All work must be submitted to drop box on or prior to the date of submission – this must be your final draft. You DO NOT need to submit a hard copy
a. We will mark these assignments electronically and may use the Track Changes option so only Word Documents will be accepted for marking
b. The title page of your submission must contain your final word count.
Generally, we expect to see an introduction, body, conclusion and references. So, let’s take a look at the sections which are commonly found in this sort of submission:
Remember the hourglass when you construct your work.
1) Introduction: Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, to provide an appropriate context for analysing the media report and to tell your reader what they can expect to see in the work that follows. You may briefly point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship. Establish your reason (point of view) for analysing the media report. Aim: What is the objective of your work; a short explanation of the critique being undertaken. This should be clear, concise and
instructive to your reader – What can they expect to find in the work that follows?
1) Body: Contains a critical review of the context of the report topic; an evaluation and analysis of existing knowledge; the outline of a theoretical framework, if relevant; any areas of controversy that have appeared in the literature. This section is pivotal to the success of your work – it is here that your argument really unfolds so use this space wisely and write as concisely as you can.
Where relevant, try to group research studies and other types of literature (media reports, reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to their importance and connection with your topic. Remember you must be mindful of your word count and the value of being concise with your writing. Provide your reader with strong umbrella sentences at beginnings of paragraphs, “signposts” throughout the document to orient your reader, and brief “so what” summary sentences throughout the report. We expect that all of the work that you cite in your assignment will be in your own words – direct quotations should be kept to an “absolute bare minimum” and used in cases where you simply could not say it better yourself. We expect that at least 99% of the work will be using your own words, paraphrasing what you have understood from the work of others who you have read. Above all
– be sure that you make strong links between psychological theory and the research in terms of your evaluation of the prescribed media report.
2) Conclusion: A short paragraph to conclude, some key points and arguments.
3) References: References must be included for all work cited and APA format MUST be followed.
THE MEDIA REPORT Working mothers risk damaging their child’s prospects by STEVE DOUGHTY, Daily Mail
Mothers who return to work after their baby is born risk causing serious damage to the child’s prospects in later life, researchers revealed yesterday.
Such children are more likely to do worse at school, become unemployed and to suffer mental stress than youngsters whose mothers stay at home to bring them up.
The findings from the Institute for Social and Economic Research are a severe blow to the Government, which has used the tax and benefit system to encourage mothers to work while stripping away tax breaks such as the Married Couple’s Allowance.
They are an endorsement of the instincts of thousands of women who either give up work or drastically cut down their job commitments to devote most of their time to raising a young child.
According to the study, the impact of having a full-time working mother on a child’s education is similar to growing up in a single-parent family. If a mother returns to work, say the researchers, the child is 20 per-cent less likely to get an A-level.
They also reject the idea that a child is helped if the father stays at home, showing that his absence has little effect on the child’s educational success.
The research, published yesterday by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, followed the lives of 1,263 young people across all social groups who were born in the 1970s.
Researchers attempted to allow for other factors such as income, the parents’ education and family break-up, and made comparisons of the performance of brothers and sisters.
It found that the children between one and five whose mothers worked for the longest periods tended to have lower educational attainment, greater risk of unemployment as a young adult, and a greater risk of psychological distress.
In only one field were the children better off than most others: Daughters of working mothers were less likely to become teenage mothers themselves.
The findings showed that the average mother during the 1970s and early 1980s worked for 18 months full-time before her child was five.
Nearly two thirds of their children, 64 per cent, achieved at least one A-level or equivalent qualification.
However, among mothers who worked for a longer period – 30 months and over before their child was five – only 52 per cent of the children achieved one A-level pass.
The likelihood of unemployment rose from seven to nine per cent for those whose mothers had worked full-time, and the chance of psychological stress went up from 23 per cent to 28 per cent.
Part-time work had much less damaging effects on children. The child’s chance of passing an A- level fell by six per cent, but there was no evidence of other harm.
Fathers who worked full-time had a similar impact on their children’s development to mothers who worked part-time. But their children were less likely than others to be unemployed later in life and less likely to show signs of mental distress.
Study author Professor John Ermisch said increases in family income were positive for children and could offset the damage of a full-time working mother.
But he added: ‘Unless it can be shown to produce substantial long-term gains, it might be better for policy makers to encourage part-time employment by one parent during a child’s pre-school years’.
‘The large proportion of employed mothers with young children who are in part-time jobs is evidence that many mothers already prefer this option.’
Conservative social security spokesman David Willetts said: ‘This shows how wrong the Government is to bias the tax and benefits system in favour of two-earner couples and institutionalised child care’.
‘We believe that parents with young children should be free to choose whether and when they return to work.’
Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think-tank, said: ‘This calls into question the whole policy of encouraging women to go out to work and disadvantaging those who stay at home’.
‘If you stay at home, everything in the tax and benefit system is ranged against you. The whole system should be reversed.’
But the Department for Education and Employment dismissed the findings, claiming that the development of childcare improves the educational chances of children of working mothers.
It said a study of more than 2,000 children had ‘shown that quality pre-school and child-care has a positive impact on children’s education’.
‘This report is based on children born 30 years ago when there was little quality child-care and nursery education’.
‘This Government has changed that by creating the largest ever expansion of childcare,’ a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a U.S. study has found that growing up in a clean home can boost youngsters’ exam grades and even the salaries they earn as adults.
The study of 3,400 volunteers over 25 years found that the length of time a child stayed in education and their future earnings was directly linked to the hygiene in their homes.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-30342/Working-mothers-risk-damaging-childs- prospects.html#ixzz51h8WcRVf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
| Report Critique Rubric | ||||||
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor | MARKS | |
| The report critique is on | The report critique is on topic but relevant aspects are not well articulated or prioritised. The material which has been included is not entirely faithful to the literature. There is adequate reference to relevant psychological theories. The submission demonstrates adequate understanding of the importance of psychology in terms of evaluation of the prescribed media report although some inferences need to be made. | Neither implicit nor explicit reference is made to the topic or purpose of the work or how the work will be structured. | ||||
| topic and has been well | ||||||
| contextualised and | ||||||
| evaluated in terms of | ||||||
| the relevant research. | ||||||
| Psychological theories | ||||||
| and research have been | ||||||
| well documented. The | ||||||
| Content | critique clearly | /70 | ||||
| demonstrates an | ||||||
| understanding of the | ||||||
| relevance of | ||||||
| psychological theory | ||||||
| and research in terms | ||||||
| of evaluation of the | ||||||
| prescribed media | ||||||
| report. | ||||||
| Organisation andOverall Presentation | Makes frequent use of headings, fonts, bullet points, colour, line separators and white space, etc., to enhance visual appeal and readability. | Makes occasional use of headings, fonts, bullet points, colour, line separators and white space, etc., to enhance visual appeal and readability. | Presentation is illogical or disordered. It is not engaging or effective. | /10 | ||
| CommunicationParagraph structureTypological errors | Demonstrates excellent control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation by making no errors. | Demonstrates clear control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation by | Demonstrates minimal control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation, which interferes with | /10 |
| Grammatical errors | committing few errors | understanding the information. | ||||
| Clarity of expression | ||||||
| APA style Sources | Sources are well chosen and provide direct evidence of the depth of research used to inform the critique. | Sources are appropriate, although not ideally matched to the content of the paper. | Minimal or Inappropriate sources listed or a heavy reliance on web sources. | /10 | ||
| Reference List | Formatting requirements have been met. | Some errors in the formatting of the reference list. | Formatting errors apparent in the reference list. | |||
| Comments: | Total/100 |
