Purpose
The purpose of the article critique assignment is to help you critically perform a systematic analysis of a scholarly article and arrive at its merits and shortcomings. The assignment calls for you to evaluate empirical work relative to its use of theory, sample design, instrumentation, method of data collection, and significance of findings for social work practice. In carrying out this critique, as an evidence-based practitioner, you will become a better consumer of research, which will ultimately help you sort out what evidence-based interventions will better assist your clients. (questions to be answered are below)
Students will critique one published peer-reviewed research article that utilizes one of the designs presented in this course. Students will be given a list of articles that qualify for this assignment. Based on your understanding of the material presented throughout the semester, please answer the outline of questions provided by the instructor. As you answer each question, please do not simply just regurgitate what you read. The substance of the critique should consist of your trained judgement of the article. Read the article you are to critique once to get an overview. Then read it again, critically. At this point you may want to make some notes to yourself on your copy. Finally, respond to each question individually and provide evidence for your answer. As you come back to the questions, your answers should be clear and concise, demonstrating your ability to think critically about this piece of research. Simply answering the questions without true analysis is not the purpose. Please remember that page numbers mean nothing without substance.
GRADING
Describe the type of research used in this study. (Exploratory or Descriptive or Explanatory). Provide the reference.
What was the research problem and was it clearly defined? How was the problem statement explicated?
Were there research questions or hypotheses? If so, identify. Were the hypotheses well supported? How did you determined whether the hypotheses were supported?
Briefly describe the methodology used. Was the methodology appropriate? Why or why not? Could the author answer the question with the selected method? How did you make this determination?
Was the population studied clearly identified? Who were they? What sampling method was used? Was the sampling appropriate? Why or why not?
What concerns related to validity and reliability (measurement) faced the researcher? Were steps taken to ensure validity and reliability?
What concerns related to validity (internal and external) may have faced the researcher?
Were the conclusions consistent with the findings? Are the findings generalizable beyond the study? Why or why not?Were the findings well explained?
Does this research contribute to social work knowledge? Do you think it is useful for social work practitioners? Why or why not?
