Assignment: Capstone Paper Section 3: Critiquing Research Articles

Consider the following scenarios: You are interested in buying a new car, but you cannot decide between two models. It is time to vote, and you must decide which candidate you will support. You are reading a research article, but you question the validity of the study. In each of these situations, you must rely on your ability to think critically.

Critical thinking skills are essential in both everyday life and academia. Your ability to comprehend, refine, and accept or reject the work and ideas of others will allow you to expand your own ways of learning. Understanding what to critique, and how to do it, is an important skill as it allows for informed debate.

To prepare:

Identify two research articles related to your chosen profession. For example, if you identified the role of a developmental psychologist, one of your articles might be a study that researched how babies respond to novelty in their environment. Note: Research articles should be no older than 2010. Download the Week 3 Assignment Template provided in the Week 3 Resources area.

To Complete this Assignment:

By Day 7

Submit a 3- to 4-page paper that analyzes two research articles of your choosing from 2010 or newer. Your analysis should include a description of the purpose and methodology of each study and the authors’ interpretation of the findings. Be sure to address the following issues as they apply to your particular chosen studies:

• Explain the purpose of the study, including the theoretical frame of reference (if any).
• Identify variables and hypotheses.
• Explain the method of the study.
• Describe the research design used.
• Describe the sample that was studied.
• Explain which type of sampling was used. Note the sample size.
• Provide information on the data collection procedure(s) and operationalization of variables. Note the type of data-gathering instrument.
• Describe the techniques used for analysis and interpretation of data.
• Provide a brief summary of the findings of the study and the authors’ interpretation of the findings.

For the critical analysis portion of this paper, do the following:

• Identify and explain the strengths and limitations of the research design, data analysis used, and the author or authors’ conclusions.
• Describe any variables that were not included in the study that you think could have been included.
• Offer any alternative or additional explanations of the findings that the researchers did not consider.

A Word document in the Week 3 Learning Resources area is provided to help organize the information for each article so that all areas of the assignment are addressed. Be sure to download the document and use that as your template. Also note that the font should be Times New Roman 12 point; direct quotes cannot be used; articles must be from 2010 or newer; and all knowledge from the articles must be cited throughout each paragraph.

Note: Support the responses within your Assignment with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources. Provide a reference list for resources you used for this Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 3 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 3 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.