MARYHILL COLLEGE

Higher Education Department

Purposive Communication (Finals)

WRITING A RESEARCH CRITIQUE PAPER

INTRODUCTION
The introduction should orient the readers about the study, by:
- giving a firm sense of what was done in the study
- introducing the question/problem
- developing the background of the study
- stating the purpose and rationale of the research

Ask Yourself:
- Is the research question/problem researchable?
- Is the problem important enough to justify the research?
- Is the background of the research relevant to the research question?

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The literature review should give an overview of the available literature which
frames or surrounds the problem being researched. It should look at the similarities and
differences between the literature, as well as the strengths and limitations. It should
illustrate how the current study fits into the existing framework of research or how it fills
a gap in the literature.
Ask yourself:
- Is the literature review broad, yet focused on the issue?
- Is there historical as well as contemporary material to put the area of study into
a context?
- Is there convincing evidence to support assertions?
- Does it fairly represent opposing views?
- Does the literature review use a theoretical framework?
- Does it reveal gaps in the knowledge which this research will fill?

METHODOLOGY
This section should clearly state what the researcher did and how it was done,
allowing the reader to evaluate the methods/designs used, the consistency, the
reliability of the study, its validity and whether it could be replicated. As a minimum,
there should be a brief synopsis of the research approach taken. Once the research
methods is established, the reader can critique the research design for methodological
rigor.
The method section of the research usually has subsections which describe the
participants, the materials, and the procedure. The detail should be sufficient to clearly
explain the research design/method, without excessive detail, s that no questions
remain.
- Participants or Sample: The number of participants, their characteristics and
the selection process used should be described. Do the participants represent
the research well? If any participants did not complete the study, this should
be explained. Details of major demographic information should be made
evident, for example, geographical location, gender, age, affiliation with any
institutions etc.

- Procedure: Each step in the research procedure should be explained. This

includes any instructions to the participants, the formation of groups, and any
experimental manipulations. Any control features in the research design
should be stated.
Ask yourself:
- Is there a clear ratioanled for the chosen research approach, methods and/or
instruments used?
- Is the research method appropriate for the research question?
- Was the collection of data appropriate for the research question?
- Is there enough information concerning the participants?
- What were the ethical considerations for the research and the participants?
- Were the methods and/or instruments described in enough detail?
- Were any ambiguous terms used?
- Is the method deemed reliable and valid?
Are any limitations of the study discussed?
RESULTS, DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Results
This sections should contain a summary of the data collected and the main
results and findings, in enough details so that the reader can understand how the
conclusions that are drawn later in the article have been reached. In qualitative
research, illustrative samples of data re frequently used. In quantitative data, individual
scores or raw data are not discussed. All relevant data, including that which runs
counter to the hypothesis, should be discussed.
Ask yourself:
- Were the steps involved in the data analysis explained and the strategies
justified?
- Was the data analysis rigorous enough to substantiate the claims?
- Were the data taken into account? If not? Why?
- Are the presented results relevant to the research questions?
- Do the tables and graphs (if any) make the data analysis clearer?
The Discussion
In this section, the implications of the research results are evaluated and
interpreted in relation to the research question. This is where the findings and the
selected theoretical framework come together. The discussion should contain a clear
statement of support of otherwise of the original hypothesis or research questions. The
results of this study and those of other studies should be discussed, and any
suggestions for improvements or further research are made here.
Ask yourself: There should be no repetition of points made in other sections.
- Have the results been interpreted in relations to the research question and
aims?
- Have the results been discussed with reference to the research question,
hypothesis (if applicable) and theoretical or conceptual frameworks?
- Have conclusions and/or recommendations been appropriately drawn from the
data analysis?
- Did the researcher highlight the most important results?
- Have the results been used to support or refute the results of other studies?
- How relevant and useful are the results to practice?

The Conclusion
This section should summarize the main points, and indicate the usefulness of
the research. It should not include any information. Areas for future may be suggested.
Ask yourself:
- Were the main points drawn out?
- Were the fresh insights or a new perspective on the topics demonstrated?
- Have any recommendations been made based on the research?
- were there any suggestions for future research?
REFERENCES
Include the references you used. Follow the APA Referencing Style.

ACTIVITY:
Look for TWO (2) online research papers related to your course/specialization/field of
interest, then create a research critique for EACH online research article.
Note: Submit the critique paper together with the online research articles you used (PDF
format)
Sample Research Critique
FACTORS AFFECTING THE SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYMENT OF TRANSITION-AGE
YOUTHS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
Capella-McDonnall, M., & Crudden, A. (2009).

A Research Article Critique by:

________________________ (Name)

Introduction
This article examined some of the issues that affect youths with visual
impairments as they transition from high school or college to employment. The
researchers first mentioned that the transition from school to employment is a topic that
is often discussed, but little research has been done to identify the variables that impact
the transition process for youths with visual impairments (Capella-McDonnall &
Crudden, 2009, p. 329). The rationale and the purpose of the study were never clearly
stated.
Perhaps the lack of research could be considered the rationale, but it would have
been helpful to have more information justifying this study. Also concerning was that
statement of the problem was never clearly written. In order to identify the problem, the
authors should have cited information that emphasized the high rate of unemployment
for youths with visual impairments. A study by Nagle (2001) is an excellent example of
citing unemployment rates for youths with visual impairments. That information could
have nicely transitioned into a purpose statement for this study.

Review of the Literature

Following the introduction, the researchers used the review of the literature to
define the variables as well as explain how those variables have been previously
studied. That helped me gather a better understanding of the amount of research that
had been done on each variable. I also gained an idea of the direction of the study and
what the authors wanted to analyze. This was especially helpful since the introduction
did not state the purpose of the study.
To organize a framework, the authors discussed the relevance of work
experience, self-determination, locus of control, academic competence, self-esteem,
and the role of assistive technology (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, pp. 329-
331). All of these topics were defined, although they were not labeled as variables until
later. Information from previous research was cited to show correlations between each
variable and finding employment. I noticed, however, that the authors cited research
that studied youths with disabilities, secondary school students, and university
graduates, but I wondered if more research that related specifically to students with
visual impairments could have been cited. I also wondered how the authors selected
their variables. Were the variables simply topics that interested the authors or did those
variables repeatedly show up in other studies as the most significant variables that
related to employment? The answer was never clarified.
Following these questions, I looked for counterarguments that might help one
better comprehend the overall circumstances for youths with visual impairments that
seek employment. I did not see any counterarguments or contradicting research. This
information would have helped me better understand why the authors chose to take a
closer look at certain variables. Contradicting research could have also served as a
rationale for performing this study.
Looking over the constructs of the study, the review of the literature defined the
variables that the researchers wished to evaluate, but the definition of the dependent
variable (employment) was vague (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 332). Did
“employment” mean full-time, part-time, or both? Was it long-term or temporary? What
about minimum wages? For me, the definition of employment imposed a threat to
construct validity because such a broad definition could have allowed variables to be
overlooked. That in turn could have produced misleading results.
Upon examining the sources cited in the review of the literature, I noticed that the
National Longitudinal Transition Studies of Special Education Students (NLTS1 and
NLTS2) were not mentioned. Although NLTS2 was referenced in the discussion section
of this article, I expected to see it cited sooner. One study that could have been helpful
to reference was conducted by Kirchner and Smith (2005). In that study, the
researchers reported the wages generally earned by youths with visual impairments
versus youths with other disabilities. That information could have been used to improve
the definition of employment. Otherwise, I recognized a lot of the names that the
researchers cited.

Methodology
At the end of the review of the literature, the researchers created hypotheses and
research questions. The hypotheses were as follows (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden,
2009, p. 331):
1. Early work experiences will be associated with employment.
2. Academic competence will be associated with employment.
3. Self-determination skills will be associated with employment.
4. Higher levels of self-esteem will be associated with employment.

The research questions were as follows (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 331):
1. Is the use of assistive technology or devices associated with employment?
2. Is involvement with the counselor in the vocational rehabilitation process associated
with employment?
3. Is an internal locus of control associated with employment?

Following the hypotheses and the research questions, the researchers listed the
variables. The dependent variable was employment and the independent variables were
work experience, self-determination, academic competence, self-esteem, locus of
control, level of involvement with a counselor, and the use of assistive technology
(Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 332). The authors explained how each
independent variable would be measured and made some limitations to control them
(Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 333). After describing the dependent and
independent variables, the researchers did not identify any intervening or confounding
variables. To reduce the threats to internal validity, the researchers should have listed
some intervening variables, such as the amount of time worked at a specific job, rather
than simply determining when the most recent job was held. Other intervening variables
might have been job shadowing experience, volunteer experience, membership in
community organizations, and access to print materials, as mentioned in a study by
Nagle (2001).
Besides the intervening variables, I believe that some confounding variables
should have been listed. One example might be existing social networks of families and
friends. Youths that have large social networks may have more success with finding
employment than youths with small social networks, regardless of any of the
independent variables. Additional confounding variables might be biases in society
toward people with disabilities, one’s work ethic, punctuality, employer reviews, previous
job duties, and social interaction skills. Nagle (2001) especially stressed the influence of
social interaction skills, even though they are difficult to measure. Such information
would have been beneficial as part of this research.
For this study, the population of interest was transition-age youths with visual
impairments (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 332). The data was taken from
Cornell University’s website for the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation
Services Program, or LSVRSP (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 331). That
study used a multistate, complex design to select its sample. To obtain the sample for
this study, the researchers set certain criteria and selected the sample from LSVRSP
data. I did not see any information regarding ethical considerations of human subjects
or an IRB process. I assumed that this information might have been included in the
LSVRSP report, since that contained public use data. This study’s sample included
youths under age 21 (at the time they applied for vocational rehabilitation) who had
visual impairments listed as a primary or secondary disability. The final sample
consisted of 41 youths, which is rather small. It would have been helpful to understand
the sampling procedure since the initial data set consisted of over 8,500 people
(Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 331). The reader is left wondering how such a
small sample size was generated. Without any explanation, one might assume that the
majority of the subjects had other disabilities or were above age 21.
Due to the small sample size, the researchers used univariate analyses for most
of the variables. These included t-tests, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression. For
the locus of control measure, the researchers used the multivariate analysis of variance
procedure (Capella- McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 333). To reduce the likelihood of a
Type I error, the researchers used a method developed by Benjamini and Hochberg
(1995).
Based on the hypotheses, research questions, and data analyses, I believe the
researchers intended to use a correlational design. The researchers never specifically
mentioned the use of a prediction design and I believe their work reflected an
explanatory design. Although data was collected at multiple points in time for the
LSVRSP study, the researchers collected data at one point in time for this study. To me,
this approach resembled an explanatory model. Also, there was no prediction made in
the study, other than a relationship between the independent variables and the
dependent variable (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, pp. 331-334).
In order to calculate the results, the researchers used both descriptive statistics
and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to measure academic
competence and locus of control. The measures of central tendency and measures of
variability for these two variables were provided in a table (Capella-McDonnall &
Crudden, 2009, p. 336). The authors used a series of inferential statistics to analyze
other variables. Examples include the MANOVA test, t tests, and Fisher’s exact test. In
order to evaluate the practical significance of the results, the researchers used phi
coefficients for categorical analysis. The authors also set the alpha level to .10 in order
to determine significance (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, pp. 333-334).
After the calculations, the conclusions were that the recentness of work
experience, self-esteem, and involvement with a counselor during the rehabilitation
process did not reach statistical significance. Employment since the disability began, the
number of jobs held prior to starting rehabilitation services, academic competence,
locus of control, self-determination skills, and the use of assistive technology reached
statistical significance (Capella-McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, pp. 334-336).

Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Within the discussion section, the authors focused on the variables that reached
significance and related them to previous research. The authors also acknowledged
areas where more research was needed because certain topics had not been
thoroughly examined before. Toward the end of the discussion, the authors admitted to
limitations in this study, such as the small sample size and the high amount of statistical
tests that increased the chances of errors. After reading the study’s limitations, one
could see threats to internal and external validity. For example, a threat to both internal
and external validity would be the sample selection process. The sample did not appear
to come from a random selection process, which is a threat to internal validity. This flaw
in the design caused an external threat to validity since the results could not be
generalized to a larger population.
While there were no major surprises from this study, there was information to be
learned. For example, work experience, self-determination, and locus of control are
important factors to consider because they impact employment opportunities (Capella-
McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, pp. 336-337) and they might have been previously
overlooked. Near the end of the article, the authors recommended additional research
to support the findings of the study and further evaluate the variables (Capella-
McDonnall & Crudden, 2009, p. 339). One could interpret this as the researchers’
request for triangulation.
This article contributes to our knowledge by demonstrating that correlations exist
among assistive technology, locus of control, academic competence, work experience,
and self-determination when related to employment for youths with visual impairments.
Although this information should not be overly generalized, it can be useful for
counselors of vocational rehabilitation programs and youths with visual impairments as
they seek ways to obtain employment.
REFERENCES

Capella-McDonnall, M., & Crudden, A. (2009). Factors affecting the successful

employment of transition-age youths with visual impairments. Journal of Visual
Impairment and Blindness, 103(6), 329-341. Retrieved from
http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pubjvib.asp?docid=jvib030603

Kirchner, C., & Smith, B. (2005). USABLE (Using statistics about blindness and low
vision
effectively) data report. Transition to what? Education and employment outcomes

for visually impaired youths after high school. Journal of Visual Impairment and
Blindness, 99(8). Retrieved from http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pubjvib.asp?

Nagle, K. (2001). Transition to employment and community life for youths with visual
impairments: Current status and future directions. Journal of Visual Impairment
and Blindness, 95(12). Retrieved from http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pubjvib.asp?

Format
Arial, 12
Spacing - 1.5
Justify