Article Critique Assignment Instructions 20 Points

Based on your understanding of the material presented in class and the textbook, answer each of the following questions regarding the assigned article. There is no page limit but your answers must be clear and concise, demonstrating your ability to think critically about this piece of research. This assignment must be written in APA style research paper format with a cover page and reference, no abstract is needed. You are not required to cite outside references other than the textbook and the assigned article.

Respond to each question individually with each question being the title/header of your paragraph (e.g. Type of Research, Research Problem, Research Question, etc.)

Each question will be worth 2 points, and the final 2 points are for clarity of writing, spelling, grammar, and APA style (20 points total).

1. Describe the type of research used in this study. Include whether it is qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods. Is it exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory? Be sure to justify your answers.

2. What was the research problem identified by the researchers? In your opinion, was it clearly defined?

3. Were there research questions or hypotheses? If so, identify them and label them as either questions or hypotheses.

4. Describe the methodology used. Is this a group research design, case-level research, or something else? Be sure to include the group research design notation with an explanation and comment on whether randomization was present. Was the methodology appropriate to the research question? Why or why not?

5. Was the population studied clearly identified? What sampling method was used? Be sure to include whether this study used probability or non-probability sampling. Describe the characteristics of the sample. Was the sampling appropriate for the research question? Why or why not?

6. What concerns related to reliability may have faced the researcher? Be sure to explain at least two. (Hint: think in terms of who completed the ratings and of measure reliability.)

7. What concerns related to internal validity may have faced the researchers? Be sure to explain at least three potential threats to internal validity.

8. What conclusions did the researchers draw from this study? Are these conclusions consistent with the findings? Are the findings generalizable beyond the study? Why or why not?

Modified 9/2019

9. In your opinion, does this research contribute to social work knowledge? Do you think it is useful for social work practitioners? Why or why not?