Journal Article Critiques Paper

Journal Article Critiques Paper Assignment Instructions

1. Choose three articles from professional journals of education (scholarly and/or peer-reviewed articles only). You must choose articles related to the topic you selected for Discussion: Journal Article Critiques Topic Selection. Articles must have been published within the last 10 years.

2. You must write a separate critique for each journal article. However, the assignment must be submitted as one Word document. The content of the paper, including all three critiques, must be 3–5 pages.

3. Organize and format each critique with the headings and subheadings outlined below. Do not write the questions. You must write your critiques in with well-formed paragraphs that flow logically from one topic to the next.

4. Format the paper in current APA style, with the exception of the reflection section, which may include first person (I, me, my, etc.)

5. Include a references page formatted in current APA format.

Topic

1. Briefly describe the topic of the journal article.

2. Identify the major and minor objectives of the article as well.

3. Identify and define the important concepts on which the author focuses. Are the definitions clear, in your opinion?

Theory/Research Methods

1. Is the author being guided by a particular theoretical perspective? If so, what is it and how do they use this theory to understand the problem?

2. Does the author collect data? If so, what method do they use (survey, field observation, use of existing sources, experiment, and is it cross‐sectional or longitudinal in design)?

3. How clearly does the author indicate the above?

Main Ideas

1. Summarize the article’s content. In doing so, what is the author’s major argument?

2. What are the supporting arguments?

3. Are the ideas clearly presented?

Conclusions

1. What conclusion(s) does the author make?

Reflection

1. In your opinion, does the data support the conclusions being made by the author?

2. In your opinion, are the results thought-provoking?

3. In your opinion, what could be done to improve the research?

4. What was the most important thing you learned by reading and critiquing this article?