Draft for Gerontology, aging in america. Instructions are provided. Due Wednesday, ?May 25th at 10pm Western Time.? Please pick a topic that perta

Gerontology Research Paper: Diversity of the Aging Experience

This assignment is an opportunity for you to research a topic of interest to you in gerontology that represents a unique aging experience.

1) The first step is to select a unique group on which to focus. For example, you could pick a region (e.g., Latin America or Japan), a culture/ethnicity (e.g., Hmong culture or Mormon culture), underrepresented/minority group (e.g., LGBTQ+ or Black/African American older adults in the U.S.), or unique experience (e.g., aging in prison or while homeless).

2) You will need to formulate a specific question about that particular aging experience (e.g., What are the most common chronic diseases? What are the complications of aging with certain conditions? How do families support their aging loved ones in this community? How is long-term care provided?). Please let me know if you are having difficulty choosing a topic or have other questions about your topic.

3) Go to the Gerontology Research Guide: http://research.wou.edu/gerontology First, go to “Citation Help” and click on the Noodle Tools Guide for Students. If you haven’t yet used Noodle Tools, it is a great way to start a research paper! You can create a Google Document (linked to your wou.edu account) to draft an outline of your paper, create notecards with notes from the articles you find, and easily create your APA citations!

4) After you have explored Noodle Tools, go back to the Research Guide (http://research.wou.edu/gerontology) and begin searching for articles on your topic using the databases. I would recommend the one at the top, “Psychology and Sociology Databases,” which searches across multiple databases in psychology and sociology at once. It includes PsycINFO, Psychology & Behavioral Science Collection, Family Studies Abstract, and SocINDEX. You must use at least five peer-reviewed journal articles. Try to make sure they are no more than five years old. You may use more sources for your research, but at least five of them need to be peer-reviewed articles. Reports from government agencies, such as the US Department of Health and Human Services, are often helpful as supplemental sources.

5) As you begin synthesizing your notes and writing your paper, please keep in mind the following:

● The completed paper should be 5-7 pages in length and double-spaced. ● Cite the references you use appropriately using APA format. The “ Citation Help”

in the Research Guide is the best place to go for this. Your cited works should be

included both in-text and in a separate reference page (not included in the page count).

● Use Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, size 12 point font, and 1” margins. Indent at the start of each new paragraph; no line spacing in between paragraphs or block formatting.

● Do not use first person narrative, personal experiences or anecdotes. This is an objective academic research paper.

● You do NOT need a cover page or a running head.

Please organize your paper in the following format, including headings for each section: ● Introduction: In approximately 1-2 paragraphs, introduce your topic, provide

context, and state your research question. Be sure to address the following: What is the unique aging experience you are exploring? What would the reader need to know to understand your interest in this? What is your specific Research Question?

● Findings: Write a summary/review of research/information from each journal article that helps to answer your research question. This is essentially a literature review. You might review one article at a time or you might divide this section by topic and cite multiple articles for each topic. You are limited to TWO QUOTES.

● Discussion: Write an analysis of the findings. You should use your critical thinking skills to make connections and generate ideas about the information in your findings.

● Conclusion: Write 1-2 paragraphs summarizing/concluding your paper.

Assessment:

Research Paper Rubric

Exceeding (A) 4

Meeting (B) 3

Approaching (C) 2

Not Meeting (D) 1

Grammar, spelling, mechanics, sentence structure (Written communication*)

10%

Uses graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error-free.

Uses straightforward language that generally conveys meaning to readers. The language has few errors.

Uses language that generally conveys meaning to readers with clarity, although writing may include some errors.

Uses language that sometimes impedes meaning because of errors in usage.

Overall organization and flow (including length) (Information literacy*)

20%

Communicates, organizes and synthesizes information from sources to fully achieve a specific purpose, with clarity and depth.

Communicates, organizes and synthesizes information from sources. Intended purpose is achieved.

Communicates and organizes information from sources. The information is not yet synthesized, so the intended purpose is not fully achieved.

Communicates information from sources. The information is fragmented and/or used inappropriately (misquoted, taken out of context, or incorrectly paraphrased, etc.), so the intended purpose is not achieved.

Identification/inte gration of concepts (Integrative learning)

30%

Connects and extends issues, concepts, and theories; clear identification and integration of concepts and information; integrates knowledge/ experiences outside of discipline/ classroom.

Makes some connections among issues, concepts, and theories; some integration of knowledge/experie nces outside of discipline/classroo m.

Presents and describes issues, concepts, and theories; articulates knowledge/ experiences outside of discipline/classroom , but does not integrate.

Concepts, issues, and theories may be presented but do not seem connected in any way; knowledge/ experiences outside of discipline/ classroom not articulated.

Critical thinking/analysis (Inquiry & analysis)

30%

Demonstrates evidence of critical thinking and creativity to assess all possibilities; integrates and develops ideas fully and articulates reasoning; acknowledges limits of position.

Organizes evidence to reveal important patterns, differences, or similarities related to focus; provides reasoning and explanation of position.

States a position with some reasoning and explanation, but not objections to, assumptions or implications; ideas are limited and/or fragmented; surface understanding of the complexity of elements.

Does not state a position, or states a position but does not provide any reasoning or explanation.

Use of appropriate sources

10%

Meets/exceeds minimum number and types of sources required, and reasons for selecting the sources are clear; cites and lists sources correctly in APA format.

Meets minimum number and types of sources; cites and lists sources in APA format with minimal errors.

Uses over half of the types of sources required; citations and reference list are incorrectly formatted, have several errors, or some are missing.

Uses less than half of the types of sources required; citations and reference list are incorrectly formatted, have several errors, or are missing.

*Language from AACU Values rubric