STUDENT AFFAIRS ISSUE PROJECT: ARTICLE CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The purpose of the Student Affairs Issue Project is to assist the PhD candidate with formulating his or her thoughts around a very important issue in today’s higher education culture. You will learn how to investigate issues and determine best practices for possible resolutions to the issue by articulating possible solutions.
From the professional associations’ websites or the higher education news agencies, choose a current student affairs issue being discussed (i.e., free speech, gender, racial equity, student debt). Develop a research question, narrowed to investigate a particular issue pertaining to student affairs. Submit your research question/topic with your rough draft and article critique.
Research question details: In developing a research question, be sure to do a thorough review of the Jerry Falwell Library resources, various higher education news agencies, and course material. Be sure you have a narrow student affairs issue with plenty of research material. You can determine the type (quantitative or qualitative) of research question and scope.
The purpose of the Student Affairs Issue Project: Article Critique Assignment is to assist the candidate with researching current literature in the Jerry Falwell Library. Being able to research current literature on a given topic will be very beneficial to any educational leader. Just as important as researching on a topic is the ability to fully understand what others have written on the topic, critiquing their findings, and appreciating how their work may be beneficial to your research.
You are required to submit a critique (1,000–1,250 words, not including title, abstract, and reference pages) of an article related to your research question/topic. The article critique must be written in current APA format (including a title, abstract, reference pages), include 3 Level 1 headings (Background of the Study, Critique of the Study and Conclusion), and incorporate a minimum of 2 scholarly citations.
Access the Jerry Falwell Library (JFL) Online Research Portal and use the Education Research Guide link on the Student Affairs Issue Project: Article Critique Assignment page to find peer-reviewed journal articles. The article that you choose must be scholarly, empirical (research-based), and written within the last 5 years. The article must be at least 5–10 pages and be considered empirical; the article must clearly include specific sections that describe the study (e.g., method of research, quantitative or qualitative, participants, data collection, and findings).
Include the following elements in your critique:
Introduction (no header)
A. Inform the reader about your own research question/topic
B. Provide the article title and author
C. Offer insight into why the article was chosen
Background of the Study
A. Description of how the researchers attempted to answer the question:
a. Methodology
b. Population studied
c. Unique features of the study
B. Description of the research findings.
Critique of the Study
A. Do you have confidence in the researcher findings? (i.e., Were there flaws in the study design, questions, etc.?)
B. Does the study give an explanation to other people that were not the subject of the research (application of results to other locations, people, or groups—transferability)?
C. What does the study mean in the big picture and how does the study apply to your own research question/topic?
D. What ways could your biblical worldview fit into the contents of the article?
Conclusion
Format the critique in current APA format and see the grading rubric for specific grading criteria.
