Assignment:
Review a current, peer-reviewed, primary research journal article in your field and write a summary.
Include the full citation in correct APA style, the purpose statement, the research questions, research design, data collection methods (naming or describing any instruments used), and a brief overview of the results and discussion. Include one to two sentences of how this article will be useful to your dissertation. Additionally, provide 1-2 sentences critiquing the article.
Please see an example below.
Gándara, P. (2002). A study of high school Puente: What we have learned about preparing Latino youth for postsecondary education. Educational Policy, 16(4), 474-495.
This article asks the question: What is the impact of the Puente program on student retention, attitudes, dispositions, and academic preparation? The study uses a mixed methods longitudinal design of Puente students (n = 1,000) and non-Puente students (n= 1,000) selected from the same social science classrooms. The data sources for the 2,000 students included: student transcripts and data files, interviews with student, and observation of students.
It was found from the mixed method data analysis that Puente students appear to be somewhat more likely to stay in school, their attitudes toward school are significantly more positive, their preparation for making college applications is stronger, their aspirations are higher, and they are more eager to identify with the label of good student than are non-Puente students who are Latinos as well as those who are primarily White and Asian. This article is useful to the present study on retention in minority populations as it incorporates both a minority and non-minority group. Although the article was well-written, included a large sample size, and was thorough, the lit review supporting the study was eak and failed to include a theoretical framework to support the study.