- Article Critique
The student will write a 3–4-page paper in current APA format, summarizing and critiquing a scholarly journal article on a topic dealing with child development.
Article Critique Instructions
Choosing an Article:
For this assignment, you will choose a research article related to an area related to child development and write a paper analyzing the article. The article that you choose must be original research, meaning it should have:
- An abstract
- An introduction (with review of pertinent literature)
- A methods section
- A results section
- A discussion section
After selecting an article, you must critically read the entire article (possibly more than once). In this context, “critical” does not mean to criticize in a negative manner; instead, it means to evaluate or judge the ideas, information, and opinions of a text based on academic standards. You should attempt to understand the topic that you choose in relation to the theories, approaches, and frameworks established in this course, which may require you to read other related texts.
Writing a Critique:
The body of your paper (3–4 pages) should contain a critical summary and a personal reflection. In the critical summary, you must include the purpose of the study, the study’s hypothesis, the type of research performed, a description of the participants, an explanation of how the research was performed, and the results of the research. As you write your critique, be sure to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article’s content and structure. Remember, analysis requires you to separate the content and concepts of a text into the main components, and then examine how these components interrelate, connect, and influence each other. In your personal reflection, you should address the following questions: Is the article beneficial to the discipline? Would you recommend it to others? Did the authors achieve their purpose? Was it well written and understandable (structure)? Additionally, your paper should have a title page (1 page) and a reference page (1 page) that cites the article you critiqued. All sections of this paper should adhere to the proper APA format.
Technical writing tips:
- Keep direct quotations to a minimum (this keeps the format simple and forces the writer to think and analyze).
- Use formal language—no contractions or informal terms (“a lot,” “thing,” “hyper”).
- Use past tense to describe all research findings—the events have already happened.
- Match verbs with nouns and pronouns.
- Edit carefully for punctuation and grammatical constructions. Christians must be articulate in order to be influential and persuasive.
- Book Report
The student will write a 6–7-page book report in current APA format on a book that deals with either the development of children or issues facing children. Novels and autobiographical books are not permitted.The Book Report is due in Module/Week 5. You are encouraged to select a book and begin reading it early in the course.
The book you choose must be written about children by a professional in the field of child development (examples of professionals are doctors, educators, pediatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) and must be between 250–300 pages. Write a well-focused Book Report discussing the child development issues/ideas addressed in your chosen book. Your paper must include 4–5 pages of text as well as a title page and a references page. The title page, the body of the paper, and the references page must all be formatted according to current APA style as outlined in the APA Manual. In your report, include the number of pages in your chosen book. The Grading Rubric for this assignment provides the specific requirements and expectations for the assignment. Review it before submitting your paper.
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