Introduction
The notion of praxis, or reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it (Freire, 1970), is at the heart of action research — theory informs practice, and practice, in turn, informs theory. NCLC 203 has introduced you to the nature and goals of social and behavioral research, as well as exposed you to a wide variety of research methods used in analyzing and exploring social issues. The learning goals for this assignment are to:
- Consider the effects of different ways of knowing on research and practice
- Practice doing library and database searches to identify relevant research articles
- Introduce you to the process of critiquing research methods, results, and interpretations
- Evaluate the meaning of research results in light of your own epistemological beliefs and RING projects
The Assignment
- Phase 1
Using the library research strategies reviewed in class, you are to select two research articles – representing two DIFFERENT inquiry traditions (qualitative, quantitative) related to the subject you are addressing in your RING. Selected articles must be approved by the instructor team, as noted in the timeline below. For each article you are to use guidelines distributed in class to examine the following elements of the study:- research question and introduction section; methods section
- presentation of research results
- discussion of results
- Phase 2
The final part of this assignment is to situate the two studies you reviewed in your own experience and explore all connections to the work you are conducting in your RING. Please discuss your own perspective about the relevance of the research you reviewed. Possible areas for discussion may include:- which inquiry tradition is more aligned with your own beliefs about knowledge and how people come to know? (epistemology)
- how do your own experiences shape your critique of the articles and how you might apply any results?
- how might you step out of your preferred way of knowing and consider the question from alternative viewpoints?
- how does your learning from this assignment inform the work you are doing in the RINGS?
- what are possible practical applications of these articles?
- briefly describe a follow-up study you would conduct based on one or both of these studies.
Due Dates
|
Due Date |
Assignment |
Guidelines and Expectations |
| 1/21 | In-class writing | Handwritten reflection on different ways of knowing. |
| 2/23 | Finding articles | Use skills from workshop on library searches reading on “how to research a social issue” to locate two articles to critique related to your RING topic. |
| 3/5, 11pm | Approval of articles | Submit articles to Pebblepad gateway by for faculty approval. |
| 4/2, 11pm | Phase 1
(25 points) |
Submit initial critiques: 2-3 pages for EACH of your two approved articles to Pebblepad gateway. |
| 4/20, 9:30am | Phase 2
(50 points) |
In-class peer review. Bring a hard copy of your final paper draft to class. This full draft should include: revisions to the critiques of your two articles + 2-3 page reflection and discussion of Phase 2 questions).
Attach a list of 2-3 things you would like peer reviewers to help you with. |
| 5/6, noon | Final paper due
(75 points) |
Final version of Phase 1 and 2 (total 7-10 pages), including brief 1 paragraph description of what you changed as a result of the peer review process, due to Pebblepad gateway. |