Doing, Being, and Becoming a First-Year Therapy Student - Essay Example

Article Critique: Professional Qualitative Research: Doing, Being and Becoming a First Year Therapy Institution: Date of submission: Article Critique: Professional Qualitative Research: doing, being and becoming a first year therapy student Introduction The concept of occupational therapy is the therapeutic application of occupations that encompasses everyday life activities with groups, individuals, organizations or populations aiming at supporting participation, performance and other functions and roles in the society, schools, homes and any other situational settings. Occupational therapy aims at rehabilitating wellness and health for those who risk developing illness and those who are already ill, or any other injury. This paper critiques a qualitative therapeutic research report on how it covers important aspects of occupational therapy. The Title This article covers challenges that first year occupational therapy students faced while carrying out qualitative research. The title of this article is “Doing, being and becoming a first year therapy student.” This title covers basically what the article is all about. However, it does not give a hint about challenges, yet the article is all about challenges of doing, being and becoming a first year therapy student. Hence, one cannot know at a glance that it covers challenges. This means that to some extent, the title is not satisfactory. Abstract The abstract is clear; it gives a summary of the article and summarizes the study, giving conclusions and creating curiosity to make the reader go on. However, it does not give any summary of methods that the research applied. Additionally, it does not touch on anything related to limitations of the study. Basically, the abstract does not have enough information, and its reader does not get all the points from it. Upon reading the body, the reader gets new information lacking in the abstract. An abstract of occupational therapy research paper should clearly indicate a summary of the methods and limitations. Introduction The introduction starts by giving a brief background on previous activities that led to a shift towards occupational therapy research. It also gives the reader the basis of the study and reasons for it. Besides, the introduction outlines settings of the study; contextual setting and situational setting. This means that the introduction is perfectly clear. Further, it gives a clear thesis and methodology that the research uses. Problem Development The article clarifies this section with explanation of what this research is all about. It shows all literature giving the central aim of the study. This section gives a research questions and hypotheses of the study. It gives the theory that the study uses and the literature in the theory. To further make the research clear to the reader, the paper gives the background of the subjects plus the methodology of the study. Generally, the research is well built upon with proper systemization, linking the purpose of the study directly to the conclusion. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework For a research report to be eloquent, it needs to have a perfect research theoretical framework in which the researcher indicates all the theoretical aspects in the study. This article has one, the theoretical framework section, which gives clarity in the theory that the research applies. It explains why the researcher decided to apply the theory rather than any other theory, outlining its application advantages. Furthermore, this section is where the researcher reviews all the literature that they apply in the study and the ones in the theory. For instance, it elucidates the meaning of terms like Habitus, which are an individual’s dispositions that help in shaping their behavior giving a lens through which they view the whole world. Fields come in as social spaces with specific structures where different sets of rules are operational. The article is well elaborated since all the literature in the research work is covered in this section, theoretical framework of the study. The research paper also has a section that covers the method that the research uses. In this section, the reader gets to know the methods that the researcher employs in carrying out the research. This provides proper understanding since the reader will get well a clear understanding while looking at the results and findings from the study. The paper clearly gives all the concepts and their appropriateness to the study. For instance, the writer gives the reasons why they had to apply Bourdieu’s theory of field, habitus and capital. In addition, the writer defines all the terms and concepts in the theoretical framework of the study. A clear integration of the ideas, concepts and notions in the study are explained in this section. The author also gives the application advantages of the theory that they apply in this study through giving reasons why it is the best for this kind of research. To clarify this, the author says that the theory enables one to situate learning and recognizes the academic institutions and many others. This means the article explains all the concepts and represents them perfectly in the theoretical framework section. Their appropriateness is also well elucidated. Methods This section covers the methodology that the research applies. Variables The article clearly gives the all variables through identification of the participants and the approach method. Other variables included background information on the subjects, who were students. Research Design The article reveals that the method was a case study design that was majorly qualitative. The article also verifies all the required information about the participants. The research question was about professional qualitative research, and the article reveals that the researcher applied a qualitative case study design. This is the most appropriate method/design of study since the article gives all its importance and advantages in the theoretical framework section. Sample and sample selection method The samples were simply volunteers and the procedure of enlisting quite open without infringing on any of the individual or institution rights. This is because the research was open and cast on a large population before narrowing down to a few students; 3. Although the article does not give any details on whether the institution had consented to the research plus any more information about the institution where the students were from. This is the main weakness of the article. The article indicates that there were various methods used in collection of data. Transcription of individuals, interviews and use of focus groups are the methods that the study applied. This was aimed at finding student identity construction. This shows that the article clearly shows data collection methods and proper description of the samples in the methodology section. Further, the article gives the purpose of the study as investigation of student identity construction, learning notions and their purpose and extent of actions. Procedure The article clearly shows the procedures that the research followed. It gives the setting as the learning institution where the samples were situated. Since the research problem required continuous study and improvement in the future of the occupational therapy practice, the method of study was very much appropriate to the problem at hand. Instruments Unfortunately, the article does not specify any instruments that the research used in the process; maybe because the research did not require any instrument at all. Further, it does not give any details about the reliability and appropriateness of any instrument in this research. Results The article shows this section in the findings. Clearly, it gives all the findings with close reference to the research question. This is in close association with the reflection and description of the analytical procedures that the research applied. It gives the findings of what middle class is, and its view in the society, the effect of the fact that the students’ (samples) parents had some education and the general middle class background. The article leaves no room for discrepancies and assumptions in qualitative research. Despite being clearly evaluative, the results do not give enough explanations on occupational therapy aspects with regards to the subjects. They do not show any link between the findings and the subject factors like the body functions and structures, which are imperative aspects of occupational therapy. Conclusion and overall evaluation This section talks about the research question and links it to the findings. It basically summarizes the answers to the research question and confirms the hypothesis. The conclusion also highlights the advantages of the theoretical approach that the study applied. The study notes all the challenges of occupational therapy and their implications in the study results. Unfortunately, it does not give any limitations of the study and disadvantages of using the theory that it applied. In overall, this article answers the research question and is well written, well cited. Any other articles by these authors would be pleasurable in their educative and clearly exploring manner of approach. The authors explore in depth all information that is relevant to the study and gives proper citations for further readings. Reference/Article source Rensburg, V. (2011, January 26). Doing, being and becoming a first year occupational therapy student. South African Journal of occupational therapy. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from www.sajot.co.za/index.php/sajot/article/view/80 Read More