Exploring the Learning Experiences of Nursing Students with Dyslexia - Essay Example

? Critical Appraisal of a Journal Article Critical Appraisal of a Journal Article Introduction This paper offers a critical appraisal of the article “Exploring the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia.” by Child and Langford (2011). The article comprehensively discusses the various ways through which nursing students with dyslexia often cope up with their new placement. The authors particularly sought to establish ways of improving support for such students during clinical practice. A phenomenological qualitative research approach was used to provide important insights on the experience of students with dyslexia (Child and Langford, 2011, p.42). The two researchers explored the significance of clinical mentor roles for nursing students with dyslexia, the value of wok based learning as well as the need for advocacy to support such students. Based on their research findings, the authors concluded that early diagnosis and detection of dyslexia is critically important for the development of appropriate support for the affected individuals (Bums, 2009, p.48). They further argued that sharing placement experiences with the other colleagues outside the clinical environment can significantly benefit nursing students with dyslexia. This critical appraisal evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of their research based on an assessment of the general aspects of the article, appropriateness of the title, credibility of the two researchers and effectiveness of the research methods used. Evaluation of the general aspects of the Article The assessment of the general aspects of the article include evaluating the relevance and validity of the title, the credibility of the authors, the abstract of the paper, the appropriateness of the research rationale and aims as well as the literature review. Generally, the authors have used an appropriate title that effectively provides insights into the research problem as well as the concept under study (Creswell, 2009, p.36). Additionally, the title of the paper contains all the main key words related to the topic of study. The abstract of the research article is also fairly appropriate both in terms of its length as well as the relevance of its summary of the main aspects of the research study. With regard to the credibility of the two authors, it is important to note that both the two researchers are widely recognised authors who have published a number of research articles on various peer reviewed journals (Child and Langford, 2011, p.39). One of the co-authors, Jenny child is currently a senior lecture in adult nursing and has a wide knowledge and experience on the topic of the study. The other author, Elizabeth Langford, is also a senior lecture at the prestigious University of the West of England. She is also currently working as a study skills advisor at the same institution in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. On the other hand, despite little previous research on the potential effects of dyslexia on nursing students on placement, the two researchers carried out a comprehensive literature review of a number of recent publications relevant to the topic of the study. The systematic literature review employed in the research is fairly comprehensive and up to date. For example, the reviewed articles, journals and books are all recent publications that were published within the last five years. A computer based key word search using the British Nursing index, British Education index and Medline helped the authors to get some of the recent publications on their research problem (Child and Langford, 2011, p.39). Additionally, all the articles reviewed were first subjected to double blind peer review and automated plagiarism check to ensure that the information obtained from them is credible and up to the required standards. However, the authors have included a few older references some of which were published before 2006. According to Wright (2000, p. 56), this is understandable given that limited previous researches exist on the topic of the study. Finally, the clearly stated research aims and questions are also relevant to the topic of the study. For example, the major research question particularly identifies the three main components such as the target group under study, the parameters of the study, as well as, the specific research outcomes of interest (Franklin, 2012, p.107). Ethical Issues and the Research Approach Ethical considerations are some of the most important aspects of any credible research. According to many Hickson (2008, p. 22), the study design as well as the methods used in a research study should not only be ethically justifiable but must also be based on informed consent from all the concerned parties including the participants in the research. On the other hand, it is also important for researchers to ensure that the anonymity and confidentiality of the participants and respondents are always protected. The authors of the present research effectively addressed a number of ethical concerns in their research study (Holliday, 2009, p.14). For example, before accessing the participants, an ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee where the right to access the respondents was granted by the programme managers. On the other hand, the researchers also obtained informed consents from their target participants who had been invited by formal letters. For example, the third year adult nursing students were approached by letter and subsequently requested to voluntarily take part in the research study. (Child and Langford, 2011, p.42) Each of the students was then provided with a consent form and a participant information form to be completed before their actual participation in the research. Additionally, during the analysis of the research findings particularly the tape recordings, the researchers ensured the confidentiality and anonymity of the respondents by coding the recordings so as not to disclose the identity of the respondents (Holloway and Wheeler, 2010, p.34). Lastly, all the selected respondents were granted the freedom to participate or withdraw from the research study at any time of their wish. On the question of the effectiveness of the research approach used in the article, the methodology adopted by the researchers met most of the requirements of a credible research process. For example, by basing their research study on a phenomenological Lifeworld approach, the researchers not only ensured that the participants were able to effectively reflect on their experiences, but the approach also enabled the researchers to achieve in-depth knowledge regarding the experiences of the students with dyslexia (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011, p.49). Based on the philosophical principles of phenomenology, the authors also effectively selected a fairly appropriate purposeful sample of 12 participants from among the university students in the nursing department. The phenomenological qualitative research approach was used to provide important insights on the experience of students with dyslexia. In this regard, the two researchers were able to effectively explore the significance of clinical mentor roles for nursing students with dyslexia, the value of wok based learning as well as the need for advocacy to support such students (Walters, 2010 p. 48). The success of the research was particularly attributed to the fact that the criterion used for selecting the participants as well as the study design was appropriate to the main research goals of the study. Similarly, the selection of the participants was fairly within the requirements of a credible research process. For example, by choosing to purposeful sample of 12 participants from among the university students in the nursing department, the researchers ensured that their respondents were people who were knowledgeable in the given field of research. However, the authors of the article failed to effectively demonstrate the particular criteria and sampling methods used to select their participants (Kumar, 2011, p.89). In my opinion, the researchers would have highlighted some of the aspects of their sample selection including the gender and severity of dyslexia among the selected participants. The use of face-to face interviews with each participant being given an independent interviewer provided the researchers with an important opportunity to clarify any potential doubt that may have arisen and adapt the questions by repeating or rephrasing where necessary (Cohen, 2008, p.34).This approach is critically important in terms of enhancing the reliability of the responses because it ensures that all the interview questions are well understood by the participants. However, according to Creswell (2008, p.72), despite the effectiveness of face to face interviews, one of its potential limitations is that it may have compromised the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants and some of the respondents may have felt uneasy disclosing some of their personal experiences Assessment of the Research Findings and Conclusions According to many experts, the assessment of the quality of the research findings of a research is often based on a number of aspects some of which include its credibility, conformability and transferability (Anthony, 2009, p. 1118). With regard to the credibility of the current research article, the two researchers have particularly enhanced the believability of their study findings by providing a comprehensive description of the responses of the participants in the form of verbatim transcripts. This is particularly important because it improves the credibility of the research findings by allowing the readers to also draw their own individual conclusions based on the verbatim transcripts (Polit and Beck, 2008, p.45). Additionally, the effective relationship between the various sources of data such as the literature review and the interview findings also further improves the credibility of the research. However, the authors have failed to provide any views and conclusions from the participants and this has may affect the credibility of the research in terms of the participant validation. On the other hand, in terms of the confirmability of the findings, a number of strategies have been used by the two researchers to improve the extent to which their results can be effectively corroborated by other researches (Creswell, J. 2009, p.59). For example, the researchers have properly documented all the relevant procedures that they employed in authenticating their data throughout the research process. The reference to such documentations is critically significant in the confirmability of the findings because it provides readers with important insights into how the researcher made some of the conclusions. Throughout the research, transferability has been ensured by a number of thick descriptions that can be used by other future researchers in relate contexts. Although the findings of the research have not been generalized due to the small sample size, the authors have also further improved the transferability of their study findings by developing a closer relationship between their conceptual framework and the research data collection and analysis (Graneheim, 2012, p.108). Lastly, the study findings are discussed and presented in a fairly appropriate way that can easily be read and understood by anyone. The discussion part has provided additional insights regarding the need for early diagnosis and detection of dyslexia and the importance of developing appropriate support for the affected individuals (BDA, 2013, p.74). Conclusion In conclusion, despite a few limitations such as the lack of appropriate sampling criteria in the selection of the participants, the researchers have used a fairly appropriate systematic inquiry into their research problem. The methodology adopted by the researchers has met most of the requirements of a credible research process. However, the credibility of the research could have been better enhanced by providing the views and conclusions from the participants. References Anthony, S. 2009. Qualitative case study methodology in nursing research: an integrative review. J Adv Nurs. 65(6), pp.1171-1181. British Dyslexia Association. 2013. Becoming A Dyslexia-Wise Employer. A Framework for Action. London: British Dyslexia Association. 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Walters, A. J. 2010. Phenomenology as a way of understanding in nursing. Contemporary Nurse Journal 3(3), pp.134-141. Read More