Critique of a Qualitative Article - Research Paper Example

Critique of a Qualitative Research Article Name Institution Introduction A critical appraisal is concerned with making careful and systematic assessments of research in order to determine its relevance, value, and trustworthiness within a specific context. This is because not all research meets the criteria for good quality. Critical appraisal helps clinicians to determine whether a research study was conducted properly, the information is reliable, and that the findings are trustworthy. This skill is essential in evidence-based practice because it trains clinicians to identify and apply research evidence in an efficient and reliable manner during decision-making (Critical Appraisal Skills Program-UK, 2015). This paper provides a critique of a research article on the impact of unemployment on mature-age adults in Adelaide, South Australia by Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield and Price (2006). Critiquing the Believability of the Research According to Ryan, Coughlan and Cronin (2007, p.739), a qualitative study critique examines the believability and the robustness of the research article. Believability is concerned with the writing style, abstract, report title, and author. The article is believable because the writing style depicts a well-written and organized report. The research title is accurate and clear while the abstract provides a clear summary of the study. The approach is inductive, provides a social context to create meaning, and gives multiple truths. These are important characteristics of a qualitative research article. Critiquing the Robustness of the Research Article Robustness is concerned with the problem statement, literature review, methodology, sample, data collection, findings, conclusions, implications, recommendations, and references (Ryan, Coughlan & Cronin, 2007, p.739). Problem/Purpose of the Research A research article should explain its general purpose in the introduction section. The purpose helps the reader to understand the approach used by the researcher (Firth, 2012). The purpose of the study in the article was to improve understanding about the impact off unemployment/under-employment of adults of mature age (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). This is because the researchers had observed that unemployment or under-employment was a social problem affecting individuals and the society in Australia. The research purpose is adequate in describing the relationship between the variables. From the article, is appears that there is a relationship between mature-age under-employment/unemployment, psychological health and financial status of older adults. The relationship is significant and testable. The statement of the problem also specifies the nature of the population being studied. It describes the median retirement age for Australians, the challenges of involuntary retirement on older adults and the risks of psychological problems on unemployed older adults. The article is significant because there were many quantitative studies on unemployment among younger people but limited research on mature-aged unemployment/underemployment (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). Literature Review and Theoretical Framework The article does not have an organized section for reviewing empirical literature on the topic. The layout should have provided separate sections for the introduction and the literature review. Only one paragraph discusses previous empirical studies on the concept of unemployment within the introduction. The article does demonstrate the relation between previous studies and the current research problem. The authors argue that there are many studies on the correlation of unemployment with low self-esteem, high depression, social exclusion, isolation and risk of suicide. The article also quotes empirical literature on the impact of unemployment on marital relationships, self-destructive behavior, and alcoholism in middle-aged adults. The discussion reveals the key variables as unemployment, financial outcomes, and psychological outcomes on mature-aged adults. However, the review does not place the variables within conceptual framework to demonstrate the relationships between the variables. It only describes the expectations of middle-aged adults towards their job and the demographic shifts in this age group. The article identifies a gap in literature arguing that there are many studies on the impact of unemployment on the youth but limited qualitative research on the impact of middle-aged unemployment. The authors therefore seek to understand the future expectations, quality of life, short-term financial status, and long-term financial situation of middle-aged unemployed adults (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). Hypothesis/Research Question The article does not have a specific research question. This is a challenge because the reader understands what the authors are trying to do but does not have an idea on what specific questions will be solved by the study. Lack of a research question or hypotheses also prevents the reader from conceptualizing. Ideally, the article would have provided two research questions such as: What is the effect of unemployment on the psychological wellbeing of unemployed mature-aged adults? Does unemployment have a negative short-term and long-term effect on the financial situation of unemployed mature-aged adults? Based on these questions, the variables of the first research question would have been unemployment and psychological wellbeing. The variables of the second research question would have been long-term financial status, short-term financial situation, and unemployment. The direction is not indicated. Since there is no hypothesis, the testability could not be determined. Definition of psychological well-being refers to the individual’s self-worth, quality of life, and horizon, contribution of talents, family relationships, and future concerns. Sample The article provides an adequate description of the population. It defines mature-aged adults as individuals above 45 years. The article also provides a detailed description of the sample. The methods for selecting the sample should be clear (Firth, 2012). The article asserts that the sample for the study was recruited from advertisement responses at recruitment and employment agencies. The agencies had asked for adults above 45 years that were unemployed to volunteer in the study. The volunteers were not selected at random. Lack of a sampling method could have affected the outcome of the study. A sampling strategy such as purposive sampling or snowball sampling could have improved the appropriateness of the sampling, maximized representation and credibility of the generated interpretations (Fossey, Harvey, Mcdermott & Davidson, 2002). Although the study lacked random sampling, the selected participants reflected the population discussed in the problem statement. For instance, the participants had diverse characteristics based on age, views on mature-aged unemployment and experiences. The authors did not include the social class of the participants based on the job position such as middle-level executive or secretarial position. Overall, 27 participants aged between 45 years and 71 years were selected for the project. These participants comprised of 10 women and 17 elderly men. The participants had been employed for a period of 2 weeks up to 18 years. Twenty-seven participants were selected and assigned to five interview groups(Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). Qualitative sampling involves small sample sizes and does not use a fixed minimum sample size (Fossey, Harvey, Mcdermott & Davidson, 2002). This implies that 27 participants were appropriate. The findings could be generalized to mature-aged adults facing employment challenges in Australia. The findings were applicable to adults between 45 and 70 years that had been looking for work or engaged in less than satisfactory employment such as short-term contract jobs. Research Design There is no clear description of the choice of research design. It is not clear whether the authors used ethnography, phenomenology, or participatory action research. Lack of a clear research design makes it difficult for the reader to connect the research problem with the literature review. Data collection in qualitative research primarily involves participant observation, focus groups or interviewing method. Interview method was used for the data collection. The authors conducted group interviews where some subjects could have participated more than others participate or exaggerated their unemployment problems. The data collection procedure was similar for all participants. The rights of the participants were protected. There is no indication that the participants gave their informed consent Instruments The article used interviews to collect information from the sample. Two interviewers were used. Both interviewers had similar experiences as the participants with regards to unemployment and dissatisfaction with their current jobs. The first interviewer was middle-aged and had experienced unemployment in the past while the second interviewer had an elderly father that had been unable to secure employment. Although the interviewers’ experiences helped create trust and reduce barriers in data collection, the same experiences could have made the interviewers biased to the participants. For instance, the article mentions that the researchers sympathized and supported a female participant that cried during an interview (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006, p.470). There is no mention of any training given to the interviewers to help them minimize bias. Reliability and validity of research instruments is very critical in research. According to Fossey, Harvey, Mcdermott and Davidson (2002), reliability and validity in qualitative research can be determined from the credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability, authenticity, honesty and openness. There is no explanation of reliability or validity of the interview instrument. There was consistency between the researcher’s interpretation of the interview responses and the views of the participants to indicate credibility. The article is not auditable because it does not provide clear trail or documentation used in the research such as the interview questions (Tracy, 2010). Goodness, confirmability and transferability are demonstrated in the application and interpretation of the interview responses (Ryan, Coughlan & Cronin, 2007). Analysis of Data Descriptive information is reported. This information is appropriate because the analysis transformed the interview response into themes. The article provides a detailed description of the steps used in the thematic analysis. However, the rationale for using this analysis is not explained (Thorne, 2000). No tables or figures are provided in the text. Conclusions, Implications and Recommendations The findings are interpreted in the context of the research problem. The relevance of the findings to policy are identified and explained. No generalizations are made but the implications for psychology are provided. The conclusions are adequate since they reflect the findings and offer recommendations for policy implementation. The conclusion also explains the risks in interpreting the results due to the risk of bias in data collection and lack of ethnic/gender analysis. The direct application of the findings in social inclusion policies is explained and deemed feasible through job-specific training to prevent skill degradation. The study could also be replicated in settings where research on mature-aged unemployment does not exist and social inclusion policies fail to meet the needs of older workers. References Critical Appraisal Skills Program-UK. (2015). Appraising the evidence. Retrieved from http://www.casp-uk.net/#!appraising-the-evidence/c23r5 Firth, M. (2012). Critiquing qualitative research article. Retrieved from http://www.developingteachers.com/articles_tchtraining/researcharticlespf_mark.htm. Fossey, E., Harvey, C., McDermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and evaluating qualitative research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36, 717-732. Ranzijn, R., Carson, E., Winefield, A., & Price, D. (2006). On the scrap-head at 45: The human impact of mature-aged unemployment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79, 467-479. Ryan, F., Coughlan, M., & Cronin, P. (2007). Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 2: Qualitative research. British Journal of Nursing, 16(12), 738-744. Thorne, S. (2000). Data analysis in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 3, 68-70. Tracy, S.J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight ‘big-tent’ criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. Read More

This is because the researchers had observed that unemployment or under-employment was a social problem affecting individuals and the society in Australia. The research purpose is adequate in describing the relationship between the variables. From the article, is appears that there is a relationship between mature-age under-employment/unemployment, psychological health and financial status of older adults. The relationship is significant and testable. The statement of the problem also specifies the nature of the population being studied.

It describes the median retirement age for Australians, the challenges of involuntary retirement on older adults and the risks of psychological problems on unemployed older adults. The article is significant because there were many quantitative studies on unemployment among younger people but limited research on mature-aged unemployment/underemployment (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). Literature Review and Theoretical Framework The article does not have an organized section for reviewing empirical literature on the topic.

The layout should have provided separate sections for the introduction and the literature review. Only one paragraph discusses previous empirical studies on the concept of unemployment within the introduction. The article does demonstrate the relation between previous studies and the current research problem. The authors argue that there are many studies on the correlation of unemployment with low self-esteem, high depression, social exclusion, isolation and risk of suicide. The article also quotes empirical literature on the impact of unemployment on marital relationships, self-destructive behavior, and alcoholism in middle-aged adults.

The discussion reveals the key variables as unemployment, financial outcomes, and psychological outcomes on mature-aged adults. However, the review does not place the variables within conceptual framework to demonstrate the relationships between the variables. It only describes the expectations of middle-aged adults towards their job and the demographic shifts in this age group. The article identifies a gap in literature arguing that there are many studies on the impact of unemployment on the youth but limited qualitative research on the impact of middle-aged unemployment.

The authors therefore seek to understand the future expectations, quality of life, short-term financial status, and long-term financial situation of middle-aged unemployed adults (Ranzijn, Carson, Winefield & Price, 2006). Hypothesis/Research Question The article does not have a specific research question. This is a challenge because the reader understands what the authors are trying to do but does not have an idea on what specific questions will be solved by the study. Lack of a research question or hypotheses also prevents the reader from conceptualizing.

Ideally, the article would have provided two research questions such as: What is the effect of unemployment on the psychological wellbeing of unemployed mature-aged adults? Does unemployment have a negative short-term and long-term effect on the financial situation of unemployed mature-aged adults? Based on these questions, the variables of the first research question would have been unemployment and psychological wellbeing. The variables of the second research question would have been long-term financial status, short-term financial situation, and unemployment.

The direction is not indicated. Since there is no hypothesis, the testability could not be determined. Definition of psychological well-being refers to the individual’s self-worth, quality of life, and horizon, contribution of talents, family relationships, and future concerns. Sample The article provides an adequate description of the population. It defines mature-aged adults as individuals above 45 years. The article also provides a detailed description of the sample. The methods for selecting the sample should be clear (Firth, 2012).

The article asserts that the sample for the study was recruited from advertisement responses at recruitment and employment agencies.

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