This critique evaluates a quantitative research article that investigated the effectiveness of a self-management program for heart failure patients. The article clearly presented the variables and population studied. The abstract adequately summarized the study's problem, methods, results and conclusion. A randomized controlled study design was appropriately used to determine the causal relationship between the self-management program and health outcomes. The conceptual framework of self-efficacy theory supported developing the self-management intervention.
Original Description:
ex
Original Title
This is an Example of the START of a Well Written Critique for a Quantitative Article by a Student
This critique evaluates a quantitative research article that investigated the effectiveness of a self-management program for heart failure patients. The article clearly presented the variables and population studied. The abstract adequately summarized the study's problem, methods, results and conclusion. A randomized controlled study design was appropriately used to determine the causal relationship between the self-management program and health outcomes. The conceptual framework of self-efficacy theory supported developing the self-management intervention.
This critique evaluates a quantitative research article that investigated the effectiveness of a self-management program for heart failure patients. The article clearly presented the variables and population studied. The abstract adequately summarized the study's problem, methods, results and conclusion. A randomized controlled study design was appropriately used to determine the causal relationship between the self-management program and health outcomes. The conceptual framework of self-efficacy theory supported developing the self-management intervention.
This is an example of the START of a well written critique for a
quantitative article by a student
The second critique will evaluate a quantitative research article conducted by Shao, Chang, Edwards, Shyu and Chen (2013) to investigate a self-management program that heart failure patients can use to effectively manage their condition and experience better outcomes. The title of the article captures the main idea of the study as it clearly illustrates the variables and population of interest. A reader can quickly decipher the independent variable (e.g. selfmanagement program) and dependent variable (e.g. health-related outcomes) from the title. The abstract was well written and included a summary of the key points of the study such as the problem, methods, results, and conclusion sections. It was detailed enough that a reader can quickly skim through the abstract and understand the study without reading the article in depth. The introduction and background clearly outlined heart failure and the difficulties in finding an effective self-management program for heart failure patients. This led smoothly into the discussion of the research problem and the efforts that healthcare providers and patients must take to address the problem. The use of a quantitative study (e.g. randomized controlled study) was appropriate in answering the research problem because the researchers wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-management program with heart failure patients through manipulation (e.g. control and intervention groups). The design of randomized controlled study allows researchers to determine a cause and effect relationship between variables under study and gather evidence to approve or refute it (Polit & Beck, 2012). Although the researchers did not specify any formal research questions or hypothesis one can still deduce from the statement of purpose and aim of the study that their main objective was determining if the self-management program that they developed would be effective with heart failure patients. In other words, the reader can formulate a hypothesis from the purpose and aim statements. Most of the primary sources used in the literature review were more than five years old, but the articles provided a strong foundation and evidence to support the study.
Banduras self-efficacy theory was used as the conceptual framework in
developing the self-management intervention in the study. The self-efficacy theory suggests that people with higher level of self-efficacy are more likely to engage in health promoting behaviors. Therefore, the self-efficacy theory was appropriate for this study because if a self-management intervention will improve an individuals self-efficacy then that means the intervention was effective. and then the rest of the critique goes onWhile not perfect, this is an example of the correct tone and voice of a critique. Notice how enough of the article is explained so the reader can follow along, but the main part of the critique is not describing the article, but making judgments about how the research was done and written up. The student achieves this by knowing quantitative research rules and then evaluating the article. The rules are found in your text and in the power point slides and class discussions we have had this semester. You have the knowledge to evaluate your article. Enjoy the process!