PSYC20038: Positive Psychology: Research Methods

PSYC20038 Positive Psychology: Research Methods (2020)

Assessment 4: Critical Review and Research Proposal

Task Description

In this final assessment, you will source and critically evaluate three published research articles, and make a proposal for future research based on your critical evaluation. The articles sourced will be your choice, but must be:

1. Peer-reviewed primary source journal articles (i.e., articles reporting new research findings from an original study conducted by the authors, not a review article). The articles must be published in reputable journals.
2. Relevant to one specific area of interest in the Positive Psychology/ wellbeing/resilience domain, but this must be a different area of focus than the choice in Assessment 1. You will source three journal articles each reporting an empirical study relevant to the chosen area of interest, ensuring that you have not previously critiqued these journal articles in this unit or other units in this course.

The critical review and research proposal will include consideration of the following:

• What is the predominant area of interest for the researcher/s, and why is the area considered important? (This will be the basis for the introduction.)
• What are the main research questions in each article?
• Compare and contrast the methodologies used by the researchers in each article
• What are the key findings in each of the publications, and do they appear to be justified? (Are the conclusions drawn justified based on the evidence gained in the study?)
• What are the strengths and limitations of each of the chosen research publications? (This description should be more than a repetition of the limitations that the article authors report themselves)
• A critical evaluation of the suggestions made by the researcher(s) for future research (assess the appropriateness of the suggestions for future research that were made by the study authors, and whether other suggestions could be warranted)
• Identification of an important ‘gap’ in the research literature (based on the 3 chosen publications) that you propose could be further explored in research, and a justification for why this proposed future research would be worthwhile. The justification will include

how addressing this ‘gap’ links to the publications you have reviewed, and is a logical next-step for developing the publication authors’ line of enquiry further. (Your proposed idea should follow from the gaps identified in the 3 articles you chose to critically review. Note that it’s not expected that you will necessarily come up with an entirely new/unique research gap that has never been tested before, because you are basing your idea on your critical evaluation of only 3 journal articles.)

• Formulation of at least one future research question that would address the identified ‘gap’ in knowledge (using the guiding principles of the PICO [Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparison, Outcomes] style framework).
• A description of the proposed research design and method you would use to attempt to answer your research question (e.g., research study design, types of participants you would seek, method and procedure for generating data, variables of interest, etc.).

The maximum word count for this assessment task is 3000 words (+/- 10%).

This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section. Meeting the word count is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document on Moodle for a rationale for using this type of word limit restriction.

Assessment Criteria

Using a marking rubric, you will be assessed on:

• Accurate reporting of the predominant research area of interest, and research questions
• Ability to interpret, critique, and summarise the reported research findings
• Quality of comparing and contrasting of the research methodologies used in the three journal articles.
• Quality and comprehensiveness of the identification of the strengths, weaknesses, and future research directions.
• Critical analysis of key gaps/areas for further research based on the chosen literature.
• The rationale as to why the identified gap would be of benefit to address in future research.
• Development of a meaningful research question using the principles of the PICO (Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparison, and Outcomes) style framework.
• Development of appropriate research design and method to answer the research question posed.
• Clarity, conciseness, and quality of written communication and critical thinking in the assessment piece, and adherence to the word-limit.
• Correct use of APA referencing style for in-text citations and the reference list.

Tips on how to critically evaluate research articles are available in the Theme 3 Moodle Workbook and under the Assessment section of the Moodle page.

Assessment criteria and marking rubric for this assessment are shown on the following page.

 

PSYC20038 – Positive Psychology: Research Methods

Assessment Marking Rubric & Feedback sheet for Assessment 4 – Critical Review and Research Proposal

 

Criteria	HD	D	C	P	F
Accurate reporting of the	Accurate and thorough	Accurate and clear reporting	Some accuracy in reporting	Limited accuracy in reporting	No real accuracy in reporting
predominant research area	reporting of the area of	of the area of research and	of the area of research and	of the area of research and	of the area of research and
of interest, and research	research and journal article	journal article research	journal article research	journal article research	journal article research
questions.	research questions.	questions.	questions.	questions.	questions.
Ability to interpret, critique	Logical and insightful	Logical interpretation and	Some interpretation and	Limited or emerging	No real interpretation and
and summarise the reported	interpretation and critique of	critique of the research	critique of the research	interpretation and critique of	critique of the research
research findings.	the research findings,	findings including	findings including	the research findings; limited	findings; limited summary of
	including consideration of the	consideration of the	consideration of the	summary of the reported	the reported research
	appropriateness of the	appropriateness of the	appropriateness of the	research findings.	findings.
	methodology; thorough	methodology; clear summary	methodology; general
	summary of the reported	of the reported research	summary of the reported
	research findings.	findings.	research findings.
Quality of comparing and	In-depth and insightful	In-depth and logical	General discussion	Description of research	No real attempts to compare
contrasting of the research	comparing and contrasting of	comparing and contrasting of	comparing and contrasting of	methodologies, including	and contrast research
methodologies used in the	research methodologies;	research methodologies;	research methodologies;	participant sampling, choice	methodologies, with no real
three journal articles.	thorough consideration of	clear consideration of	general consideration of	of instruments, and	consideration of participant
	participant sampling, choice	participant sampling, choice	participant sampling, choice	procedure.	sampling, choice of
	of instruments, and	of instruments, and	of instruments, and		instruments, and procedure.
	procedure.	procedure.	procedure.
Quality and	Insightful and thorough	Logical and thorough	General discussion of	Limited, surface level	No real discussion of
comprehensiveness of the	discussion of strengths,	discussion of strengths,	strengths, weaknesses and	discussion of strengths,	strengths, weaknesses and
identification of the strengths,	weaknesses and future	weaknesses and future	future research directions.	weaknesses and future	future research directions.
weaknesses, and future	research directions.	research directions.		research directions.
research directions.
Critical analysis of key	Logical and insightful	Logical discussion of gaps	Some discussion of gaps and	Limited, surface level	No real discussion of gaps
gaps/areas for further	discussion of gaps and areas	and areas for further	areas for further research.	discussion of gaps and areas	and areas for future
research based on the	for further research.	research.		for further research.	research.
chosen literature.
Rationale as to why the	Insightful justification for	Clear justification for	General justification for	Little justification for future	No real justification for future
identified gap would be of	identified future research	identified future research	identified future research	research using at least one	research using the articles.
benefit to address in future	based on an integration of	based on an integration of	based on at least two of the	of the articles.
research.	the three articles.	the three articles.	articles.
					4

 

Criteria	HD	D	C	P	F
Development of a meaningful	Development of an insightful	Development of a logical	Development of a general	Development of a research	No real attempts at
research question using the	and logical research	research question,	research question that	question, but with limited	developing a research
principles of the PICO/PEO	question, demonstrating	demonstrating clear	demonstrates some	understanding of identified	question, with no real
style framework.	thorough understanding of	understanding of identified	understanding of identified	gaps and unit content.	demonstrated understanding
	identified gaps and unit	gaps and unit content, and	gaps and unit content, and		of research gaps and unit
	content. Clear articulation of	use of PICO/PEO format.	attempted use of the		content.
	research question using		PICO/PEO format.
	PICO/PEO format.
Development of an	Development of an insightful	Development of a clearly	Development of a generally	Development of a research	No real attempts at
appropriate research design	and highly appropriate	appropriate research design	appropriate research design	design and method, but with	developing a research design
and method to answer the	research design and method	and method that could	and method that could	limited consideration to its	and method to answer a
research question posed.	that could logically answer	logically answer the research	answer the research	appropriateness for	research question. No real
	the research question posed.	question posed. Good	question posed. Some	answering the research	demonstration of
	In-depth understanding of	understanding of unit content	understanding of unit content	question posed. Limited	understanding the unit
	unit content on research	on research methods	on research methods	understanding of unit content	content on research
	methods demonstrated.	demonstrated.	demonstrated.	on research methods	methods.
				demonstrated.
Clarity, conciseness and	Purposeful, well integrated,	Well integrated and succinct	Writing is academic in tone	There are several errors and	The degree of errors in
quality of written	organised, and succinct	academic writing that clearly	but occasionally lacks focus,	instances of ineffective use	vocabulary, grammar,
communication and critical	academic writing that clearly	conveys points and critical	integration and/or	of vocabulary, grammar,	punctuation, word choice,
thinking, and adherence to	conveys points and critical	thinking. Minor errors in	succinctness, and/or there	punctuation, word choice,	academic tone, spelling,
the word-limit.	thinking. Written within 5%	vocabulary, grammar, and	are errors or instances of	spelling, academic tone,	and/or organisation is such
	of the word-limit.	organisation. Written within	ineffective use of vocabulary,	and/or organisation, which	that it is difficult to know
		10% of the word-limit.	grammar, and organisation.	obscures meaning and	what the writer is trying to
			The errors infrequently	demonstration of critical	express. Submission is
			affect readability and	thinking some of the time.	more than 20% over (or
			demonstration of critical	Written within 20% of the	under) the word-limit.
			thinking. Written within 15%	word-limit.
			of the word-limit.
Correct use of APA	Referencing (in-text	Referencing (in-text	Referencing (in-text	There are a number of errors	Referencing (in-text
referencing style for in-text	citations and reference list)	citations and reference list)	citations and reference list)	and inconsistencies in APA	citations and reference list)
citations and the reference	and presentation conforms	and presentation conforms	and presentation generally	style (for in-text citations	and presentation
list.	to current edition of APA	to current edition of APA	conforms to current edition of	and the reference list).	consistently incorrect and/or
	style.	style, with infrequent and	APA style, but with errors		non-APA style applied.
		minor errors.	that are more regular.