LITERATURE REVIEW of a Research Article

SCIENCE EDUCATION

Each article critique should include the following elements:

1. Educational Context 

What is the central concern of the author?  The educational context of an article includes both what piece the authors have addressed and what it is a piece of (remember the childhood game of telling where we live by street, city, county, state, nation, continent, planet, solar system, galaxy).

2. Research Design 

What method is this (experimental, quasi-experimental, document analysis, survey, clinical interview, ethnography, etc.)?  Who/what were subjects/data source?  How were subjects chosen?  What variables were measured?  How were variables measured?  Was this a reasonable design?

3. Findings

The findings are the results of the measures used, or the results of the observations.  Findings DO NOT include interpretations.  They include statistical results, classroom observations, etc.

4. Conclusions and Limitations

What do the findings mean?  What do we know now that we didn't know before?  Were conclusions drawn spuriously?  Are we convinced by the data that the author's conclusions make sense?  Do you have an alternative explanation of the data that the authors didn't consider?

5. Implications

What are the implications of this study for teaching practice, research, and policy?  How does it inform your future project? Argue persuasively!

Reference the article you selected to review using APA format!

Your research article review will be evaluated using the fist two facets from the Wiggins & McTighe rubric on the Six Facets of Understanding: explanation and interpretation. (Understanding by Design, p. 76).  Notice that while the first three sections of your paper must be valid, your chance to provide your mark of excellence comes mainly in sections 4 and 5.

Submit your paper electronically using the drop box function of the CourseInfo web site.

Dr. Nancy J. Pelaez, and Dr. Barbara Gonzalez, California State University, Fullerton
Copyright © 2000.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 30, 2003.