Introduction
This paper will critically analyze and review the elements of descriptive research methods and processes. In this quest, there will be the analysis and evaluation of the various stages of a peer-reviewed research project and this will culminate in the review of an article by Eva Alisic titled “Teachers’ Perspectives on Providing Support to Children after Trauma: A Qualitative Study”. This will assess the elements of research methods and how this procedure was applied to gather, analyze and critique data in order to draw conclusions. This will review the conventions in qualitative research and how it was applied and utilized in this journal article.
Study Purpose
Was the purpose and/or research questions stated clearly? The purpose is stated as an aim of the research. This is further given emphasis in the abstract which shows important elements of the research and the work actually done. The aim as stated in the introduction is to gain an understanding of teachers’ perspectives on day-to-day support of children after a variety of traumatic events. The aim also links up to the long-background given in the introduction. This helps to give the reader information about the entire research and how it is to be done.
However, the limit of the approach used by the writer is that she is not clear about the research questions. These are to be inferred by the reader in the background. This makes the research questions a bit vague and difficult to appreciate.
Literature Review
Was relevant background literature reviewed? There is a thorough and critical review of authoritative sources relating to traumatic events, consequences of traumatic exposure and teachers’ role in children’s recovery from traumatic events. Different studies in the fields are raised to show the impact of traumatic situations on children. The more significant aspect of this process is that the sources used are other peer-reviewed journals that show a high degree of academic consistency and competency. This is very logical and material.
Does the literature review apply to practice? Is it worth continuing the review? There is sufficient statistics which are raised throughout the literature review that justifies the urgency of the research requirements. There is the use of very current research works. Therefore, the work can be said to be sufficiently based on current knowledge. This makes it relevant to emerging issues in occupational therapy and the specialized field of dealing with traumatized children.
The downside of the literature review is that it fails to undertake comparative reviews. It seem the literature review of this qualitative study is very linear. They are based on explaining and justifying what Alisic is trying to tell readers. It is not comparative and it is not critical – whereby concepts and ideas are matched against each other for a synthesis to be formed. Therefore, this literature review is somewhat limited.
Study Design
Was design appropriate to the study question? The study is approached through phenomenology. This is to critique and conceptualize a particular experience of teachers and how they view and react to children with various psychological behaviors after a major emotional or traumatic event. It is to try to deduce the lived experience of teachers after such major and determining events in the teaching process. Thus, the study examines a group of experiences and how these experiences come together to define the general trend and pattern in teachers’ reactions in relation to having a depressed child adjusting from a trauma.
Was a theoretical perspective identified? The data is collected through an interview which is semi-structured. This way, there is a set of frameworks and parameters that are defined. These parameters are set by the researcher and provide a convenient way of identifying patterns and trends in order to draw conclusions. On the other hand, there is an opportunity for participants to present their own experiences and this is likely to bring out novel experiences that are generally not thought of by the researcher in designing the questions.
Describe Methods used to answer the research questions. Are the congruent to the philosophical underpinnings of the purpose? The researcher utilizes the summative analysis approach to put together common patterns and trends in order to identify dominant experiences and dominant reactions. This is meant to reduce the general problem of subjectivity in qualitative research. Therefore, there is the identification of some key words that are aggregated and utilized as basis for the summation of the responses. These are put through a statistical software called MAXQDA. They produce code trees that are used as the basis for the summation of common responses in order to identify major trends and patterns in the responses and reactions of different participants.
Sampling
Sampling Method Used. Are they appropriate to the study purpose or research questions? The sample for the interview includes a random selection of teachers who have encountered a relevant experience. This means they could get a large proportion of teachers within the general population who have gone through definitive situations that are relevant and appropriate to the situation underhand. A sample of 21 teachers and 13 students are studied in all. This helps to understand the different perspectives in order to form a conception of how the teachers deal with trauma and also appreciate the kind of trauma students generally go through after a major event or incident.
Are Participants Described into Adequate Detail? How is the Sample Applicable to the Research Questions? The sample include a randomly selected set of trained teachers. This ranges from experienced teachers with the minimum teaching qualification of the respondents being final year Bachelor in Education students who have had some teaching practice.
Was Consent Taken? The study shows that the consent of the respondents was taken. This shows the research was ethical. The questions seem to be detailed and flexible. Thus, the interviews were likely conducted through a more detailed and elaboration of facts and information to guide the respondents to understand and appreciate the elements of the research.
Data Collection
Describe the Context of Study. Is it Sufficient to Understand the Whole Picture? The population and the nature of the respondents is clearly stated and identified in the research. The participants are carefully chosen and they seem to cover important categories in society. Thus, concerning the unique nature of serious trauma, the respondents and approaches used are representative enough of the general population.
What is missing? And how does it Influence your Understanding of the Research? It appears the research is a bit too technical and the layperson might not be able to understand and appreciate the research so well.
Is there adequate information about data collection procedures? The procedure is also very comprehensively compiled. The data collection process included a basic and friendly method of gathering this information. And there are leads relating to field notes and how data was gathered and reviewed. There is also flexibility by virtue of the fact that semi-structured interviews were used.
Data Analysis
Describe the Method of Data Analysis. Was it Appropriate? What were the Findings? The data analysis were rendered inductive by the use of statistical data analysis methods. This enabled the research to objectively put together the findings and analyze it to show dominant patterns.
Describe the Decisions of the Researcher and outline the rationale given for development of themes? There was a decision trail done through the MAXQDA and this can be used as evidence to promote auditability. The writer makes an effort to identify major theories and concepts. However, these are not obvious to a layperson since they are a bit technical.
Overall Rigor
Evidence of Components of Trustworthiness? The research is credible and the findings are highly transferrable. The findings have a high level of internal consistency which guarantees reliability and verifiability since the researcher uses relevant concepts and also applies new views and ideas that are important to the study and can be independently confirmed.
Conclusions and Implications
What did the Research Conclude? What is the Implication of the Findings for Occupational Therapy? What were the main Limitation of the Research? The research shows the centrality of teachers in helping children emerging from a trauma to heal. It goes out to show the level of findings and aggregates it in a decent manner. There are implications for application in many areas and aspects that are outlined for further research. A lot of things have changed in relation to the rights of children and activities in the workplace in the past four years. These things were not really factored into the research and must be considered in future research works on the topic.
References
Alisic, E. (2012). Teachers’ perspectives on providing support to children after trauma: a qualitative study. . School Psychology Quarterly, 27(1), 51-59.
