Journal on "Johnson, v. (2003). "A Comparison of European"

Quoted Instructions for "Johnson, v. (2003). "A Comparison of European" Assignment:

Journal Article: A Comparison of European and African-Based Psychologies and Their Implications for African American College Student Development

Author: Vanessa D. Johnson

Journal of Black Studies Vol. 33, No. 6 (Jul., 2003), pp.817-829

***** Publications

I can fax it if there is no access. call me

Reference: Critical Race Perspectives on Theory in Student Affairs

Author: Lori D. Patton, Marylu McEwen, Laura Rendon, Mary F. Howard-Hamilton

Source: www.interscience.wiley.com

Last Reference: anything from Helms, J.E.

Specifications: Purpose of this Critical Review Assignment 4 to 5 pages

The critical review is a writing task that asks you to summarize and evaluate a text. The critical

review can be of a book, a chapter, or a journal article. Writing the critical review usually

requires you to read the selected text in detail and to also read other related texts so that you

can present a fair and reasonable evaluation of the selected text.

What is meant by critical?

At the graduate level, to be critical does not mean to criticize in a negative manner. Rather it

requires you to question the information and opinions in a text and present your evaluation or

judgment of the text. To do this well, you should attempt to understand the topic from

different perspectives (i.e. read related texts) and in relation to the theories, approaches and

frameworks in your course.

What is meant by evaluation or judgment?

Here you decide the strengths and weaknesses of a text. This is usually based on specific

criteria. Evaluating requires an understanding of not just the content of the text, but also an

understanding of a text*****s purpose, the intended audience, and why it is structured the way it is.

What is meant by analysis?

Analyzing requires separating the content and concepts of a text into their main components

and then understanding how these interrelate, connect and possibly influence each other.

Structure of a Critical Review

Critical reviews, both brief (one-two pages) and long (three-four pages), usually have a similar

structure. Check your assignment instructions for formatting and structural specifications.

Headings are usually optional for longer reviews and can be helpful for the reader.

Introduction

The length of an introduction is usually one paragraph for a journal article review and two or

three paragraphs for a longer book review. Include a few opening sentences that announce the

author(s) and the title, and briefly explain the topic of the text. Present the aim of the text and

summarize the main finding or key argument. Conclude the introduction with a brief statement

of your evaluation of the text. This can be a positive or negative evaluation or, as is usually the

case, a mixed response.

Summary

Present a summary of the key points along with a limited number of examples. You can also

briefly explain the author*****s purpose/intentions throughout the text and you may briefly

describe how the text is organized. The summary should only make up about a third of the

critical review.

Critique

The critique should be a balanced discussion and evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, and

notable features of the text. Remember to base your discussion on specific criteria. Good

reviews also include other sources to support your evaluation (remember to reference). You

can choose how to sequence your critique. Here are some examples to get you started:

· Most important to least important conclusions you make about the text.

· If your critique is more positive than negative, then present the negative points

first and the positive last.

· If your critique is more negative than positive, then present the positive points

first and the negative last.

· If there are both strengths and weaknesses for each criterion you use, you need

to decide overall what your judgment is. For example, you may want to

comment on a key idea in the text and have both positive and negative

comments. You could begin by stating what is good about the idea and then

concede and explain how it is limited in some way. While this example shows a

mixed evaluation, overall you are probably being more negative than positive.

· In long reviews, you can address each criterion you choose in a paragraph,

including both negative and positive points. For very short critical reviews (one

page or less) where your comments will be briefer, include a paragraph of

positive aspects and another of negative.

· You can also include recommendations for how the text can be improved in

terms of ideas, research approach; theories or frameworks used can also be

included in the critique section.

Conclusion

This is usually a very short paragraph.

· Restate your overall opinion of the text.

· Briefly present recommendations.

· If necessary some further qualification or explanation of your judgment can be

included. This can help your critique sound fair and reasonable.

References

If you have used other sources in you review you should also include a list of references at the

end of the review.

Summarizing and paraphrasing for the critical review

Summarizing and paraphrasing are essential skills for academic writing and in particular, the

critical review. To summarize means to reduce a text to its main points and its most important

ideas. The length of your summary for a critical review should only be about one quarter to one

third of the whole critical review. The best way to summarize is to:

1. Scan the text. Look for information that can be deduced from the introduction,

conclusion, and the title and headings. What do these tell you about the main points of

the article?

2. Locate the topic sentences and highlight the main points as you read.

3. Reread the text and make separate notes of the main points. Examples and evidence do

not need to be included at this stage. Usually they are used selectively in your critique.

Paraphrasing means putting the text into your own words. Paraphrasing offers an alternative to

using direct quotations in your summary (and the critique) and can be an efficient way to

integrate your summary notes. The best way to paraphrase is to:

1. Review your summary notes

2. Rewrite them in your own words and in complete sentences

3. Use reporting verbs and phrases (e.g. The author describes*****¦, Smith argues *****¦).

4. If you include unique or specialist phrases from the text, use quotation marks.

Some General Criteria for Evaluating Texts

The following list of criteria and focus questions may be useful for reading the text and for

preparing the critical review. Remember to check your assignment instructions for more

specific criteria and focus questions that should form the basis of your review. The length of the

review/ assignment will determine how many criteria you will address in your critique.

Criteria Possible focus questions

Significance and contribution to

the field

What is the author*****s aim?

To what extent has this aim been achieved?

What does this text add to the body of knowledge? (This

could be in terms of theory, data and/or practical

application)

What relationship does it bear to other works in the field?

What is missing/not stated?

Is this a problem?

Methodology or approach (This

usually applies to more formal,

research- based texts)

What approach was used for the research? (e.g.,

quantitative or qualitative, analysis/review of theory or

current practice, comparative, case study, personal

reflection, etc.)

How objective/biased is the approach?

Are the results valid and reliable?

What analytical framework is used to discuss the results?

Argument and use of evidence Is there a clear problem, statement or hypothesis?

What claims are made?

Is the argument consistent?

What kinds of evidence does the text rely on?

How valid and reliable is the evidence?

How effective is the evidence in supporting the argument?

What conclusions are drawn?

Are these conclusions justified?

Writing style and text structure Does the writing style suit the intended audience? (e.g.,

expert/non-expert, academic/non- academic)

What is the organizing principle of the text? Could it be

better organized *****