Literature Review on "Offender Re-Entry Project Programs"

Quoted Instructions for "Offender Re-Entry Project Programs" Assignment:

Research Analysis and Critique Guidelines (15 Points)

Research Analysis and Critique Assignment (Due Week 11)

Purpose: This assignment is designed to support continued investigation of your selected topic through conducting a search of and critiquing the literature to detail your findings through via the components listed below. Your task is to answer the final question from your prior assignment (based on the Cournoyer text), or construct a new question in the format:

*****What is the current best evidence regarding the effectiveness of services [identify the kind, nature, or aspect of service] to or for [identify the target client group]?*****

Remember the definition of empirical as you search/select articles for review. You may need articles that state a position (commentary) on your topic without the authors ever having completed a research study. Or, you may find articles that make a judgment (valuation) of services to your population of interest, but these are NOT the articles you*****ll include in your review (see Methods and Results,below).

Your paper should be 8*****10 pages of text (not including title, abstract, and reference pages). Literature reviewed must be from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. Your paper will conform to APA Publication Manual (6th ed.) guidelines (double-spaced, 12-pt. font in Times New Roman or Arial, with 1***** margins around), with one exception noted below (see subheading NOTE). Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs*****double space throughout! Your paper will also include title page, abstract, and reference pages.

Added on 3/8/13: Please ensure you scroll to the bottom of the sample paper, where an actual student paper has been made available to you. This copy is also in an announcement entitled Research Analysis and Critique Paper Notice.

____________________

The following sections are required in your Research Analysis and Critique Assignment.

Abstract. See APA Manual for guidelines and word count limit. (NOTE: The Abstract is written following the completion of your paper.)

In paper headings below, please use the illustrated format (Roman Numeral. Title). Do not include the description after the subheading. Even though this is not APA Format, Bolded Terms are for the purpose of following the flow.

I. Introduction (1-2 pps. of Text, Topic Area, Significance)

Although many journals no longer label the Introduction, the beginning to a paper details the *****what is***** of your topic and explains to your reader why it is important. Here, you*****ll define and describe your topic (the *****what is*****) and then, provide rationale and support why your topic is important. Be sure to use citations, especially if you make any reports of findings and/or assertions that are not your own. If the empirical research in your review was been based on theory (conceptual), or if theory has not been used to support research, share that in a brief reference here. If the literature and research on your topic have conflicting positions or schools of thought about *****what is*****, you*****ll want your reader to be informed of that conflict, so again, here*****s a good place to do that. Likewise, if research investigations and their findings differ, you*****ll want to familiarize your reader with that here, too. In concluding this section, tell the reader how your paper will progress (what the reader can expect). Your introduction serves as your reader*****s roadmap, frames your topic by telling him/her what your topic is and why it*****s important, and (hopefully) convinces him/her to read the remainder of your work.

II. Methods (1 page: Define key terms, search terms, dates, inclusion/exclusion criteria, databases)

Here, you will list criteria used to conduct your review of the literature, to include keywords used, databases searched, years spanned, how many studies you located either met or did not meet your review criteria (if any studies were excluded, explain why/how you made that determination). Define/clarify any terms necessary to aid your reader to comprehend what you*****re presenting.

If your topic is prevalent in professions other than social work, and you had to go to databases serving those professions, you*****ll want to address that here. Or, if your topic is relatively new, with only a beginning body of literature developed, you may comment on that here. If your topic has a history, with qualitative and quantitative studies available, or even a meta analysis or two, you may also wish to comment on that in this section.

III. Results (3-4 pps.; 3 TABLES (max): 1 overview with study author names/date, study focus, design, sample participants, data collection methods/measures; findings, conclusion; then, 1 inclusion, and 1 exclusion, if applicable.)

Present findings in table format, synthesizing and condensing information. Table(s) content should contain what was reviewed and what was excluded and why (see Mock-Up at end of this document).

Reflections on the Literature Review Process

In this section, record your observations and thoughts about your search efforts. I should be able to understand what your process was like. Differentiate between what was and was not useful or helpful findings in your search. Could/Did you find what you sought? Did you require professional (librarian) assistance to complete your research? If so, with what did they assist you? What did you learn from your efforts that you can use in subsequent literature searches? Does your assessment inform you about your topic? Were you satisfied (or not) with the information available? What limited your findings? What do you think needs to be addressed in future research in your area of interest? (You*****ll return to this topic at the end of your paper; mention only briefly here.)

IV. Discussion (2-3 pps.; Summary, limitations, overall theme/major points, implication for SW practice.)

Summarize your findings here, beginning with the big picture (scope of the landscape). Use citations in your summary that refer back to your table summaries. Tell your reader what is considered both notably worthy and problematic in your findings, and what may form the basis of treatment recommendations or direct future research.

This is the area of the paper in which you critique two major areas: methodology and substance. Methodology (the research process, or how well the study was designed and executed) includes your critique of the research designs, samples, data collection methods (to include instrument reliability and validity), and data analysis. If any research study was poorly designed or executed, or if it was flawed in one of the four basic areas, did the researcher(s) adjust in other areas to strengthen their study? (Usually, this will be mentioned.) Assess study components to assess study validity (internal and external)*****did it do what it set out to do and if so, how well? How much should we trust the study results and why or why not? Research limitations, defined by researchers or teams, will be mentioned/addressed here.

The latter is particularly relevant if experimental research (Randomized Controlled Trials, RCTs) exist in your topic. Those findings (prescriptive/explanatory) should point us to *****best practice***** standards for treatment. Summarize these findings so that your reader understands the basis for recommending/endorsing treatment(s). However, if your topic is relatively new, you may not find this level of research. So, you might share results of any exploratory literature by noting variables identified in qualitative studies that provide future research direction for quantitative studies. You may wish to point to design or sampling issues that have been/are problematic, issues that researchers would need to address in future studies.

The substantive critique is where we apply the *****so what?***** test*****are study results meaningful? Did findings have merit? Are they useful? Do they inform practice? Can we take something away from the study that will support our knowledge about what works or what exists to be useful in serving clients or informing policy?

Implications for Social Work Practice

Logically following the methodological and substantive assessments in the prior section, synthesize applicable findings or recommendations applicable to social work practice and service delivery. What is useable or applicable now (your *****take-aways***** from the research)? If there are few/no recommendations, why not?

V. Conclusion (1/2 to 1 page)

To end your paper, bring your reader full circle, beginning with a brief reference to what you*****ve just presented in the Results/Findings. In one or two closing paragraphs, remind your reader of the significance of the research, its need/applicability to a problem experienced in your target population, and what remains to be done by researchers to address existing or unmet needs in research and in meeting existing client needs.

(See Mock Up Example below.)

Mock-Up Paper Highlights

(Note, this example is single-spaced, but your papers will be double-spaced and include title page, abstract, and reference page(s) in accordance with APA style.)

I. Introduction

The topic to be explored is effective workplace accommodations for people with disabilities. The significance of this topic lies in national statistics revealing that *****¦

*****¦The purpose of this review is to identify and critically analyze the empirical studies that compare various workplace accommodations, as well as to examine key conceptual studies that present useful guidelines or models for assessing the quality of such accommodations*****¦ the key questions driving this paper begin with this one: *****What are the perceptions of workers with disabilities about what constitutes an effective workplace accommodation?*****

II. Methods

There are several terms of critical importance, *****˜key terms***** in understanding the context of current research in this area. Primary among these is the term accommodation which means*****¦another key term is *****˜assistive technology***** which refers to the devices or tools that*****¦ In order to cull the articles that represent the best available knowledge in this field a variety of search terms were used, mostly in the form of phrases, the first of which was *****˜workplace accommodation effectiveness*****¦Because the knowledge base in the workplace accommodations domain is rapidly changing to reflect the development of new assistive technologies it was decided to set the date parameters from 2005-2012*****¦In order to ensure that the most recent, relevant and rigorous studies or conceptual articles were used for this paper, the following criteria were used for inclusion*****¦, meanwhile, studies or conceptual articles that had a focus or content inappropriate for this paper were omitted, specifically with reference to the following exclusion criteria*****¦ Given the focus of this paper the following data bases were consulted to identify suitable articles: Psych Info, Social Science Citation Index and *****¦ Please see Tables I and II (below*****per directions above, only include 3rd Table for excluded studies) for a list of the included and excluded articles and their key features or characteristics*****¦

III. Results

Tabular Results ***** Articles Included and Excluded

Table 1. Overview Table of Literature Cited



Citation*

Study Focus

Design

Participants

Findings

Main Conclusion

Joe, Jim & Jack, 2005

Physical mobility accommodations

Mixed-methods, semi-structured interviews and measures of workplace environment

40 individuals with a physical mobility using wheelchairs employed full- or part-time

Creating *****˜clear path***** aisles through workplaces increase worker satisfaction and productivity

Investments in the physical design of the workplace pay dividends for employers of individuals with physical disabilities who use mobility devices

Guobin, 2010

Computer-mediated accommodations



Survey instrument

100 employers who indicate that they have hired workers with disabilities in the past year

Most surveyed (85%) indicated that they would invest in low-cost modifications to computer screens and/or text reading software *****˜patches***** to accommodate employees with visual impairments

Employers who have experience hiring and retaining workers with disabilities are willing to adopt low-cost fixes to existing technology to accommodate workers with sensory disabilities

* Full citation can be found in the Reference section

Table 2 ***** INSERT DRAFT TABLE (REMOVE *****˜DRAFT***** FROM TITLE) HERE

Reflections on the Literature Collection Process

Reflecting on the *****˜adventure***** that was the literature collection process, I am struck by the iterative nature of the search, which was something I had not expected. I anticipated a straightforward process of setting out search parameters and *****˜bringing home***** the relevant articles but I discovered that the only way to address the questions driving my review I had to go back and forth*****¦I observed that the literature in this field of study is complex and picking through the possible studies a time-consuming but ultimately satisfying process*****¦as I think back on my process I would have been better served if from the beginning I had*****¦

IV. Discussion

Summary of Findings

The first dimension of workplace accommodations to be explored focused on the physical layout of the workplace, particularly as it impacts people with physical disabilities who employ mobility devices such as wheelchairs. A mixed-methods study of 40 wheelchair users by Joe, et al. (2005) showed that*****¦

Limitations of Reviewed Articles

There were several key limitations shared by all the articles; convenience samples were used, limiting the generalizability of the results*****¦these limitations are a reflection of the reality of workplace research involving people with disabilities which seldom allows randomization at the individual or workgroup level due to the absence of *****˜master lists***** of employees with disabilities from which to select a sample*****¦

Overall Themes/Major Points

The overriding theme in the studies involving employers (i.e., Guobin, 2010;*****¦) is the importance of cost in employer decision making concerning the introduction of new or improved accommodations. Employers appear to engage in a cost-benefit analysis decision making process*****¦ A major point of importance in this vein is that most accommodations actually cost very little in terms of money, or in terms of staff time for installation*****¦

V. Conclusion

Considered in the aggregate, the studies cited in this paper point to the importance of matching workplace accommodations with the respective needs of employees with disabilities who require assistive devices to enhance their work performance, and those of employers who are guided by resource and budgetary constraints to make decisions that they deem cost-effective*****¦

A_Research_Critique_Paper_Student Sample.docx





*****