Instructions
Preparation

Choose one of the library articles linked under the Required Resources heading for this assessment to critique.

As you critically read the research article, ask yourself these questions:

• Why it is important to recognize high quality research in the educational psychology field?
• Is the author credible? What prior work exists? What are the critiques of the work?
• Is the journal or publisher well known?
• Does the article present an opposing point of view on the topic?
• Is the article peer reviewed?

You may benefit from examining the multimedia and library resources related to behavioral learning theory and evaluating research, linked in the Resources, before beginning this assessment.

Scenario

In the course of your professional work, you read a controversial article and are inspired to write a critique in response, for the magazine Education Week.

Deliverable

Write a response to submit to Education Week after critically evaluating one of the articles linked in the Required Resources. In your response:

• Explain the importance of valid and reliable research to professional practice.
• Justify the appropriateness of a study’s design and methodology, based on topic and research questions.
• Analyze the multiple perspectives provided in the article.
• Evaluate the author’s credibility and authority.
• Evaluate the credibility and authority of a research article.
• Make a recommendation for professional practice, supported by current literature.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Writing is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Length: 3–5 pages, not including the title or reference pages.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA manual style and formatting.
• References: An critique of this length should include scholarly references. At the graduate level, you are responsible for determining the appropriate number of references. The majority of them should be original research articles published in peer-reviewed psychology journals (for example, those journals published by the APA). A few review or survey articles are also acceptable.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.