Week+4+Article+Analysis+B+Qualitative+Arguments

**Article Analysis B** **Qualitative Data, Arguments** **Due: July 23, 2011**

Find one research article, relevant to your topic, that uses a qualitative approach: case studies/document analysis (possibly historical), interviews, or focus groups. Protocol and usability analysis research can be used IF the “data” is not all reduced to quantitative findings. You will be judged on the quality of your article (see note below).

__Hand in__ one document with three sections: __One: Results (75-150 words)__  What do the authors say are the important ‘findings’ of their research? Summarize in no more than 4 sentences. Then, summarize in 1-2 sentences what the authors describe as important ‘’limitations’ of their study.

__Data and methodology__ (200-400 words)  Describe how the authors collected their data: from whom and how. Did they mention a particular theoretical approach to collection or analysis? What did they include or omit in both data gathering and in the article? (If they are not clear, comment on that).

__Double critique__ (300-500 words)  First, consider how the authors used their qualitative tools. Did they take best advantage of a qualitative approach? What kinds of ‘quantification’ were present? Did their ‘data’ justify their ‘results’ or conclusions?  Next, __for your topic__, consider the benefits and drawbacks of a qualitative approach. **Special note**: Your __choice of article__ will be part of the grade. You should spend special effort to choose an article with the most high- quality qualitative approach possible. If you have difficulty finding a good qualitative article, include a special appendix here (100-150 words) where you describe your search for qualitative research, and speculate about why it was or was not available.

//Philosophical note: Article Analysis A did not ask you to critique the quantitative article. That is not because qualitative research has more problems than quantitative research—but because, first, listing and examining all the variables, and their operationalizations, are a form of critique, and second, because by this time in the semester you should be a more critical reader of// //__all__// //research.//

My paper: