Journal Article Critical Appraisal

ARTICLE ANALYSIS 1
Journal Article Critical Appraisal
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ARTICLE ANALYSIS 2
Introduction
Today, teen pregnancy remains a global concern due to the public health concern of the
issue. Early pregnancy or teenage pregnancy refers to pregnancy among females aged below 20
years. The consequences of early pregnancy extend further from health risks to consequences
such as poverty, welfare dependence, domestic violence and academic failure among other
consequences as described by (New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), 2005). According
to Sedgh et al (2014, p. 225), The United States has the highest number of early pregnancies for
teenagers aged between 15-19 years with 57 pregnancies per 1000 women. Bishop (2013, p.1)
States that teen pregnancy in Australia rated at 16 births per 1000 women in 2010. Various
research relating to teen pregnancy have been conducted in different locations. This essay will
critically analyse, compare and evaluate individual article on its method of research, data
analysis and collection, purpose of the study and find. The essay will also find the weakness,
strength, and rigor of the research article. The appraisal will be done on three articles researching
on teen pregnancy in East Devon- England, New Mexico-USA, and Melbourne- Australia.
Article one: East Devon, England
Seamark, C., & Lings, P. (2004, November). Positive experiences of teenage motherhood: a
qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice, 813-818. Retrieved April 11, 2018
The goal of the study was to investigate the experience of teenage mothers and their
expectations about their future, a study carried out in East Devon, England. The research used
purposive sampling to pick a homogeneous group of women who had a pregnancy at their
teenage ages. The research used purposive sampling to gather a sample of the population for the

ARTICLE ANALYSIS 3
study. Purposive sampling technique is one of the most reliable sampling techniques for
qualitative studies needing information-rich cases as well as ensuring maximum use of limited
resources (Palinkas et al, 2013, p.2). The sampling technique entails identifying and selecting
groups or individuals who have experienced or have adequate knowledge about a certain
phenomenon of interest. Bernard (2002) adds that apart from experience and knowledge, the
sampling technique identifies individuals who are also willing and available to participate and
communicate their opinions and experiences in an expressive, articulative and reflective manner.
Seamark and Lings used interviews as the method for the research. Interviews are some
of the most reliable qualitative study research methods which employ semi-structured techniques
to seek the beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and opinions of people based on their experience and
knowledge (Edwards & Holland, 2013, p.53). The researchers have also considered ethical
guidelines throughout their research as they sought approval from the local research ethics
committee in Exeter. The researchers also asked the interviewees for permission before
interviewing them and promised them assurance of confidentiality.
There are several flaws in this study. The study was only limited to one city (East Devon)
the city is a holiday destination for the rich according to a publishing by Meades (2016). The
researchers ignored the rest of the regions in England and based the conclusion of their study
from findings from a single city. The choice of the area to collect the sample population
questions the rigor of the research. According to Watts et al (2015, P.2), the majority of early
motherhood happen in countries which are developing and amongst teenagers who live in socio-
economically disadvantaged settings if they live in first wolrd countries. These characteristics do
not fit the description of East Devon. The researchers could have done more research in wider
geographical areas to cover a larger population in order to make the outcome of the research