Assessment of the Study: Strengths and Weaknesses

The study uses a blended approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the effectiveness of hands-on learning versus online learning. The results show that hands-on learning is more effective in terms of student satisfaction, engagement, and knowledge retention. The study also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, including the limitations of relying solely on online learning. Overall, the study provides valuable insights for educators and learners alike.

Running head:RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC SKILLS 1
Research and Academic Skills
Name
University Title

RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC SKILLS
1. Is it easy to read and understand; that is, no jargon or obscure phraseology?
The article is clear and easy to understand. By having a glimpse at it, the reader can quickly
get a general idea about the article, grasping and understanding the content without getting
into depth. The language is clear without jargons and obscure phraseology.
2. Is the topic important or relevant, check the year of publication – whether it is
recent or old.
The publication is recent year 2014 and topic relevant as it deals with difficulties facing
nursing students currently learning in tertiary institutions when acquiring competency in
medication calculation during the course of their learning. The article further outlines the
most appropriate approach of learning for the students.
3. Have the definitions, key terms and concepts been explained clearly
The concepts, definitions and key terms have been well described.
4. In the background to the study, is there enough information in the introduction to
set the scene? Has the purpose of the study of the study been identified?
The background of the study has clearly stated the topic, giving brief information of the study
and stating explicitly the controversial issue and why this research has been carried out. The
introduction gives the reader an overview of the study, slowly narrowing it down to the
problem of the research study. For example, the writer describes briefly about the
responsibility of universities in preparation of students for graduate practice being the main
problem around the study. The writer gives strategies of how he intends to solve the research
problem, and making the reader more curious to want to read further (Chan, 2010).
5. How did they conduct the study; that is, what is the methodology?
a. Is there evidence of reliability and validity
b. How were the subjects selected
c. Are they a large or small group
The researcher conducted the study through a survey of about 405 students undertaking their
final year of study at a university in Australia. The methods used were online questions for
simulated medical sums designed for clinical classes, the researcher also used tests on paper
and hands on workshops on the current situations. There was evidence of reliability as the
sample collected was a representation of the entire population that included the metropolitan
university. The researcher also used qualitative survey questions were administered
thematically and manually assisting the researcher to further identify the student’s awareness
of their errors in medication calculations and their preferred mode of learning. The results
were evidence that the research method used was reliable and valid (Ramjan, 2011).
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6. What did the researchers find, and are the methods of analysis appropriate
The researchers found out that students desired a hands-on contextualized style to learning
that was real and one that was in line with their clinical practice. The methods used to analyse
the data were appropriate. This research study can be compared to “Simulation-based
learning in nurse education: systematic review” In professions of healthcare, learning using
practice based methods base their teaching and learning on allowing students to integrate
clinical skills and knowledge. Therefore, it is vital for the students undertaking nursing to be
able to put into practice in the clinical context what they learn in classroom. It is appropriate
hence, to apply human simulation as an educational strategy to achieve these outcomes
because it uses active learning (Cant, 2010).
7. Do the discussions and recommendations relate to study? Are the authors’ justified by
the data? Were the suggestions made based on the reported findings?
The discussions of the study together with recommendations relate to the study because they
prove the hypotheses, answer the questions and objectives of the study. Further, the
researchers have justified the topic of the study to test and interpreted accordingly. In their
interpretations, the researchers have suggested interventions that will assist the students in
support of learning and will improve their confidence in calculation. The data collected and
findings validated the significance of adopting hands-on clinically appropriate style for
numeracy learning. A clinical approach by the nursing tutor and a different analytical
approach by the numeracy tutor. The suggestions to adopt a hands on approach to improve
competence in numeracy learning emanated from the findings which displayed a significant
improvement in the way the students conducted their clinical affairs particularly in mitigating
numeracy error (Lindquist, 2014).
8. Is the language used understandable?
The language used is understandable, simple and clear. From the onset, the author has clearly
explained the purpose of the study, giving the reader a general idea of the study and what to
expect before delving into the article in depth.
9. Is the visual material (graphs, tables, charts) easy to follow and clearly marked?
The visual material is easy to follow and clearly marked. The material helps the researcher
clearly understand the numerical and statistical data effectively. The material used display a
lot of information and the reader will easily and quickly make an analysis of the data to draw
out findings. The researcher gets a fast overview of the findings of the study.
10. Comment on the study’s strengths as well as its weaknesses
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The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches that gave the researcher
accurate results with which to draw the findings. The weaknesses of the study were that, the
instrument that the researcher used to draw results was not validated with too many options
on the scale used Likert scale.(Artino et al. 2011) states that the usage of seven to nine scales
may not be relevant to many respondents and will not improve the reliability. The study was
also carried out during the last week of teaching instead of midway during the week. This
carrying out may have caused generalization of the study by the researcher.
11. Justify criticisms: offer a rationale for how a different approach could have solved a
problem
A blended approach of learning other than hands on approach is ideal in this study.
According to As Tsai et al (2011), face to face instruction is not as advantageous as blended
learning as this kind of approach provides the student with a more memorable learning
platform.
12. Try to objective; try to avoid being overly critical of a study because of a personal
lack of interest in the topic.
The study has been carried out with expertise of high quality. The researcher has used
both qualitative and quantitative surveys to derive his findings. Further, the researcher has
analysed the study objectively giving the benefits and weaknesses of each approach adopted
giving findings, recommendations and suitable conclusion for the study. The researcher also
accompanies the findings with charts, statistics and proper references for the literature study.
In the study, he displays depth, originality and presents the paper in high standard with
originality, constructively critical and analytical with peer reviewed references. This study
can be compared to another journal “High Fidelity Simulation in Nursing Education” where
nursing students go through shock while taking practical learning lessons. Advanced
technology can improve the learning system of participation and communication with the
students as it assists the student to participate in active learning, with diverse interaction and
experiences (D’Souza, 2013). High-fidelity simulation for human patients makes use of
virtual model or regular patients in simulated scenarios that are life-like, and realistic. HFS
may expand the thinking of the student, and ability to make decisions and handle emotions
effectively.
13. Is the report or study written in an objective style or are the authors’ biases and
viewpoints apparent?
The study is objective as it outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches used and
gives conclusion with relation to the findings without any biases whatsoever. The author uses
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online style of answering questions and pen and paper and further gives the pros and cons of
each.
14. Does the author include a reference for a every citation made in the text, so that
readers can refer to earlier work on the topic?
The author provides sufficient references for all the citations made in the study.
15. Check the credibility of the author?
The author is credible as he has previously had a few publications and acknowledges
scholars who have helped him in this research study.
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References
Artino, A.R., Gehlbach, H., Durning, S.J., 2011. AM Last Page: Avoiding five common
pitfalls of survey design. Academic Medicine 86 (10), 1327.
Cant, R. P., & Cooper, S. J. (2010). Simulation‐based learning in nurse education: systematic
review. Journal of advanced nursing, 66(1), 3-15.
Chan, Z. C. Y. (2010). Clinical research issues in nursing. New York: Nova Science Books.
D‘Souza MS, Jose, J., and Al-Jabri, S., 2013. perceptions of teaching undergraduate student.
Journal of scientific research, 111(3), pp.289–299.
Harrigan, J., & Classroom Productions. (2012). Nursing assessment. Cypress, CA: Medcom.
Lindquist, R., Snyder, M., & Tracy, M. F. (2014). Complementary & alternative therapies in
nursing.
Ramjan, L.M., 2011. Contextualism adds realism: Nursing students' perceptions of and
performance in numeracy skills tests. Nurse Education Today 31 (8), e16–e21.
Romero, M., Barberà, E., 2011. Quality of E-learners' time and learning performance beyond
quantitative time-on-task. The International Review of Research in Open and
Distance Learning 12 (5), 1–6.
Tsai, C.W., Shen, P.D., Tsai, M.C., 2011. Developing an appropriate design of blended
learning with web-enabled self-regulated learning to enhance students' learning and
thoughts regarding online learning. Behaviour & Information Technology 30 (2),
261–271.
Winland-Brown, J. E., Henry, J., & Perez, V. (2013). Nursing.
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