Worksheet for Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Study Assignment 2022

Worksheet for Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Study1
Rationale
This assignment will assist you to be able to critically examine research rigour from qualitative literature. The skills that you will gain will assist you
when assessing the quality of qualitative evidence for your future practice as a health professional. These skills will also help you if you wish to
pursue a research degree or research career.
Task
You need to do the following:
1. Find one peer-reviewed qualitative journal article on a topic of your choice. It might be useful to find an article on the topic you're
considering for your Assessment 3 Research Proposal, but this is not a requirement. Library databases are the best way to find peer-
reviewed journal articles. You are encouraged to use library databases rather than Internet search engines to avoid selecting an article
from a non-reputable source.
2. You will complete the Worksheet for Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Study below. In order to do this, you are required to read the entire
paper in detail – reading the abstract is NOT sufficient!
3. You will need to submit the pdf file of the article via the link provided in the vUWS site. Your assignment will not be accepted as fully
submitted until the pdf file of the article is submitted as well – a 10% per day late penalty will be applied, and if the pdf if not submitted
within 10 days, the assignment will not be marked.
Please note that comments and explanations included in the table below should be substantiated with examples from the article itself and
arguments supported from quality sources. You’re expected to use at least 3 references beyond the article you are reviewing.
Word count only includes the analysis provided inside the table below and is expected to be a minimum of 1000 words.
1 Developed based on and adapted from: The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools for use in JBI Systematic Reviews - Checklist for Qualitative Research;
Critical Appraisal of a Qualitative Study; and The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine – Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Studies

Citation:
Lin, Y. Y. (2014). Understanding the benefits of an Asian music therapy student peer group. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 25, 28.
Confirm this is an empirical/data-based study using qualitative methods by pasting below a statement from the article
(appropriately cited) that attests to this:
Three group members, including myself, were selected as participants in the present qualitative research study. Narrative inquiry was used as
a primary data collection and analysis method to allow the participants to express personal experiences as a coherent, contextualised whole
(Lin, 2014).
State the research question posed by the authors:
The use of student peer groups for Asian music therapy makes people come across language barrier, culturally based needs, feeling out of
control, discrepancy in social norms but it is also the reason for unity in student groups through cultural based communications, getting the
environment for share feelings, learning new skills and learning techniques, and improving social bonding amongst members. This leads to a
question, which is the selection of music as a career.
Does the paper describe an important health-related problem and is the question clearly formulated? If yes, continue with the form
below. If no, find another paper and start again!
Using PCC, identify the following:
P (= population): Asian students
C (= concept): The use of Asian music therapy groups for increasing constructive activities for the students.
C (= context): Understanding the benefits of self-regulated Asian music therapy student peer groups for developing the learning skills for
students in academic, clinical and personal domains.
______________________________________________________________________
APPRAISAL GUIDE COMMENTS
I. Ontological, Epistemological, Methodological and Ethical questions
1. Was a qualitative approach appropriate? Is the
question being asked seeking to further
The use of qualitative approach is appropriate because the topic is about the quality
improvement of students in terms of their skills. It will be accurate if students will be

understanding of people’s views, opinions or
experiences in relation to a specific
setting/scenario/circumstance? Explain
asked questions about the Asian music therapy and its implications in their life. The
questions asked about the benefits of these student peer groups focuses on the feeling
and emotions of the participants. Narrative inquiry is utilized in this study to
understand the experiences of people who have different opinions. The context and
scenario is used properly.
2. Is there congruity between the stated
philosophical perspective, the research
methodology, the research question, the methods,
analysis and interpretation of results? Explain
There is a proper synchronization between all the aspects mentioned here because the
research question is focused on the students that includes both international and first
generation immigrant students. The interpretation is taken from 3 different
participants, which does not guarantee complete uniformity. However, three points
were concluded from the research that showed some congruity.
3. Is the researcher’s position described2? Is there
a statement locating the researcher culturally or
theoretically? Explain
The researcher of the study is from an Asian background as she is from Taiwan and
has been in the United States since 5 years. She is a post graduate student currently
and is an international student. These factors can influence her skills to interpret the
results. She included herself in the interview to understand the concept of the
participants that would help her in analyzing the questions more.
4. Is the research ethical according to current
criteria or, for recent studies, and is there evidence
of ethical approval by an appropriate body? Explain
Every protocol was followed to ensure that ethical measures were taken. The
participants were invited for the research and they were interviewed rooms to
maintain the privacy. They were asked personal questions and details after taking
their consent. To maintain the secrecy of identity, verbatim was used in the transcript
and then the script was sent to the participants so that they could approve the
interview (Bracken et al., 2017).
II. Rigour and Trustworthiness
1. Was the research question clear? Was the need
for the study adequately substantiated? Explain
The question was clear because there are certain views about the Asian music
therapy peer groups. As the people who have been in previous groups experienced
2 It is ideal that the researcher(s) clearly state their position in relation to the research question. For example – their background, gender, and existing knowledge or
personal experience of the topic to be researched.