5-2 Short Paper Analyze an Article PDF

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5-2 Short Paper: Analyze an Article Santana Flint

 In Kate Kelland’s article she reviews research done by British scientists from Cambridge University. The particular study she reviewed is a study of more than 800 students aged 14 and 15. This was a prospective study that followed the students over time to see how particular behaviors affect their academic performance. According to Kelland the researchers concluded that teenagers who spend too much time participating in activities behind a screen such as watching TV, playing games, or browsing the internet are at risk of lower grades in school. She states that the study claims an extra hour of screen time puts a student at risk of receiving a whole 2 grades points lower as compared to students who did not spend that extra time behind a screen. Kelland also states that the same study found that students who were physically active possessed no apparent academic benefit from their physical activity. It was also made apparent that the study only examined and measured the students at year 10. Lastly, in Kellands article she states the results of the studies shed light on the logical idea that students who read or do homework for an extra hour a day scored better on exams as compared to their peers (Kelland, 2015). While Kelland does state “The scientists said further research was needed to confirm the effect conclusively, but advised parents worried about their children's grades to consider limiting screen time,” every other aspect of her article is quite matter of fact. The name of the article title, “One Hour Of Extra Screen Time Drags Down Teenagers’ Grades,” is itself a great example of making a bold claim. Truly reliable scientific literature always attempts to avoid these types of bold claims. Another potential problem in her interpretation is the fact she does not appear to account for or acknowledge the student’s who might be participating in more screen time in

5-2 Short Paper: Analyze an Article Santana Flint order to further their academic studies such as watching documentaries or educational tutorials on the internet. Furthermore, I am concerned with the reliability of her interpretation as she does not provide appropriate APA formatted scholarly citations and references to the research she is reviewing, nor does she provide detailed information on the type of research design used. It is also important to mention she never provides information regarding measures of deviation to get a better understanding of the statistical results (Kelland, 2015).  Without any direct access to the study she refers to I find it difficult to fully interpret, however a few things come to mind when reading the information she provided. First off I believe it is very important to remember correlation does not mean causation so I would be very hesitant to make broad claims about all students especially without access to more information regarding the research design and the statistical results such as the measures of deviation. Also, due to my own personal knowledge and experience of how beneficial physical activity is for mental health, I strongly question the results stating that physical activity has no effect on academic performance and would appreciate more information on this aspect of the article. Another important aspect of the study that should be further questioned and interpreted is the fact that they only measured the students at year 10. In order to get a much better understanding of the effects of screen time on all students the study should incorporate a wider spectrum of years. (Kelland, 2015).

5-2 Short Paper: Analyze an Article Santana Flint References Kelland, K. (2015, September 04). One Hour Of Extra Screen Time Drags Down Teenagers' Grades. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/one-hour-of-extra-screen-time-drags-down-teenage rs-grades_n_55e99448e4b03784e2758b2a?guccounter=1 ...