Assignment 1-1 20201 PDF

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Assignment 1 Research Article Summary As you embark on your career as a student, it is very likely that you will be asked to prepare papers or essays that require you to do “research” or to conduct a “literature review” on a particular topic. You may find information from many sources such as books, textbooks, government documents, the Internet, and periodicals such as magazines and academic journals. The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with research articles that are published in academic journals. Academic journals are periodicals that are published on a regular basis and therefore contain the latest findings in specific fields. Academic journals generally contain two types of articles. These include literature reviews and reports of specific research conducted by the authors of the article. Literature reviews provide an overview of the findings of research on a specific topic. They are secondary information sources because they report on the work of other people. Research articles published in academic journals are primary information sources that report on the original work of the authors. Authors will provide a description of the research questions that were being asked in the study (sometimes in the form of specific hypotheses), the sample and method used to gather data, the method of data analysis, and the findings and conclusions of the study. For this assignment you are required to prepare a summary of a research article that has been published in an academic journal. You are free to choose research on any topic that is related to the family. Journal of Marriage and Families, Family Relations, and Journal of Family Issues are journals that are commonly used to report on research in the field of family studies. These journals are available through the University of Manitoba Libraries. However, you do not need to limit your search to these journals. Many other appropriate journals may be found by searching through the University of Manitoba Libraries and many of these are available online. The limitation on your choice of articles is that it must have been published within the last five years. Make sure there is a methods section that describes how the authors conducted their research. There are a few ways to search for journal articles. If you are not particular about the topic of the article that you summarize, you can simply browse through journals to pick an article. You can access journals on-line by going to the University of Manitoba Libraries homepage and searching by journal title. For example, you could type the title Journal of Family Issues and then explore the journal and select an article. If you would like to summarize an article on a particular topic, you can search through the on-line databases available through the University of Manitoba Libraries. I like to search for articles through EBSCOhost, because so many peer reviewed articles from academic journals are available through this database. You do not need to use this database, but it will help you get started if you are uncertain about the process. From the Libraries homepage, under "Find" click "Databases A-Z". Next, look under “E” for EBSCOhost Full Text. After you enter your ID and PIN number you will need to choose a database from within EBSCOhost. I always use “A cademic Search Complete”, because it contains academic sources. Once you continue, you will be on the search page where you can search by topic. You can limit your search to peer reviewed journals from periodicals and you can also limit your search by date of publication. Finding an article will take some time. It is best not to leave this for too long. The summary of the research article should be brief (maximum of one typed double-spaced page) and should contain the following components: Bibliographic Information. Full bibliographic information should be presented at the top of the page. This information should be displayed in APA (7th edition) format. Information on citing sources using APA format can be found on-line through the Academic Learning Centre or the University of Manitoba Libraries. Students can also contact the Distance and Online Education Librarian to borrow a printed copy of the APA manual or purchase a copy of the manual through the University of Manitoba Bookstore. The bibliographic information can be single-spaced, but the summary must be double-spaced. Remember to use 12-point font and one inch margins for all assignments. Purpose and theoretical orientation: What was the purpose of the study or what was the researcher(s) trying to find out? Note: In some research, several very specific hypotheses are tested. You do not need

Families in Contemporary Canadian Society

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to include a lengthy list of hypotheses; just state the general purpose of the study. Was the theoretical perspective used by the researchers identified? If so, what was it? If no theoretical perspective was identified, state this. Methods: What methods were used to collect the data for this study? For example, was a survey used? Were in-depth interviews used? Was it an experiment? Was it secondary analysis (analyzing data collected in a different study)? Sample: From whom was information collected? For example, was a random sample of households in Canada used? Were women who have children attending day care surveyed? Were men who choose to be “househusbands” interviewed? How large was the sample? Data analysis: How were the data analyzed? Was qualitative analysis that generated themes and categories used? Was quantitative analysis using statistical procedures applied? Note: Students are not expected to have a sophisticated knowledge of statistical analysis techniques. It is fine to just report that “statistical procedures were used in the data analysis”. Findings: What were the general findings of the study? Note: If the research article includes several hypotheses, you do not need to discuss whether or not support was found for each of them. Look for general findings or conclusions. In this assignment as in any other assignment, you must avoid plagiarism . Try to put information in your own words. You are listing the source of information at the top of the page, so you do not need to cite the sources again within the text of the summary if you have used your own words or paraphrased information from the article. However, if you use any direct quotations, you must use quotation marks and provide the page number of the article from which the quotation was lifted. Refer to the examples of direct quotations in Assignment 3. An example of a summary of a research article is found below. This may serve as a guide as you prepare this assignment. (link to sample research article)

Families in Contemporary Canadian Society

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Coyne, S., Busby, D., Bushman, B., Gentile, D., Ridge, R., & Stockdale, L. (2012). Gaming in the game of love: Effects of video games on conflict in couples. Family Relations, 61(3), 388-396. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00712.x The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of playing video games on conflict and aggression in intimate partner relationships. The study was guided by two theoretical frameworks. The displacement hypothesis suggests that time spent playing video games may displace other activities and the General Aggression Model suggests that violent content in video games may increase the occurrence of aggressive behavior in relationships. The study consisted of secondary analysis of data collected for an on-line study called the Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire (Relate). The sample used in the current analysis included 1,333 couples who were either in a serious dating relationship, engaged, or married. On-line questionnaires were completed on an individual basis and included items measuring video game usage and how often the time spent playing video games and the content of the video games had caused relationship problems. In addition, the questionnaire included items measuring actual relational and physical aggression. Statistical analysis was performed on the data. The results indicated that time spent playing video games was related to problems in relationships for men but not women. Specifically, the amount of time spent playing video games by men was related to conflict about the time spent playing video games and the content of these games. In turn, this conflict was associated with higher levels of physical and relational aggression for both men and women. In other words, conflict is an intervening variable between video game playing and aggressive behavior in relationships.

Families in Contemporary Canadian Society

FMLY 1000

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Marking The research summary is worth 10% of your grade. The marking key that will be used for marking the research article summary is as follows:

Research summary marking key Maximum points Appropriate article used

1

Correct APA information and format

2

Summary: Identifies purpose and theory Identifies method (sample, method, analysis technique) Identifies general findings/conclusion

Points earned

2 3 1

Writing (no spelling or grammar errors)

1 Total

10

All assignments are submitted in the assignment submission folder labelled for each assignment. The assignment must be a Word file and the file title should be Assignment 1 and your surname. For example, "Assignment 1 Smith". All assignments must include a title page with the course number and your name or student number. It is your responsibility to check to see that the assignment has been received and that the file can be opened. You can do this within the course website.

Families in Contemporary Canadian Society

FMLY 1000

Assignment 1

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