This paper evaluates the article, “In This World but Not of It: Midwives, Amish, and the Politics of Power.” Authored by Natalie Jolly, this article appeared in the online journal, titled Sociological Research Online. It publishes peer-reviewed articles in the field of sociology. The article was selected for this evaluation due to its simplistic approach.
Title
The author made a concerted effort to come up with a unique title that sets the study apart. She follows the title with subtitles that appropriately divide the article into various sections. A quick look at the subtitles can give any reader an idea of the arguments in the article. Additionally, the author successfully weaves the study variables into the title. An average reader can understand every term in the title without any difficulty. The author does not refer to the study results in the title, but it is well developed because it is clear, concise, informative, and can easily capture the reader’s attention (Berg & Lune, 2004).
Ethical Evaluation
In the ethical sense, this study leaves much to be desired. There is no clarity about the steps taken by the researcher to ensure that the study complied with existing ethical guidelines. Throughout the study period, the researcher disguised herself as a volunteer health care worker (Jolly, 2014). She worked under a non-Amish midwife for over two years, but there is no mention if she informed her about the research. The study was mainly concerned with the dynamics of power among women in Amish society. However, the author realized that she could not completely isolate men from the study. Another key issue that does not feature in the study is the acknowledgement of the limitations of the study. In the overall sense, the study failed insofar as observing ethical guidelines is concerned.
Literature Review
The study endeavored to examine relevant literature extensively. This endeavor successfully put the research problem into perspective. As a result, the researcher was able to give readers a substantive rationale for the study. This achievement implies that the researcher successfully selected the appropriate materials for the review. However, most of the reviewed literature was relatively old. Nevertheless, the author critically examines it and categorizes it into theory, research, and opinion. The literature review is adequate because although a greater part of the literature is not new, every study that incorporates theoretical discourses must include such literature.
Operationalization and Measurement
The author connects the research ideas with the circumstances in the Amish society effectively. The idea of possessing and exercising power through midwifery clearly brings out the power play that exists in Amish societies. One can easily understand the approach used to lend meaning to the idea of power within the context of the study. The study sought to determine if a non-Amish midwife could exercise power within the Amish society and the extent to which such power affects the organization of the Amish society. The dimension of measurement of this study suits it well because it addresses the research problem, albeit indirectly because the researcher did not inform the participants that she was conducting a study. Therefore, she obtained data by centering her conversations and activities on particular themes. Respondents gave feedback freely and objectively since they considered it normal dialogue with a health care worker. The researcher recorded only the key issues in her notes. Due to its unique nature, the study failed to mention reliability and validity issues. However, the researcher notes that the information was verified before publication. Based on the nature of the Amish, the researcher’s approach was appropriate because it brings out issues that are not easily accessible.
Sample Strategy
This study cannot be generalized because the Amish are a unique group of people. Additionally, there was no sampling. Moreover, the researcher included information from all encounters she had with expectant or lactating women in the findings. Therefore, the information was collected randomly. Given the length of time the researcher took to complete the study and the number of encounters she had in the same period, it is arguable that the number of participants was adequate. The study appropriately generalizes its findings to the Amish people because they were the concern of the study. Although there is no sampling in the research, the studied group was appropriate and adequate for the study.
Evaluation Research
The study sought to find out the kind of power exercised by non-Amish midwives in Amish communities. It elaborately describes the process that the author went through to complete the study. The goals of the study were clearly stated and then formulated into two research questions. The researcher then posed as a participant-observer to gain access to the information she desired. Due to the nature of the study, there was no need for a control group. Further, there was no pre-determined method for participant selection. Moreover, every household that received midwifery services from the researcher and her partner fell into the group. Nonetheless, the author strived to elaborate on the findings quite clearly.
Qualitative Analysis
The study lacks a conventional results section. In the research, this section is mixed up with the analysis section. The author adequately links her analysis to the research problem, but without any statistics because the study was qualitative. Since the study lacks a solid methodology, issues such as its methodological flaws or statistical weaknesses are not mentioned. The author also fails to highlight areas of interest for further research. Nonetheless, the combining of the results and discussion sections yields a compact and well-argued final section.
References
Berg, B. L., & Lune, H. (2004). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (Vol. 5). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Jolly, N. (2014). In this world but not of it: Midwives, Amish, and the politics of power. Sociological Research Online, 19(2), 13. doi: 10.5153/sro.3294.