Article citation
Walker-Williams, H. J., & Fouché, A. (2017). A strengths-based group intervention for women who experienced child sexual abuse. Research on Social Work Practice, 27(2), 194–205.
The purpose of this assignment is to locate a qualitative research article on social work practice and offer a critique based on a set of reporting standards. The article chosen discusses the evaluation of an intervention that helped women grow after experiences of child sexual abuse. The researchers do so by conducting a quasi-experimental experiment with one group, collecting data before, shortly after, and several months after the intervention. They collect information via drawings, narratives, and transcriptions performed by test subjects, which serve both therapeutic and evaluative purposes. The authors conclude that the intervention is useful, though they suggest a larger-scale study to confirm the results.
This essay provides a critique of the article by evaluating it against the framework established by O’Brien, Harris, Beckman, Reed, and Cook (2014), which consists of 21 standards that concern various parts and aspects of the work.
The title describes the nature and topic of the study, and the abstract covers critical aspects, fulfilling the first two criteria. The introduction describes the issue in detail but does not formulate research questions, so criteria 3 is satisfied, but 4 is not. Walker-Williams and Fouché (2017) describe their approach and theory but fail to explain the paradigm. As such, objective 5 is fulfilled only partially, and since researcher characteristics are not mentioned, objective 6 is unfulfilled.
The setting was not described, so objective 7 is unfulfilled, and the sampling strategy is covered in detail, but without mentioning sample saturation, meaning objective 8 is partially met. The study covers ethics and data collection methods, matching the requirements of goals 9 and 10. The data collection instruments are described, and the units of study are covered in the necessary detail, fulfilling goals 11 and 12. Data processing and data analysis are described in detail, as well, and so objectives 13 and 14 are met. However, there is not much information about trustworthiness-enhancing techniques other than the exclusion criteria, and so the study does not fulfill objective 15 adequately.
The Findings section incorporates extensive discussion of the findings and their various implications, and so the 16th goal is satisfied. There are numerous references to the participant’s data, which matches the requirements of objective 17. The findings are integrated with prior research and possible implications for social work practitioners, fulfilling target 18. The authors also discuss limitations and their potential influence on the work, which is the requirement for the 19th standard. Lastly, there are references to both conflict of interest, which is not present, and funding, which is identified as a grant. As such, the two final objectives, 20 and 21, are met satisfactorily.
Overall, the study can mostly be considered a work of acceptably high quality, as it covers most of the reporting quality standards. The paper should frame its introduction and methods sections more clearly, outlining the questions explicitly, discussing the research paradigm, and taking researcher characteristics into account. It should describe the study’s environment more clearly and explain the reason behind limiting the sample to its final size. The authors should also take measures to reduce potential biases and describe them in detail. After the data collection section, the paper shows an excellent analysis and discussion of the findings, and so, once the data collection reporting improves and the necessary adjustments to the introduction section are implemented, the paper will match all of the standards.
References
Walker-Williams, H. J., & Fouché, A. (2017). A strengths-based group intervention for women who experienced child sexual abuse. Research on Social Work Practice, 27(2), 194–205.
O’Bien, B.C., Harris, I.B., Beckman, T.J., Reed, D.A., & Cook, D.A. (2014). Standards for reporting qualitative research: A synthesis of recommendations. Academic Medicine, 89(9), 1245-1251.