Education is very important aspect of people’s life. Schools are aimed to systemize students’ knowledge, to give them mostly the directions of how to study effectively. Students spare most of their time in school, and it is school that gives them the conceptions about lifestyle, habits, likes and dislikes. Students form their range of interests in school, they are formed as personalities by school. The main aim of any school is to help students to find their own ways in this life, to become deserving personalities of modern society.
A brief description of the study’s question and methodology
School effects on pupils’ health behaviors: evidence in support of the health promoting school by West P., Sweeting H. and Leyland A. is the article taken for the methodological critique analyses. The article was written to analyze the school effects on students’ health behavior, such as drinking, smoking, illicit drug taking and unhealthy diet in order to be able to make some decisions whether the schools can cope with these problems by themselves. The authors of the article concentrate their attention on the statistics of the school effects on pupils’ health behaviors. The sample gives us the percentage and number references of whether the school can cope with the problems. The article, written in 2004, is divided into small titled chapters (sections). The investigation took place in 43 secondary schools in Scotland, with the participation of more than 2000 students from 11 till 15 years old. The hypothesis was given that school must take part in the health upbringing of children and that it can influence the decisions of students whether to smoke, drink, take drugs or not.
Critique each of the components of the report and the methodology
The title of the article (School effects on pupils’ health behaviors: evidence in support of the health promoting school) gives a clear idea about what is going to be discussed in the article. The abstract summarizes the purpose, methods and findings of the article, it also shows the main idea of it. The abstract of the article provides the reader with sufficient information about it and the reader can choose whether to read the whole article or not, whether it comes into his group of interests or not. The research problem was clearly identified in the abstract, and the whole article gave the detailed description with examples of the problem.
The problem of health upbringing is rather serious and up-to-date. The made research showed us its importance among schools. School must take part not only in the educational process of students and also in their interests and health. The effect of school on children is rather significant, and it may be more valuable is school pays more attention on this problem. The authors also give some theoretical information in spite of the fact that the research of how school affect the health behavior of children is ‘in its infancy’ (West 2004) and there is not so much theoretical information about it. But still the problem is properly lighted in the research by theoretical works and reviews.
The authors gave a clear explanation the amount and size of the work, tat is what it was going to be discussed, hoe many participants took part in the research, and how exactly the procedure held. The authors gave sufficient information of reliability and validity of the instruments of the research. The materials used in the investigation are clearly described. The background of the research and the very procedure of the study are also explained in a proper and understandable way. The procedure is appropriate and puts light on the framework and questions which are discussed in the article. Moreover, the research section gives the sufficient information about the topic of the discussion. It reveals only true to date information which confirms the study and explains the necessity of the research.
Lots of calculations and statistic elements were used to confirm the idea of the necessity of this investigation during the research and the very results of it. The analyses of the results confirm the information that the hypothesis is rather valued should be taken into consideration. As it was said higher, the investigation has mostly the statistic nature and authors could not avoid the tables, which were organized in a proper way. The tables did not duplicate the text, moreover, they confirmed it, gave extra information which could not be organizes in the text form. The authors did not notice about any limitations in the work. The aim of the work was to confirm the researched problem with the findings, which were gained during the experiment. There was used only theoretical knowledge to give the reader the information about the necessity of current investigation.
The authors state the necessity of further research in this field as only the statistic results can give food for investigators, show the dynamics of it, whether the work, which was made after the research, was productive and useful.
Critique the value or utility of the study
The discussed article is rather useful in many professions, including mine. Educational specialists and psychologists should work in this direction together to be able to gain some valuable results, which could help children to avoid the problem of drinking, smoking, drugs taking and unhealthy diet. Every teacher should find the way to the child what can help him in future to gain his respect and believe him. The relations between the teacher and the student are very important in this case as only if student can trust his teacher, the last can put into his mind the harm of bad habits. So, the study is rather valuable in the question of the visual results of made work at schools.
Works Cited
West P, Sweeting H, Leyland A. (2004) School effects on pupils’ health behaviors: evidence in support of the health promoting school. Research Papers in Education.