Opportunities and Barriers to Successful Learning Transfer - Article Example

Critical Appraisal of a Research Article Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: This papers offers a critical analysis of the research article ‘Opportunities and Barriers to Successful Learning Transfer: Impact of Critical Care Skills Training by Edgar Meyer, Amanda Lees, Debra Humphris and N.A.D Connell in Journal of Advanced Learning 2007. The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of critical care skills training on nursing practice for nurses working in the ward (Meyer, 2007, p.308). The critical appraisal is thus focused on evaluating the research article by considering various issues in the article such as; the title, summary, introduction, research method and questions, participants, data analysis and results, discussion and conclusion. In addition the appraisal will answer a number of questions in relation to the article. Title  According to Newell and Burnard (2006, p.211), a reader obtains information about the article from the title of the article. Therefore, any title given to an article or any piece of writing should be clear and striking to the reader and more so, the number of words used for the title should be few so that the reader can be attracted to it. Although the title of the article by Meyer and others (2007, p.308) is quite long, it is clear and to the point. From reading the title, the reader is able to summarize the information that is contained in the article. That is, it shows that, the intension of the authors is to understand the effects of critical care skills training by concentrating on the opportunities and the barriers to sensational learning transfer. Summary/ Abstract The main purpose of having a summary in an article is to provide the reader with an overview of what the research is all about (Punch 2009, p.337). It is therefore important that authors use few words when giving the summary of the article and more so, the summary of the article should serve as a preview of the entire article or book (Newell & Burnard 2006, p.212). The article by Meyer and others (2007, p.308) provides the reader with an abstract that contains a wide range of information that include; the title, objective and background. In the abstract, the authors have clearly mentioned the aim of the study. They mention that, they conducted interviews on 66 participants. The authors also mention in the abstract their findings from the study and they point out learning was associated with the implementation of new skills. The authors write in the abstract that the study would be beneficial to the nursing practice. Introduction The introduction of any written article should state the statement of the problem, the framework and the background of the study (Punch 2009, p.330). Meyer and others offer background information about critical care training on global scale and also in the UK. They state that previous studies have not been consistent about the information that they have offered about the issue hence the need for the study to be undertaken. The authors have successfully written the introduction because the introduction shows the situation of critical care training in various parts of the world and they pay close focus on the UK. The introduction describes the methodology used and the authors emphasize that they would not base their research on a predefined hypothesis but instead, they will be undertaking an exploration on what has been learned about the topic. Therefore, the introduction the article contains information that relates to the objectives of the research, the settings and the insights associated with the title. Research Method and Questions  Ryan, Coughlan and Cronin (2007, p.740) assert that, in a qualitative research study, the research question should be constructed in a manner that it directs the reader to the direction of the research. At the same time, Bluff & Cluett (2006, p. 215) point out that the methods for research and collection of data should encompass sampling, collection of data, analysis, trustworthiness, validity and ethical issues of research. Furthermore, data collection and methodology should define the objective of the research questions. Meyer and others clearly describe the course of their research by highlighting the main purpose of the research. From this, the reader is able to gain insights about the direction of the research which in this case, it is directed towards provision of information that would facilitate for deeper understanding of the effect of critical care skills on nursing practice for nurses that are based in the ward section. Additionally, the authors have shown how they sampled their participants and how they collected their data. Specifically, it is after they sampled qualified participants that they collected data through semi- structured interviews that has specified time frame. The method used for data collection was appropriate for the study because the authors wanted to obtain information from those in the nursing practice. The authors also considered ethical elements associated with research and that is why they sought approval from the Local Research Ethics Committee and accepted to align to the research requirements provided. Participants In any given research study, the participants are required to fit into a specified description that would make the study unique. Walter (2010, p.25) points out that, research studies are expected to describe the gender, the allocation, region of origin and the academic achievements of the individuals who are participating in the study. However, suggestions have been given that, when participants hail from diverse backgrounds, then the research would be more significant. In the article, Meyer and others have provided the readers with a clear description of the sample that was used and also a description of the participants involved in the study. In particular, the authors state that, there were 22 course attendants and 10 line managers. The authors also noted that the participants were from the United Kingdom and they were sampled from hospitals. The time that the participants were sampled has also been noted in that, 16 were sampled in the year 2005 and 16 in the year 2006. The authors were specific in mentioning that the participants were from two different sites. Interviews were then conducted on the participants and data was collected to be used for analysis. Data Analysis and Results In order to establish whether a research is appropriate or not, it is important that an individual applies common sense. This is especially true when it comes to qualitative research. In the analysis of data, research questions are linked because; research questions serve as guide to the kind of data that needs to be collected hence they influence analysis. For that reason, there is need to make sure that the processes and data analyses are connected to the research questions so that the results are convenient (Greenhalgh & Taylor, 1997, p.742). In addition to clearly describing data collection in the study, the authors have also concisely analyzed their data. Meyer and others indicate their research process staring from the sampling procedure, to data collection and data analysis. In analyzing the results of the study, the authors specify that they used the NVivo together with coding and breakdown as specified by the team that was involved in the evaluation process. That is, the authors recorded the interview in digital form and then transcribed the, hence they had to exclude the entire non verbal and the non lexical elements of the interview responses. Discussion It is important that the results of any study are discussed because; it is through the discussions that the interpretation of the results is undertaken. In case the study has some limitations, or some of the results were unexpected or not complete, then it is the responsibility of the authors to acknowledge that fact. Such acknowledgements make the report strong hence authors should not avoid it. In addition, Coughlan, Cronin & Ryan (2007, p.662) point out that when discussing results of a study, generalization as well as the strengths and the weaknesses of the study should be noted. The researchers need to provide the readers with specifications about the need for future research. Meyer and the other authors have offered in depth discussion about the results of the study. In fact, the authors have discussed the results and presented subtitles that make it easier for the reader to understanding and to look for any information that he or she wants in case the reader is looking for certain details. Specifically, the discussion in the article includes the benefits that accrue from the intervention implemented, transfer of learning, and selection of the right staff for the purposes of training them, and extension of roles for trained staff. Therefore, in this section, the authors have adequately addressed the research questions that they sought to answer from the study. Generally, the authors have made their discussions clear by supporting them with the results of their research. Conclusion  Conclusion offers the readers with the summary of the results of the study hence scholars suggest that the conclusion of any study needs to be understandable and succinct. The researchers need to use their expert ruling to make conclusions about the research (Bluff & Cluett 2006, p.285). Meyer and others (2007, p.315) give a summary of the previously discussed main points. Based on their professional verdict, the authors conclude that their study was relevant because it offered benefits that extended beyond the boundaries of states and nations to in include the international front. However, the researchers do not mention the weaknesses of their study hence it doesn’t grant the conclusion the strength it deserves. Overall, though, the authors used the discussions from the study to mention that the study offered information to the nursing community that there is need to improve the kind of care given to patients because; it will reduce the costs needed by patients to receive healthcare services. Answers to the Additional Questions Punch (2009, p.9) states that; a pragmatic paradigm is that which starts with a research questions that commands an answer. Furthermore, conception framework has been defined as a set of assumptions or values that work together. The main reason for having a conception framework is to guide in the research and help the researchers to undertake the research in a particular way. Therefore, the construction of the method used in the study is made in a way that it answers the question. In the article by Meyers and others (2007, p.308), pragmatism is depicted by the objective of the study in that is it assessing the “impact of nursing practice of critical care skills training for ward-based nurses”. In that effect, the qualitative method used in the research has been constructed in a manner that, it seeks too find the answers to a given issue. According to Payne & Payne (2004, p.178), in a number of instances, pragmatists use both qualitative and quantitative methods when undertaking their research because it strengthens the research. As Walter (2010, p.26) points out, a number of modern day researchers combine the two methods (qualitative and quantitative) in their research studies. Meyers et al (2007, p.308) have used qualitative method for their research especially because they sued interviews to collect their data. This is the appropriate method that the researchers have chosen because; the authors rely on qualitative measures e.g. in collecting their data. This makes the data collected easier to understand for both the reader and the researchers. Further, the article has been appropriately written because the method of sampling the participants, methods of data collection and data analysis methods are concise and in accordance with the research. Meyers et al (2007) have combined investigation, description and explanation to achieve the purpose of their study. Firstly, the researchers have explored the impact of critical care skills of nursing practice among ward-based nursing practitioners. Secondly, they have described the results through elaborate discussions and they have explained through the interpretation of the results obtained from the research. The article is thus written in a coherent way with a structured organization that includes an introduction, data collection, results, discussion and conclusion. In general, the article of research ‘Opportunities and Barriers to Successful Learning Transfer: Impact of Critical Care Skills Training by Edgar Meyer, Amanda Lees, Debra Humphris and N.A.D Connell’, has been examined. The article has been written in the appropriate way because the authors were clear when they wrote all the sections in the article such as; abstract, introduction, methodology, results, data analysis, discussion and conclusion. References Bluff, R. & Cluett, E. R. (2006). ‘Critiquing the Literature’, in Principles and Practice of Research in Midwifery, 2nd ed., Ed. E. R. Cluett & R. Bluff, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, Philadelphia, pp.243-263 Cluett, E.R. & Bluff, R. [Ed] (2006). Principles and Practice of Research in Midwifery, Churchill Livingstone/ Elsevier, Philadelphia Coughlan, M., Cronin, P& Ryan, F. (2007). ‘Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part1: quantitative research’, British Journal of Nursing, vol.16, no. 11, pp.658-663 Greenhalgh, T. &Taylor, R. (1997). ‘How to Read a Paper: Papers that go beyond numbers (qualitative research)’. British Medical Journal, vol. 315, pp. 740-743. Meyer, Edgar et al, (2007). ‘Opportunities and Barriers to Successful Learning Transfer: Impact of Critical Care Skills Training, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 60(3), pp.308-316 Newell, R. & Burnard, P. (2006). ‘Critical Evaluation of Research Reports’ , in Research for Evidence-Based Practice, Eds. R. Newell & P. Burnard, Blackwell Publishing , Oxford, UK, pp. 209-218. Payne, G. & Payne, J. (2004). Key Concepts in Social Research, SAGE Publication, London Punch, K. F. (2009). Introduction to Research Methods in Education, SAGE Publications Ltd, London.  Ryan, F, Coughlan, M. &Cronin, P. (2007). ‘Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part2: quantitative research’, British Journal of Nursing, vol.16, no. 12, pp.738-744. Walter, M. (Ed). (2010). Social Research Methods, 2 Ed. In M. Walter, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, pp.12-27 Read More

 

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