EDCEP 816 Assignment #1: Quantitative Study Critique

Name: __Kierston Beets__________

You will be critiquing two studies over the remainder of the 816 course that serve as a
culminating experience of your abilities to determine something about the credibility of the
study assigned. This first study is quantitative.
Instructions: Using the study provided, thoroughly read and review the study. Respond to each of
the following questions by placing your complete sentence answers in the space provided. Point
values are indicated with each question. Upload your critique to the dropbox located in the content
files on KSOL.
1) Using the reference section provided in the back of your text (or the APA Manual), provide a
complete APA style reference of the article you are critiquing (5 points).
Lambie, G.W., Ieva, K. P., Mullen, P. R. (2013). Counseling students learning, development, and
retention of knowledge. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(4), 54-67.
2) How many participants are involved in this study, and how were they selected (3 points)?
There were 82 students in two different counseling ethics classes that were asked to volunteer for
this study. Of the 82, 52 volunteered to complete the assessments instruments (Lambie, Ieva, &
Mullen, 2013).
3) What are the primary research questions that guided the study (3 points)?
This research study has two questions they want answered about students in two different counseling
ethics classes. The first question asked is about the knowledge students gain about ethics and legality
of counseling throughout three different periods of the class (before, during, after). The second
question is about the two different sections and wanting to know if students are gaining/retaining the
same amount of knowledge between the two different sections (Lambie et al., 2013).
4) How well did the authors develop an argument through their review of the literature that
warranted the need for this study (5 points)? Provide one or two sentences of support for
your assertion.
I dont think the authors development a well constructed argument as to why this particular study
was needed. I think they did some research (Common ethical and legal concepts required for
counseling students ethical practice emerged when reviewing the counseling literature (e.g.,
American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005; American School Counselor Association [ASCA],
2010; Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2010; Cottone & Tarvydas, 2007; Welfel, 2009) (55)), but knowing
that counselors need to have knowledge of ethics isnt enough to provide me with reason for them to
conduct this study. It is important for counselors to ethical and legal knowledge and social-cognitive
development, but I dont believe this particular study provided me with enough to warrant their
research. I am glad they had a section for recommendations for future research because more
research does need to be done to ensure that students are retaining this important information, but
EDCEP 816, Instructor Hodge

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this was a good place to start given that no research like this has been done before (To date, no
studies have investigated graduate counseling students ELK and SCD at three different points in the
preparation program over an extended period of time (seven month) (Lambie et al., 2013).
5) How did the authors collect their data (3 points)?
The authors collected their data using two different types of assessment; the Ethical and Legal
Issues in Counseling Assessment and Washington University Sentence Completion Test. The WUSCT
test has been proven to be reliable and valid through other samples. The ELICA assessment needed
to be strengthen to improve reliability (Lambie et al., 2013).
6) What statistical analyses were used in this study (3 points)?
These researchers used a time series design for the study. The individuals also took the data and
entered it into SPSS, which analyzed is using ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlations and
post hoc ANOVA. The data shows that is it okay to assume that the results would be similar in a
larger size study (Lambie et al., 2013).
7) What were the primary findings of the study (3 points)?
Students did gain more knowledge and retain it through their ethics course, but there was really no
change in the social-cognitive development of the students during the seven month time frame
(Lambie et al., 2013).
8) Providing supportive evidence and using your research method knowledge, what is your
overall critique of this study in terms of its research-worthy credibility (5 points)?
As I stated earlier, I think this research study was a good place to start, but not entirely justified for
what they did. Basically everything they listed in the limitations of the study section really hindered
the study. The sample size was too small, only studying one university, and not being able to control
extraneous factors (Lambie et al., 2013). I also think seven months is not enough time to really
research what they were wanting to research. I know that retention isnt always where it should be
with students, but these arent necessarily the students to test it on. These students are adults and
they are studying something the hopefully find interesting and will be their career in the future. This
has real life application to the participants and of course they are more likely to remember it. Seven
months is also not a long time to study development in an adult, because obviously development is
slowing down. Depending on what a person is looking for, there is probably a better study out there
with more reliable and valid information.

EDCEP 816, Instructor Hodge

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