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Dissecting an Article for the Research Gap
“What value is a study that uses the most advanced research methodology, such as structural equation modeling, but the reason for actually doing the analysis remained uncertain? Or what value is a study that assumes the reader understands the problem as well as the author? How to communicate the research problem demands more than good writing skills alone…” (Jacobs, 2013).
Research aims to answer a question. The research or practice gap, communicated through the research problem, serves as a research article’s central question, the foundation on which the scholarly research is built. If the question is not clear, or does not seem relevant or important, then the audience may lose interest.
Throughout the course, you have been collecting information to help you refine your potential research topic and build on your previous knowledge. Now, in addition to collecting the information based on topic relevance, you should start to ask: Why is this specific research important? You will develop your own process to help you answer this question as you read, but ultimately, you will find your answer by determining how well the article explained the gap. How well did it present and answer—or at least attempt to answer—its central question?
In this Assignment, you will select an article, dissect it for its use of the research gap, and record a walk-through of your critical reading process.
Reference:
Jacobs, R. L. (2013). Developing a dissertation research problem: A guide for doctoral students in human resource development and adult education. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(3), 103–117.
To Prepare
• Review the article by Jacobs in the Learning Resources.
• Focus on pages 103–109
• Review the Annotated Document: Dissecting a Research Article (PDF) from the Learning Resources.
• Revisit the peer-reviewed articles and sources related to your topic that you have located throughout this course, such as those you documented in your Literature Review Matrix tab or found while filling out your Discipline Tracker tab. Select one article to use for your video walk-through.
By Day 7
Submit your Kaltura video walk-through. Your video should be no longer than 5 minutes. Address the following in your walk-through:
• Share the article you selected on your screen and highlight the specific components of the article as you review them.
• Describe the situation or issue that prompted the author(s) to search the literature.
• What can you learn quickly from the abstract regarding the research topic and gap?
• What is the type of gap that the author(s) address? Select from the following:
• Provocative exception
• Contradictory evidence
• Knowledge void
• Action-knowledge conflict
• Methodological conflict
• Theoretical conflict
• Explain why you selected the type of gap. Where in the article did you find the information that led you to this selection?
• How does the problem statement incorporate the research gap? Where else in the article can you locate the research gap in question?
For your Kaltura video, be sure to:
• Speak clearly and slowly.
• Share your screen and guide your audience through your process of dissecting the article.
• Read your article in advance and take notes. You can use these notes to help guide you as you record your walk-through.
• Work toward giving a professional, polished presentation of your critical reading process.
