SIGNATURE OER WRITING ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this paper is to assess your critical thinking, writing, information literacy, and technological competency. This is an academic writing assignment, which includes the title page, body (content paragraphs), and reference list.
Overview:
Identify a theory or concept in the text.
Explain the theory or concept (definitions, main points).
Locate a peer-reviewed journal article that examines the theory or concept that you selected. You will look for your article using the Psychology Research Toolkit. The articles chosen should not be a review or theoretical articles, but published in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology). Articles must include methods and results sections. Only empirical research from a peer-reviewed/refereed psychology journal is acceptable. You are required to read the article and do not use the abstract to respond to the questions below.
Critically evaluate the article by identifying the different parts of the research study and identify where this research can be applied/used in the real world.
Describe the psychology research question/topic presented in the peer-reviewed journal article? How does this article relate to your research question/topic? You must attach a PDF copy of your article when you submit your essay.
What is the hypothesis(es) of the research? Describe the hypothesis(es) of the research in your own words.
What are the research variables? Identify the independent and dependent variable(s).
What did the researchers do? Describe the subjects/participants within the methodology of the study in your own words. Be sure to identify what kind of research method was used (survey, experiment, correlational study), the variables that were measured in the study, and any other relevant aspects of the methodology. [Hint: This information is described in the section of the article titled Method or Methodology. Explain how the research was conducted well enough that someone who hasnt read the article will know what the researchers did.]
What was the research design (e.g., descriptive, correlational, or experimental and/or quasi-experimental)?
What did the researchers find? Describe the main results of the study in your own words. [Hint: The results are described in the section titled Results and then often summarized again in the section titled Discussion/Conclusion.]
What do the results mean? Describe the main conclusions drawn from this study in your own words. [Hint: The researchers conclusions are usually discussed in the section titled Discussion/Conclusion.]
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this study? In your own words, describe at least one strength and one weakness of the study, explaining why these are strengths and weaknesses. This is your opinion, rather than strengths and limitations as identified by the researchers in the articles.
How would you improve this study? If you were to do the study over again, describe what changes you would make and why these changes would improve the study.
Based on what you have read and learned in the course draw an intellectual conclusion. Give your opinion about the issue. Why is this empirical research important? State what all this means for the theory or concept. How does this empirical research impact society, policy or future empirical research? What have you learned from the theory or concept? How will you apply that new knowledge to your everyday life?

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