thinking critically about the context
Critical appraisal of a report of an empirical study begins with an examination of the context in which the research was conducted. The context is described in the Introduction of the report, which serves to describe the problem, develop the theoretical and empirical background for the research questions, and elaborate a rationale for all parts of the study.
In order for you to fully understand and appreciate why the research was conducted, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Who did the research and where was it published?
- What are the research questions and where did they come from?
Read through the Introduction of the End et al. (2010) report, and try to answer those questions for yourself. Then work through the questions on the following pages.
