Taking Sides Paper Instructions

Now that you have learned about research methods and critical thinking skills, I would like you to practice these skills before we go any further in the textbook so you are ready to apply critical thinking skills as you examine the research you will encounter throughout the course.

False statements are often made regarding controversial issues. However, this can only be realized if the reader is a good critical thinker and can identify sound science. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the ability to critically examine a controversial issue relating to child development. However, rather than focusing primarily on the issue, your challenge is to critique research methods and identify flaws demonstrated by the author of the article you select. 

Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to help you think critically about information you read and to be an active consumer of information. We all feel passionately about things (such as divorce, day care, and so on), but it is possible that research does not support our passionate beliefs.

This assignment gives you the opportunity to critically examine one side of a controversial issueâthe side with which you most readily agree. Just because you agree with a position does not mean that the authors are presenting sound research, and part of being a good critical thinker is critically analyzing even information with which you agree. Although you will include some degree of summary, the primary purpose is for you to reflect on what you read, critically examine the evidence, and come to a conclusion about the quality of the authorsâ arguments, based on sound research methods.

You will combine both the lecture material and text (Ch. 2 âResearch Strategiesâ) in order to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of the article. As part of your course materials, you will find three documents with articles that relate to controversial issues (pro and con side for each of three issues).

Select one of these three âcontroversialâ topics:

• divorce
• violent media
• abstinence-only sex education

Read both sides of the argument. Then, select the side (pro or con) with which you most agree. This (only the pro or con side) will become the article you summarize and critique. 

Please note that in the analysis section, you are not analyzing the topic itself, but rather analyzing the authorâs argument. In other words, I do not want you to tell me what you or the author thinks about the topicâI want you to critique the authorâs argument. For example, is he/she citing good research, is he/she trying to sway people with emotion rather than evidence, is he/she drawing conclusions about cause and effect from correlational data, and so on.

Taking Sides Paper References

I have provided copies of three book chapters for you to use for your Taking Sides paper, from Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Childhood and Society, 3rd Ed. Diana S. Del Campo and Robert L. Del Campo, eds.:

1. Does Divorce Create Long-Term Negative Effects for Children?
2. Is Media Violence Harmful for Children?
3. Is Abstinence-Only Sex Education Effective?

You can also use these articles and books as your target articles for the Taking Sides paper:

• Anderson, K. (1998). School-based health clinics and sex education. Probe Ministries International.
• Fowles, J. (1999). The Case for Television Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Gately, D., & Schwebel, A. I. (1992). Favorable outcomes in children after parental divorce. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage
• Potter, W. J. (1999). On Media Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• SIECUS (2001). Toward a sexually healthy America: Roadblocks imposed by the federal governmentâs abstinence-only-until-marriage education programs. A report of Advocates for Youth and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States(SIECUS).
• Zinsmeister, K. (1996). Divorceâs toll on children. The American Enterprise, 7, 39-44.

Taking Sides Paper Guidelines

This paper should be approximately 5â6 pages long. I have provided a set of âguidelinesâ that give you instructions about what I want you to include in each section of your paper.

Please also refer to the âGeneral Writing Guidelinesâ and other useful material in this lesson to help you with this assignment.

Note: Download a copy of the Taking Sides Paper Guidelines, fill it out, and include the sheet as the first page of your paper when you send it in. (It does not count toward the page limit.)

Critical Analysis Hints

Here are a few ideas you can think about in your critical analysis. It is not a comprehensive list but should help you get started.

Critical Thinking Skills

• Examine the Evidence: Does the author provide sound research to support his/her argument?
• Alternative Explanations: Does the author consider alternative explanations, or does s/he erroneously come to conclusions (for example, correlation does not equal causation, but does the author suggest that it does?)
• Tolerate Uncertainty: Does the author admit that s/he does not have all the answers, or does s/he claim to have proven the position without a doubt?
• Avoid Emotional Reasoning: Does the author provide sound evidence for his/her position, or does s/he appeal to the readerâs emotions instead (for example, does the argument use anecdotal examples, rather than research support?). Alternatively, does the authorâs own emotion show through in his/her argument, which may suggest clouded judgment?
• Ask Questions: This is where your role as a critical thinker comes in. You need to ask questions while you are reading each side. What will it take to convince you?

 

Methodology Considerations

• Did the studies have sufficiently large sample sizes?
• Are the samples representative of the population of interest and generalizable?
• Did the researchers use random assignment?
• Are there limitations of the specific type of data collection the study used? For example, if they used questionnaires, what might be a drawback to this approach that would limit the conclusions they could draw from the findings?
• What was the design of the study (cross-sectional vs. longitudinal)?
• What might be the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?
• Does the author note any methodological limitations to the argument? (This is a good thing, if the author does it properly.)
• Does the author use causal language (such as âprove,â âcause,â âlead to,â and so on) when the data is correlational in nature?
• Does the author adequately operationalize terms? For example, if they operationalize âmaternal employmentâ as working 20 hours a week vs. 40 hours a week, how might that change/influence the results?

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