Critique of Research Report: Howlett, N., Kirk, E., and Pine, K. (2011). Does ‘Wanting the Best’ Create More Stress? the Link Between Baby Sign Classes and Maternal Anxiety. Infant and Child Development.
Critique of Research Report: Howlett, N., Kirk, E., and Pine, K. (2011). Does ‘Wanting the Best’ create more stress? The link between baby sign classes and maternal anxiety. Infant and Child Development.
This assignment will critically review Howlett, Kirk and Pine’s (2011) study, which aims to investigate whether attendance of gesturing classes affects parental stress. Howlett et al., (2011) attempt to examine claims, advertised by commercial products, that believe attending gesturing classes can improve child-parent communications, thus reducing parental stress. Participants gave demographic information and completed a Parenting Stress Index (PSI) questionnaire. ANCOVA was used to look at whether attending gesturing classes affected parental stress, mothers attending a gesture group and mothers attending a non gesture group were compared; with ‘sibling status’ and ‘birth order’ controlled. Researchers found that mothers who attended infant gesture classes had higher stress scores than mothers who had attended non-gesturing classes.
From these findings the following claims are made: * that mothers in the gesture group had higher pre-existing stress than in the non gesture group, * that mothers attended gesturing classes in an attempt to alleviate their pre-existing stress, * that gesturing classes may cause mothers to view their child negatively.
This critique will firstly provide an overall evaluation of the article with reference to strengths and weaknesses found. Flaws will also be highlighted with suggestion to how these could be rectified. Points of detail in the evaluation will then be expanded and conclusions discussed.
Overall evaluation
First and foremost, the overall presentation of the article appears to lack in structure and organisation; this results in a lack of flow and clarity.
In the introduction, the research question and key definitions of interest (i.e. ‘gesture, ‘non gesture’ and ‘stress’) are not discussed at the
This assignment will critically review Howlett, Kirk and Pine’s (2011) study, which aims to investigate whether attendance of gesturing classes affects parental stress. Howlett et al., (2011) attempt to examine claims, advertised by commercial products, that believe attending gesturing classes can improve child-parent communications, thus reducing parental stress. Participants gave demographic information and completed a Parenting Stress Index (PSI) questionnaire. ANCOVA was used to look at whether attending gesturing classes affected parental stress, mothers attending a gesture group and mothers attending a non gesture group were compared; with ‘sibling status’ and ‘birth order’ controlled. Researchers found that mothers who attended infant gesture classes had higher stress scores than mothers who had attended non-gesturing classes.
From these findings the following claims are made: * that mothers in the gesture group had higher pre-existing stress than in the non gesture group, * that mothers attended gesturing classes in an attempt to alleviate their pre-existing stress, * that gesturing classes may cause mothers to view their child negatively.
This critique will firstly provide an overall evaluation of the article with reference to strengths and weaknesses found. Flaws will also be highlighted with suggestion to how these could be rectified. Points of detail in the evaluation will then be expanded and conclusions discussed.
Overall evaluation
First and foremost, the overall presentation of the article appears to lack in structure and organisation; this results in a lack of flow and clarity.
In the introduction, the research question and key definitions of interest (i.e. ‘gesture, ‘non gesture’ and ‘stress’) are not discussed at the
References: * Colver, A. 2006. Study protocol: SPARCLE – a multi-centre European study of the relationship of environment to participation and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy. BMC Public Health, 6:105. * Howlett, N., Kirk, E., and Pine, K. (2011). Does ‘Wanting the Best’ create more stress? The link between baby sign classes and maternal anxiety. Infant and Child Development, 20, 437 – 445. * Hyson, M. C. 1991. Building the hothouse: how many mothers construct academic environments. New Directions for Child Development, 53, 31-39. * Keith, K. 2010. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives. Wiley-Blackwell. * Kirk, E., Howlett, N., Pine, K, J., and Fletcher, B. (C) Under Review. To sign or not to sign? The impact of encouraging infants to gesture on infants language and maternal mind-mindedness.