Begin by clarifying what the question means for your reader and defining any key terms.
As for your Critical Analysis, it is useful to start your analysis by identifying the results or observations reported in each article that are relevant to your question. Do they give the same answer or different answers? If they give the same answer, your essay will be mostly about whether or not you are convinced of that answer. If they give different answers then you have a puzzle to solve in your essay. Tell your reader clearly whether there is agreement or disagreement in the answers provided by the studies.
Next, consider the methodology of each study. As for your Critical Analysis, it is important to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of each study individually. How do they influence your confidence in the answers the studies provide?
For this assignment, you should also consider ways in which the methods used in the two studies are similar and different. o Is one methodological approach stronger than the other? If so, explain to your reader why you trust one result more than the other. o Could different answers to your question be the result of different methodologies? If so, explain how. o If different study methods produce concordant results, how does that affect your confidence in the answer? o If the same study method produces different results, why might this be?
All things considered, what would you conclude about the essay question, based on your analysis and synthesis of the two studies? How confident would you be in that conclusion? Is there something that future researchers could do to increase your confidence?
