Do Minorities Have Equal Opportunity? Article Critique Example

Introduction

The article is peer reviewed. It is noted at the bottom of the first page, that the article is fourthcoming in the Economics of Education Review, and since the article is dated in 2003, surely it has been peer reviewed already. The article went through a blind peer review since the reviewers names were not stated in the paper, leaving them anonymous. Also, the journal is of a reputable source, this being the Economics of Education Review.

Summary

The research problem is evident, it deals with the rate Blacks and Hispanics are participating in Advanced Placement (AP) courses as compared to whites in high school. The research was conducted in Texas. This information can be found in the “Data and conceptual framework” part of the journal, on page six. It states that the research was conducted in Texas Schools Microdata Panel (TSMP) for the 1998-1999 academic year. The research focused on statistics of whites, blacks and Hispanic students attending Texas public high schools in which at least one Advanced Placement course was offered. It is said that college admissions recommend the AP experience, and believes it to be a doorway for college success (College Board, 2001). Although, this article believes that the rate of blacks and Hispanics entering the AP classes deems them of unequal opportunities in the future. According to Burdman (2000), are more likely to graduate from college if equipped with the experience of an AP class.

Review and evaluation

The article is not very logically organized; since the tables and figures are the bottom of the article and are difficult to read since you have to go down to refer to them. Although, the article itself is well organized in terms of its written work; the paper does not have a statement of purpose, though the purpose of the study is pretty clear in the introduction as well as the title of the paper. Also, there are references to previous work, you can find the list of references on page 28 and 28, but the paper is missing a review of related literature portion (or at least the title signifying that the portion is the RRL), which could have been used to validate the importance of the study’s purpose. The sampling procedure and methods of collecting data are clearly placed in the article’s conceptual framework. The paper could be improved by clearly dividing the paper up into parts which are recognizable by the reader, the only clear labeled area is the data and conceptual framework portion of the paper. Also, putting the tables to where the corresponding text is would definitely be an improvement, and would make it much easier for the reader. The methodology as well as the scope and limitations of the study were also not clearly explained.

Methodology

The methodology is not clearly explained, it can be determined in the data and conceptual framework portion, as well as the introduction of the paper, although there is no clear-cut portion devoted to the methodology of the research. The data was gathered by getting results of students who took the SATs, which is a case study article. No other evidence of how research was conducted is to be found. It is possible to replicate the study based on this article, although maybe you would need a wider scope and not only focus in Texas, since the article title does not imply that it is a focused study, it leads to believe that it is general.

Timeline: Also, if one were to replicate this study, he or she could conduct it in a longer span, not only for one school year; as this study was only from the school year 1998-1999. Since the year now is 2010, the data might not be relevant since statistics would have changed by then; the new researcher would need a newer more updated set of data.

Accuracy: There is a reason to believe that there was a slight bias in the study; it did not reveal how many whites were taking part in the Special Education course, although data revealing minorities in low-status income families was given. To make the study less biased, I think that the status of the whites not enrolled in Advanced Placement classes should also have been part of the study. To be equal in data gathering and sampling; all areas and all variables should have been well covered and given equal part in the study. You should not only include data or statistics which will back you claim up, you should also place the ones which are contradicting to your study, and find a way to break it down to make your claim more valid.

Interpretation: The method of data collection is well-described, it is found in the first portion of the data and conceptual framework. It shows how many students were sampled, and what sort of data was collected. This data were post-test data, showing which students part-took in the SATs from high schools which offered Advanced Placement courses. The data did provide an insight into answering the research question, because the general statistics showed a clear idea of where the study was leading, even without reading the Introduction. From the data collected of how many students and of which race participated in the Advanced Placement classes, you can see that whites very much outnumber blacks and Hispanics. Although more detail into why this is happening was also studied, therefore other data and statistics were gathered to justify the research, as well as to make sense of the statistics.

Logistical argument: Statistical analyses were performed and shown in the first portion of the data and conceptual framework. After the statistics were given, the study deeper delved into why these statistics may be standing. The data which can be found on the charts were also analyzed for the justification of the claim and the study, to show why the numbers which show up are the way they are. An example of this is the table showing the racial composition of the students in an Advanced Placement class and how peer pressure affected this, the statistics given were analyzed and given meaning by referencing previous works in determining why the numbers added up that way. Yes, there is a p-value and an alpha (?) level given, this can be found from tables six to nine.

Counter argument: It would have been better for the study if the researcher did go deeper into the topic and gathered data on what she had mentioned in the conclusion, which was to study also the parents of the black and Hispanic students. She added some conclusions which were not supported by data or facts. This may have been relevant to her study, and it might be a logical conclusion to come up with based on the results she gathered, although backing up her claims with data and/or facts would have made her statements more valid.

Final results: The conclusion of the paper as well as the interpretation of the results were convincing, the author of the article did go deeper into the data and statistics gathered by backing up claims made through references of other scholarly articles and previous works made in the same area of study.  The author found the right types of data as well as statistics to link the probabilities of why students were behaving the way they did, and it directly answered the question of why students may not have been participating in advanced placement classes. The conclusion of the study states that blacks and Hispanics do not have equal opportunity and access to advanced placement access, leads readers to concur. It makes sense of the students’ behavior and is not generalizing based on the first set of data given (which was the rate blacks and Hispanics were participating in Advanced Placement classes).

Conclusion

The article is of an interesting topic. It made me wonder, though where Asians may have probably fallen under. It would have been good, though if the researcher extended the scope of her study, and looked into more schools, not just in Texas. Although, further reading into the article validates that Texas is a significant place to conduct the study, because it is near the Mexican border, and other data backing up her claim made sense, although this was not specified in at the start of the study. I believe that there is structural weakness in the research, although the strengths lied in the researcher’s ability to analyze the data found and link it to other data. I will probably remember this article because of the slightly controversial topic faced which maybe a touchy issue to some. Even though the title of the article gives away where the research was leading, it gave more detailed description in the study. At first, you may think that you would not need to know data to know the results of the study, although the given data as well as the analysis of them were well presented, and interesting connections were made.

Works cited

Burdman, P. (2000). Extra credit, extra criticism. Black Issues in Higher Education. 17 (18), 28-33.

College Board. (2001). Facts about the Advanced Placement Program: 2001. Pamphlet.