HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF ADOLESCENTS: A QUALITATIVE CRITIQUE OF RELEVANT RESEARCH ARTICLES
This research critiques two articles dealing with the health behaviors of adolescents. The articles are critiqued from a qualitative perspective. The elements of the critique are as follows: (1) descriptive vividness; (2) methodological congruence; (3) auditability; (4) analytical procedures; (5) theoretical connectedness; and (6) heuristic relevance. The articles critiqued are as follows:
DiIorio, Colleen, Parsons, Margaret, Lehr, Sally, Adame, Daniel, & Carlone, Joyce. (1992, July/August). Measurement of safe sex behavior in adolescents and young adults. Nursing Research, 41(4), 203 207.
Mahon, Noreen E. (1994, May). Positive health practices and perceived health status in adolescents. Clinical Nursing Research, 3(2), 86 103.
DiIorio, Parsons, Adame, and Carlone (1992, pp. 203 207) provided a clear and credible description and discussion of the problem involving the measurement of safe sex behavior in adolescents. The objective of the research study was to develop an instrument with which to measure sex practices among adolescents, as opposed to assessing the effects of actual sex practices among this target population group. In order to develop a measurement questionnaire, however, the researchers recognized that the dimensions of safe sex practices had to be defined. The research sample consisted of freshmen college
students, and on the day that data for the research were
collected, the researchers attended classes with the target population group in order to explain the study to the students. Thereafter, data were collected only from those students volunteering to participate in the study. The researchers assured participants that the confidentiality of all subject responses would be protected. The researchers did not indicate in the article that they gave any consideration to the possibility that the presence of the ...