The Novice Birthing: Theorizing First-Time Mothers - Research Paper Example

Article Critique Report Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 3 3 Objectives of the Research Work 3 Importance of the Research Work 5 Literature Review 5 Study Design 6 Sampling 7 Research Ethics 8 Study Limitations 9 Data Collection 10 Data Analysis and Presentation 11 Recommendations for Further Research 11 12 References 13 Title The title of the article is “The novice birthing: Theorizing first-time mothers’ experiences of birth at home and in hospital in Australia”. The title of well interlinked with the journal containing it; “Midwifery” and the article contents are well researched on and reflect on the title well. Hannah et al. (2010) puts down tangible research findings and literature to support the title of the article. Abstract The abstract of the article is well presented. It is very brief, concise and captures all the aspects articulated in the article. As a rule, as Alasuutari, P. et al. (2008) puts it, an abstract briefly presents the research article objectives; design of the research study, why it was chosen as opposed to others, its advantages and disadvantages; envisaged outcomes, both actual and expected; research methodology- data collection methods, research tools and why they were chosen and not the others, data analysis methods and software; research timeline and budget; research findings presentation, discussions/explanations; recommendations and areas of further research. All this are meant for faster understanding and comprehension of the research work, findings and conclusions in a nutshell. All this parts are well captured and are true reflections of a well prepared (outlined) research paper. One important part which has been included in this research paper is the keywords section and outlines the most eye-catching words used throughout the research work and which are meant for faster understanding as well as assisting the researcher to connect with the research work. Objectives of the Research Work The design, methodology and research framework are normally guided by the research objectives. Research objectives acts like the researcher’s guiding light and restricts him/her from making un-necessary steps which may be too costly in terms of time and resources. Hannah et al. (2010) objectives were to explore the experiences of first-time mothers giving birth at home and in hospital and contrasting them. The objective is in line with the research topic “The novice birthing: Theorizing first-time mothers’ experiences of birth at home and in hospital in Australia”. Research objectives are further supported by research questions which disaggregate it into manageable components from which hypotheses can be formulated from. In this article, the research objective has been disaggregated into 2 research questions; the experiences of first-time mothers and impacts of midwifery care (Hannah et al. 2010). Hypothesis if the only glaring part that is missing in this research study. Such statements can be as follows; H0: Experiences of first-time mothers are the same as those for not-first time mothers H1: Experiences of first-time mothers are not the same as those for not-first time mothers Or H0: Experiences of first-time mothers at home are the same as those for first-time mothers at hospital H1: Experiences of first-time mothers at home are not the same as those for first-time mothers at hospital Or H0: Experiences of first-time mothers are the same at home and in hospital as those for non first-time mothers at home and in hospital H1: Experiences of first-time mothers are not the same at home and in hospital as those for non first-time mothers at home and in hospital Always, the null hypothesis assumes none effect. The development of hypothesis statements is important in any research study as they form the basis for the data collection, analysis and reporting. However, it is not a must to have the hypothesis statements by as Maxwell (1996) puts it, they form an integral part of a study and many readers may fail to comprehend the research work if they are not included as anticipated. Further, hypothesis statements show the directions of the study and determine the kind of data to be collected. In other words, hypothesis statements reduce the research questions into manageable levels as they ensure reduced financial and time implications. Importance of the Research Work The importance of a research work should be clear to the research on the onset of the research work since a research work without advantages is not worth commencing. Stating the importance of a research work is advantageous even to the researcher as donors/financiers are well informed and are aware what they are funding and whether it is important or not. In this case, the advantage of the study is to understand the importance advantage of in engaging the use of midwife services as compared to the hospitals in Australia and whether they should assume their role of supporters of child –bearing mothers (Hannah et al. 2010). The importance of a research work is best coined from its research questions. According to Maxwell (1996), if the objectives are not properly articulated, then it means that the research questions are not well captured and that the hypothesis statements are vague or not available and thus the readers/donors cannot figure out the research importance in order to read on or to finance. Hannah et al. (2010) have the research objectives well captured and articulated and thus making the research importance clear. Literature Review Literature review forms an important part of a research study since readers react positively to a research findings report which has basis and the best research basis is the use of other researchers’ works to support your own. This adds credibility to the findings in addition to making them reliable and valid. One way of doing this is comparing the results with those of the others while the other is quoting sections of their work or quoted works. Both are effective in raising standards however, the kind of references one uses are very key. This is so because different writers have different tastes and areas of specialization and thus the thrust. In this research paper, the authors quote reliable authors who have specialized in the different fields. This makes this paper attain the required scientific rigor in terms of references. Further, the quoted materials are properly weaved to bring out the message as clearly as possible. Study Design The research study employed the use of grounded approach with the maiden purpose of explaining basic patterns. According to Hannah et al. (2010), this approach is mostly used in studying phenomena’s of interest in which there is close interaction with the study participants. Further, the approach is used to draw comparisons between what happens and the expected. This approach fits well with this research study as it is all about comparing different groups and making inferences about the whole population. However, as a suggestion, grounded approach and qualitative research study could be combined to make a very good design for this research. This is so because, the study of attributes closely associated with qualitative research allows the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the research objective as participant behaviours are well monitored over time and also since they have a stronger foundation when combined together. Sampling Sampling is a very important phenomenon and enables a researcher to draw inferences about a certain population using a sample. Normally, a sample is advantageous as compared to a complete count in that, it is cheaper in terms of time and money and also because it has the same scope as a census. Sampling on the other hand is the technique of drawing a sample from the whole population. Normally, the research objectives determine the sampling frame; the list of all elements from which a sample is to be drawn from. Generally, a sample should be un-biased; should represent the whole population without any kind of bias. To ensure an un-biased representing sample, the population is first studied of the possible traits existing. If the population has the same traits e.g. women from the same economic, social, cultural and political backgrounds then simple random sampling should be used. In this case each and every woman has the same chance of being selected. The advantage of this kind of sampling is that it is not deterministic (there is no probability of association) and also because the end result is an un-biased sample which wholly represents the population. Further, this approach is important in that the elements are not determined beforehand but during the survey. Another technique which is mostly used is the stratified sampling technique applied in cases where the population being studied is heterogeneous; a population where the sampling frame is made up of elements with different traits. In this case, the population is subdivided into non-overlapping sub-groups (called strata) where each sub-groups is made up of elements of the same traits. After the subdivision, a simple random sample is collected from each stratum and the results generalized. The advantage of this technique is that un-due advantage is done away with in the first place and also since the resulting sample is unbiased. In this research study, the best fitting sampling technique would have been stratified sampling simply because the mothers are not from the same backgrounds in terms of age, socio-economic status and culture. May be one has been late in giving birth of which her experiences would be affected by other confounding factors like advanced age and socio-economic status. In this case, the mothers will be sub-divided into sub-groups depending on their age, culture, socio-economic status etc. and then draw simple random samples from each sub-groups ensuring equal representation in order to eliminate the elements of biasness. Purposive sampling which is employed in this research study is good in that it takes into consideration the purpose of the study and the availability of the mothers but on the other hand does not take into consideration other sampling requirements. Further, theoretical sampling employed here is important according to the research objectives; comparing and drawing contrasts between different categories of women (experiences of first-birth mothers and not-first born mothers both groups giving birth at hospital and at home). However, it fails to take into considerations sample numbers which make it possible to compare the findings. Research Ethics A research ethics advocate for protection of human participants as well as ensuring justice is done all the time (Alvesson and Skoldberg 2000). Ethically, a researcher should inform the participants of any anticipated research benefits (whether there will be financial benefit after the research participation or not) and how the research will be of benefit to them. Laos there is need for clear identification of research restrictions and well packaged information on anticipated complications and remedial procedures if any. A research participant should be allowed to make an informed consent on whether to participate or not and whether participation is by free consent or the participant was coerced. The participants also needs to be informed that the information/data collected from her will be used solely for the research work and that its handling will be as confidential as possible. In this research study, the women were allowed to make informed consents on their participation. According to Hannah et al. (2010), the women were asked to consent to be interviewed and thus free consent aspect is well taken care of. Further, from the research its is evident that if one did not consent, was not allowed to participate at all. Further, according Hannah et al. (2010), each research participant was given an information sheet to aid in agreeing/disagreeing to participate. Study Limitations The number of mothers for each category is not adequate in that if the total target population had been quoted then it would have been easier to determine the sample size using the formula shown below; n = N / (1+N (e2)). Where n is the required sample size, N is the size of the sampling frame and e is the bound of the error of estimation which in this case is 5%. Using the definitions in this formula, then a representative sample would have been possible. In the absence of the total mothers say in a given clinic who have both experiences and first-timers, then the use of the formula is not tangible but a representative sample could still be possible. Entering into a postnatal word and then decide to consider it as the sampling frame is not valid and reliable in that may be that hospital had other influencing factors and also maybe the hospital staff were not well prepared for certain eventualities or equipped fully or were not in good mood. All this are sampling requirements which should be put into considerations when developing a sample or a sampling frame. Further, the information contained in the information sheet was not full in that it explained only the purpose of the study and what each participant was expected to do. Information on the benefits of the study, confidentiality of the data/information, justice issues and the protection of the participants are not highlighted. Data Collection In-depth interviews were used to collect data for the research study. In this case, both open-ended and closed questions were used. Generally, open-ended questions give more information as the participants are not restricted at all while closed questions restricts the participant from given wayward answers. Using both structures is advantageous in that the research gets as much information as possible and also due to the fact that closed question answers are fast to analyze and comprehend (Babbie 2002). However, the data collection tool employed here is synonymous with quantitative research design and not with grounded approach which is employed in this research study. Further, self administered questionnaires would have been another data collection tool in that, participants at times feel free to respond to questionnaire questions better than interview questions due to the aspect of freedom. Data Analysis and Presentation Data analysis was done by first coding the data and then analyzed. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis was used. In terms of presentation, the results are presented using qualitative technique although graphs, tables and charts would have been the best to present the data since they produce bird’s eye view of the data and ensures fast comprehension. Further, the findings are not easier to understand the way they are discussed. From the findings, the experiences of first-time mothers are the same as those for not-first time mothers and that first-time mothers are positive about the experiences in giving birth at home. Further, experiences of first-time mothers at home are the same as those for first-time mothers at hospital although giving birth at home makes a first-time mother more nervous. These findings are similar to Reynolds (1997) findings. According to Reynolds, there is no much experience difference between first-time mothers and not-first time mothers giving birth at home and in hospital. Recommendations for Further Research To have tangible recommendations, it is important to evaluate the research paper as per objectives. In this regard, the paper recommendations are in line with the objectives and reflect on the overall idea behind the topic. However, the generalizability of research findings depends on the sample used to make inferences about the whole population. Further, for the general results to be applied validly, then the sample should be free of historical events which may influence the findings due to interaction effects. In this case this has not been taken care of in that there is no mention of whether the study participants were further scrutinized for historical and other factors which may be of negative impact on the overall research findings. There is need information on the benefits of the study, confidentiality of the data/information, justice issues and the protection of the participants in future studies and then evaluating the implications based on these new grounds. References Alasuutari, P. et al. (2008). The SAGE handbook of social research methods London: SAGE. Alvesson, M. and Skoldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive methodology: new vistas for qualitative research. London: Sage. Babbie, E. (2002). The Basics of Social Research, Belmont, C: Wadsworth Hannah G. D. et al. (2010).The novice birthing: Theorizing first-time mothers’ experiences of birth at home and in hospital in Australia, Midwifery. Midwifery, 26, pp. 53–63 Maxwell, J.A. (1996).Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach (Applied Social Research Methods). Sage Publications Reynolds, J. L. (1997).Post-traumatic stress disorder after child- birth: the phenomenon of traumatic birth. Canadian Medical Association Journal156, pp. 832–836. Read More