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Journal Article Review: Group Dynamics Assignment Instructions Overview Group dynamics is a much-studied subject in the disciplines of sociology and psychology

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Journal Article Review: Group Dynamics Assignment Instructions

Overview

Group dynamics is a much-studied subject in the disciplines of sociology and psychology. Most academic curricula include courses in the study of how group dynamics can impact our actions and decision making. Within the law enforcement discipline, there are two areas of particular importance. One is called deindividuation, or the phenomenon that takes place when an individual takes on the personality of the group during a demonstration, riot, or any similar activity. This typically manifests itself in the individual doing things he or she would never do if not in a group. This is of significance during the aforementioned events but can be an issue when groups of law enforcement officers respond to crisis. The other concept is referred to as contagious fire, or what happens when one officer fires a weapon and others also fire even though they are not aware of the justification for shooting. Many in law enforcement deny the phenomenon even exists and often, police shootings are mischaracterized as contagious when they are not. Several officers shooting their weapons at the same time is not contagious fire if they are all reacting to a known and identified deadly threat. The student will analyze an article that addresses either phenomenon and provide a review of the article and its impact on law enforcement crisis intervention.

Instructions

For this assignment, the student will select a peer reviewed journal article from one of the databases located in the University’s online library. The article will relate in some way to the reading material (use of force) the student has reviewed for this module. After the student reads the article, they should download the Journal Article Review Template. The student will then complete a Journal Article Review for the article they read. You are not reviewing the article in the sense that you are assessing it, but you are reviewing it so you can provide analysis and relate to your reader the main point and how they relate to the area of crisis intervention. The assignment is not to be too much shorter or longer than the example in the template. Ensure that you focus on the critical thinking piece of discussing implications the article has on criminal justice as this is the most important aspect of this process. How does the article’s content relate to the field of law enforcement? How does it influence policy and practice? This can be accomplished in the comments, recommendations, and conclusion sections of the assignment. Use an APA citation for the article you choose; you may provide additional reference support if you choose to, but it is not required.

REVIEW OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE: AN EXAMPLE o Bibliography (in APA format) Author, F. (1776). Effects of classroom testing by microcomputer. Journal of ABCDE, 99(9), 9-19. o Problem Microcomputers are being used for a variety of purposes, but research about their instructional effectiveness lags behind adoption rates for the technology. Further, there is a limited research base about the effects of microcomputers in vocational agriculture on learning in the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains. The research base is even more shallow when effects of testing students by computer technology are explored. Comments: The problem statements agreed with the title and seemed to be of educational significance. The problem was not clearly visible to the average reader, and it required several readings to establish why the researchers felt this study needed to be done. It was limited to the researchers’ capabilities and resources. o Review of Literature Student conducts a review of the literature and finds at least three relevant studies that have been conducted in an area of crisis intervention. Students will include a succinct summary of the research and how it informs the study under review. This summary will help to show the connection between the body of research, problem statement, hypotheses/research question (s), and the current study. o Objectives Specifically, the study sought to determine: (a) the effect taking an objective final examination by microcomputer would have upon student cognitive performance; (b) the effect this method of testing would have on student attitude about computers immediately after the examination; and (c) whether this method of testing would require more time than conventional paper and pencil testing procedure. Comment: The author’s objectives were answerable, and they chose to obtain them by testing null hypotheses. These hypotheses were testable and served to help explain the problem. o Hypothesis This research tested hypotheses about how effectively microcomputers could be used to administer an objective classroom test to students who had studied and used computer technology. Comments: The purpose was clearly and concisely stated and agreed with the title. It was limited to the researchers’ capabilities and resources. o Methodology The treatment followed the post-test only control group design; consequently, the study involved two replications. Both replications were conducted during a Nostate State University course. A two-stage random assignment was used in assigning groups and treatments. The three dependent variables measured in this study were: (a) minutes to complete the test; (b) score on the test; and (c) score on the attitudes about computers. Comments: The methods used to gather the data for this article were clearly explained. The instruments and development were explained, and the reliability coefficients of all possible tests were given. The population used was adequate. No discussion of the statistical techniques was given in this particular section. o Findings Personal data by treatment and control group was provided in table form and explained with a short narrative. Hypothesis one: A one-way analysis of covariance revealed that the two groups were not significantly different in terms of their scores on the 35-item final examination. Hypothesis two: The mean attitudinal scores of the two groups were positive in both replications, and there was no significant difference in the two groups’ attitudes about computers. Hypothesis three: There was a significant difference in minutes required to complete the exam in replication one; however, there was no significant difference in replication two. Comments: The findings were well organized, sectioned, and reported objectively. The tables were well organized but, due to the difficulty of the statistical tests employed, would not stand alone to the average reader. o Summary Students should provide a succinct summary of the study in this section prior to providing the summary of the article/study. There was no summary given. Or the author’s summary was misguided because… o Conclusions Conclusions and implications were formulated with the knowledge that subjects for this study used microtechnology extensively during a computer applications course. In this investigation, final examination scores were independent of the method of testing. The method of testing was not a determinant of how students felt about computers. Since time required was not consistent over the two replications, the methods of testing as well as other factors appear to influence the time requirements of test completion. Comments: The conclusions were based on the findings, logically stated, and included a discussion of implications to criminal justice in general and law enforcement in particular. What does the article mean to law enforcement leaders and officers? How does it influence recruiting, hiring, training, and leadership? o Recommendations "Additional research is needed in other classroom settings to see if consistent findings about cognitive performances, time requirements, and attitude are achieved." Comments: The recommendations were limited to a call for additional research in the area. What are the student’s recommendations for future research and how would it impact crisis intervention in law enforcement?