Personal judgments about the credibility of source of claim, presented in the news report
The author of the news report under consideration admits that “math just isn’t adding up for college students.” (Tibbetts, 2009) The point is that the context, which she chooses to support this claim, plays a significant role in order to assess her credibility as a good source.
To my mind, she has the right to present such kind of a claim as she grounds on the results of research, conducted by York University and Seneca College in Toronto. Those people, who get the idea of the works in this college and university, realize that these researchers use the results of numerous investigations, conducted within their institution. This is why they may be regarded as quite valid and reliable.
According to this report, teachers are “products of the university system” (Tibbetts, 2008); this claim helps to comprehend that all teachers’ activities are closely connected to universities only. This is why college students face another problem and called “second-class citizens” (Tibbetts, 2008).
However, all these investigation took place within certain institutions, and it is not quite correct to present such a claim without mentioning their location; they are not sure about the situation in the colleges of other countries. In general, the researchers from the York University and Seneca College in Toronto have an opportunity to present such claims, but still, their concentration on certain institutions means that the source of the claim is not quite credible.
Critiques of news report
The title of the article under consideration captivates many students and other people, those professions are connected to education, indeed: it states that math cannot add up for college students. To my mind, this title is a bit unclear, and lots of questions appear very quickly: which countries it is all about, whether it touches college students only, and what the author wants to underline, when she uses the word “just” in this title.
At the same time, the major question appears in the head – why math does not add up for students, specially for college students. To my mind, the use of statistics makes this work strong and more persuasive: people can do nothing with statistics, just accept the facts and think about the consequences. The sources, used in this news report, are reliable (the results of the investigations from several educational institutions).
The example of incompleteness is all about the title and its generality: the author does not specify the areas of her investigation from the very beginning. Numbers, used in the report, help to get a clear picture of how many students face problems with math at colleges. However, the author does not focus on the reasons of why these students face these problems too much. This is why some issues still remain unclear.
Evaluation of the strength of evidence and causal reasoning
Causal reasoning of the report under analysis is all about the role of math for students at schools and colleges and the difficulties, students face nowadays in their education. The author admits a “good reason to label math strugglers as students at risk” (Tibbetts, 2008): 59% of students quit college in a year as they get low grades on math and cannot finish their programs. So that math is adding up for college students.
The causal claim is that math adds up for students at colleges, and a correlation in direct support is not expected, but stills, the arguments should be mentioned. Evidences, given to this claim, are clear enough: the level of education at schools is lower than it is required for colleges, this is why students face certain difficulties with time. As math turns out to be fundamental for technologies and sciences, society losses lots of technicians because of poor level of preparation for colleges. These clear evidences explain the causal claim.
Studies and public opinion polls
The field of the research under consideration is education. It is impossible to give a clear answer whether the sample size is adequate and representative from the very beginning. The researchers choose a certain institution and investigate some group of students and analyze the problems they face with. To my mind, the sample size is adequate as it touches students with different interests and abilities, and the results could be rather impressive.
Measuring instrument, students, teachers, and the results of their cooperation at six Ontario colleges is properly chosen. Students, who finish their first semesters at colleges, get Ds of Fs because of poor level of study at schools. Janice Tibbetts admits that teachers do not familiar with all the necessary standards, this is why their programs of education do not provide each student with the necessary level of knowledge appropriate for colleges.
The point is that some students at schools may take additional classes in order to be prepared for colleges; however, the researchers do not take into consideration this very issue. Opinion polls play a significant role, as they present information concerning what other people think about the issue under consideration or what they are going to do after the received information.
This very article demonstrate that more than ¼ of the students at Ontario colleges are under a threat not to get proper education as they lag behind the rest or just do not have enough skills to grasp the material. This is why this information should help to analyze education programs at schools once again in order to help students study at colleges on the necessary level and comprehend any material.
Works Cited
Tibbetts, Janice. “Math just Isn’t Adding up for College Students.” Times Colonist. 13 Feb. Canwest News Service 2008. Web.