Understanding the reasoning behind the choices that researchers make when selecting participants for an experiment is central to evaluating the outcomes of the research and the significance of its results. In the studies by Terrell et al. (1999) and Hicok et al. (2000), a rather detailed description of participants is provided. Both authors manage to outline the main characteristics of the audiences that they seek to study, which is accomplished by specifying their age and ethnic background (ESL learners). Thus, an understanding of the participants as people struggling with learning English is developed.
However, not all of the project details are described as explicitly as their target demographic. Namely, some of the aspects of the research design could have been outlined in greater detail. For instance, in Terrell et al.’s (1999) research, a more elaborate description of how the key data was retrieved could have been an improvement. In turn, the study by Hicok (2000) might have included a more nuanced explanation of the analytical tools and models used in the study to foster the understanding of the project.
However, to their credit, both studies address the issue of ethics implicitly. For instance, the information concerning the age of the participants implies that an ethical approach must be used to ensure their safety. Nevertheless, several oversights, such as the lack of mentioning of the informed consent obtained from participants or their guardians, are evident in the papers. Consequently, the method section suffers from the lack of the described information.
In addition, minor oversights such as the measurement scale used for quantifying students’ responses could have been explained in the papers. Addressing this oversight would have helped to determine the accuracy of research results and their applicability to other research settings. Still, the two studies in question provide a well-structured analysis of the problem of phonemic awareness in ESL students.
References
Hicok, S., & Schools, F. C. V. P. (2000). How does the use of reading strategies improve achievement in science for language minority students? Glasgow Middle School Press.
Terrell, A., & Schools, F. C. V. P. (1999). How does phonemic awareness in ESL learners impact reading and writing? Stuart High School Press.