Writing A Critical Review - An Example

The Introduction should
include the title of the

article, the authors, Critical Review Example
background context, and
the main arguments of
the article
Graduate student enrollment has increased in recent years, but these students face many
challenges on their path to a degree. Researchers have noted that graduate students
experience anxiety and stress that may be connected to high attrition rates (Poock, 2002). In
the article “Student anxiety: Effects of a new graduate student orientation program,” Megan
Hullinger and Dr. R. Lance Hogan (2014) examined the impact of an online orientation
program on student anxiety. While this article produced significant results showing that an
orientation program could reduce anxiety of new graduate students there are limitations
related to the replicability, sample, and generalizability of results.
A clear thesis statement
Begin by providing a summary of the article
using your own words.
Hullinger and Hogan (2014) used a sample of 32 incoming graduate students to examine the
impact of an online orientation program designed to connect new students with resources
across the university. The researchers collected demographic information of participants and
used the State Trait Anxiety Inventory to measure anxiety before and after the orientation
program. Using t-tests, Hullinger and Hogan found that the participants experienced a
significant reduction in anxiety following the completion of the online orientation program.
Next, continue to the critique of the specific article/text. Follow the

guidelines of your tutor in regard to word limits.
The researchers discussed an important topic, as administrators continue to attempt to

improve retention efforts in higher education. The approach of an online orientation program
could be useful for students as it would allow them to have important information at their
fingertips, regardless of if they are on campus or not. However, Hullinger and Hogan (2014)
did not provide key information about the orientation program they used in their study. This
lack of detail would make it difficult to replicate their program in order to further expand the
research on this kind of program.
Use specific examples from the article/text. This will add credibility
to your points and strengthen your criticism.
Significant results were noted in the results of this study, but there are limitations to these
findings. First, the sample size was small. Out of 802 incoming students who were invited to
1
participate, only 32 students completed the pre- and post- anxiety inventory. With such a small
sample size it is difficult to generalize these findings to the larger graduate student population.
Also, all participants in this study were from a state university in the Midwest; this also limits
the generalizability of these findings to the larger student population. While Hullinger and
Hogan (2014) stated that the study should be replicated with a larger population and at other
schools, the authors did not discuss how these factors of their study were limitations.
This article focused on an important topic within higher education, as administrators need to
find solutions to improve retention. One of the barriers graduate students face is anxiety, so
an online orientation designed to reduce anxiety could be one useful tool to address this
problem. Hullinger and Hogan (2014) shared encouraging results of an online orientation
program designed to connect incoming graduate students with university resources. However,
this study did not adequately describe this orientation program so that future researchers can
replicate this program in other samples. Furthermore, the small sample size and lack of
diversity among participants limits the generalizability of these findings. Future research on
online orientation programs with a clear description of the program among a larger more
diverse sample is necessary to provide evidence of the impact of online orientation programs.
In the conclusion, summarise and evaluate the main areas of the

article and your criticism.
The conclusive statement points to further research.
2
References
Hullinger, M., & Hogan. R. L. (2014). “Student anxiety: Effects of a new graduate student
orientation program.” Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice, and
Research, 4(2), 27-34. https://doi.org/10.5929/2014.4.2.3
Poock, M. C. (2002). “Graduate student orientation: Assessing need and methods of

delivery.” Journal of College Student Development, 43(2), 231-245.

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The Introduction should

include the title of the

Next, continue to the critique of the specific article/text. Follow the

The researchers discussed an important topic, as administrators continue to attempt to

In the conclusion, summarise and evaluate the main areas of the

The conclusive statement points to further research.

Poock, M. C. (2002). “Graduate student orientation: Assessing need and methods of

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