Paper instructions:
“News Parents Can Use” Assignment

Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is for you to find a research study that has been reported in the media and to describe and discuss this study. You will demonstrate how the study is portrayed to parents in the media and then discuss how accurately the results from the study are reflected in the media. You will also write an advice column for parents based on the results of this study.

Overview of the Assignment
Component 1: You will search for relevant research findings (i.e., results that pertain to parenting) in the media. For the purposes of this assignment you will find research findings from newspapers and magazines (e.g., Parenting Today, Psychology Today). You will read the newspaper/magazine article and then you will find and read the actual research journal article. Afterwards, you will write a description of each article (newspaper/magazine and research), followed by a section comparing and contrasting the articles. In your description of the research article you will need to discuss two limitations of the research study. When comparing/contrasting the articles, be sure to discuss whether you believe the media accurately reported the findings from the study. Section 1 of this assignment should be between 4 and 5 pages in length (written in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins).

Component 2: In the second part of the assignment you will write an advice column related to the research article. You will attempt to provide practical advice to parents based on what you have found in your research study. You have the option of either single or double-spacing your advice column. If you like, you can format your column to resemble an actual newspaper, magazine, or online advice column. You can even name your column and have your own rendition of a “Dear Abby” column. If you choose to write a single-spaced column then your column should be between 1 and 1.5 typed pages. If your column is double-spaced then your column should be between 2 and 3 typed pages. For this component of the assignment you can try different fonts and use colour if you want to be creative with your column. Feel free to have fun with this assignment!!  happy face

Marking Rubric for the Assignment (Worth 25% of your Final Grade)

Component 1:
(Was a relevant newspaper/magazine article chosen? How well is the newspaper/magazine article described? How well is the research article described? Are 2 limitations of the research article discussed? How well are the articles compared/contrasted? Is there a discussion of the newspaper/magazine article’s accuracy?) : 10 marks

Component 2:
(Is the advice column related to the research article? Is the advice column written like an advice column? How useful would this advice be to parents? Is other relevant advice missing? Is the child/adolescent’s age considered? How creative is this advice column?): 8 marks

Writing Style
(Are there grammar and spelling errors? Are there awkward sentences? Does the paper flow?: 5 marks

Reference List & Inclusion of Abstracts
(need to include an APA style reference list and a copy of the newspaper/magazine article plus the abstract from the journal article): 2 marks

Other Deductions
Over or Under Page Limit: 1 mark deducted per page
Late paper: 10% deducted per day late