EDLL 250: Introduction to Research | Critiquing Articles for Master’s Theses

This video is part of EDLL 250: Introduction to Research for graduate students in Language & Literacy and Educational Administration. In this session, Dr. Chris Boosalis introduces the role of research paradigms in shaping how we read, evaluate, and critique scholarly work.

Students will learn how paradigms—post-positivism, interpretivism, and critical theory—inform approaches to research, and how these worldviews influence the design, methods, and conclusions of published studies. The lecture explores core concepts including ontology (worldview), epistemology (knowledge), methodology (research approach), axiology (values), and the role of generalizations.

A special focus is given to:

Critiquing research articles for master’s theses and projects.

Understanding how paradigms factor into literature reviews.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies.

This session prepares graduate students to critically analyze and apply research, strengthening their ability to conduct rigorous reviews and build strong foundations for their own scholarly work in education, literacy, and administration.

In this EDLL 250 lecture, Dr. Chris Boosalis explains how to critique research articles for master’s theses and projects. Learn how paradigms (post-positivism, interpretivism, critical theory) shape quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, and how to identify strengths and weaknesses in published studies. Essential skills for graduate students in Language & Literacy and Educational Administration.

Keywords: critique research articles, master’s thesis research, graduate research, educational administration, literacy studies, quantitative vs qualitative research, mixed methods, research paradigms.