Project2

Assignment 3

Minjung Kim
G01020921

Journal Article Analysis

My major is Curriculum & Instruction for Early Childhood Education for
Diverse Learners, but I chose Professor Chung who is in the Assistive Technology
program and Division of Special Education and Disability as my research project
professor. And, for this paper, Journal article analysis, I chose one of her articles
Perspectives of High Augmentative and Alternative Communication Users With
Cerebral Palsy at the Post-secondary Level (Chung, Y. et al. 2012). Even though her
major is not exactly the same as mine, we both are in the College of Education and
Human Development, and I thought it is worth researching on her studies for the
broader understanding about various educational environment.
In this paper, I am going to analyze the structure of the article, types of research
presented, Harris rhetorical concepts, and the three moves by Swales and Feak.

Overall, this article follows introduction, methods, results and discussion

(IMRD) pattern. In addition, the implication is followed by the conclusion. In the
introduction, the authors are introducing how previous research in Augmentative and
Alternative Communication (AAC) has been conducted and developed for the past
decades. They are also raising the need of investigation about the perspectives of AAC
users used content analysis from the secondary data source such as direct interviews
with the participants. In the method, the authors explain about the participants who face
the harsh demands during transition years-that is post-secondary, and data collection
which was in depth interviews with successful AAC users and observing these
individuals. From the investigation through interviews and observation, the authors

Project2
Assignment 3

Minjung Kim
G01020921

present the new 5 perspectives on the participants in the results. When the authors cite
previous studies, they used APA citation style. The data was collected through a variety
of methods including interviews, personal documents, and observation about the
participants. The interviews consisted of face-to-face, online (e-mail and / or interactive
instant messenger), and by phone with 5 successful AAC users. Three tables were used
in this paper: participants demographics for table 1, participants communication
devices and methods for table 2, data collection for table 3. The 3 tables provide clear
information about the methodology and research results to readers.

Regarding Harries rhetorical concepts, I could find out the object of study,
exigence, scope, driving question, purpose, relevance in this article. The object of the
study is to investigate the students in the post-secondary education and their
perspectives of using of high tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
systems. For the object of study, five participants for the interview had to meet a
number of criteria. They all had cerebral palsy (CP) and speech difficulties, used high
tech AAC, and were at the postsecondary education level or employed after graduating
from universities. The previous studies on AAC users were mainly about personal,
social, educational, and vocational challenge, but most of them didnt use direct
interview with the participants or some studies simply used structured and semistructured interview. The exigence is that the authors needed data from open-ended
interview to access the perspectives of AAC users in greater depth, particularly at the
post-secondary level. Driving question is that what barriers users encounter when using
AAC in a postsecondary environment and how AAC users have overcome these
obstacles. The purpose of this article is to provide a better understanding of the
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Project2
Assignment 3

Minjung Kim
G01020921

communication challenges experienced and the strategies used to face the harsh
demands during transition years-that is from high school into college or into the work
place. For the relevance, this study may be helpful for other AAC users or potential
AAC users, as well as for their family members, as personal thoughts of successful
AAC users are critical for other AAC users to hear.
In this article, I could find moves 1, 2, and 3 in the introduction. Firstly, move
1a for this article, the authors stated Within the past decades, the results of research in
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) mainstream (Chung, Y. et
al. 2012). For the move 1b, introducing previous research, the authors stated
Researchers also have used focus groups but the interview questions were both
structured and semi-structured (Chung, Y. et al. 2012). Secondly, for the move 2,
indicating a gap in the previous research, the authors stated Researchers seeking to
access the perspectives of AAC users need data from open-ended interview
(Chung, Y. et al. 2012). Lastly, for the move 3a, the purpose of the study, the authors
statedIn this study, we provide a better understanding work place (Chung, Y. et
al. 2012). For the move 3e, the structure of the RP, the authors stated through in-depth
interview with successful AAC users observing these individuals (Chung, Y. et al.
2012).

This article is a typical example of a qualitative case study in Assistive

Technology which needs research based evidence for applicable feedback to AAC users.
Through this article, I could clarify how to conduct a qualitative case study in Assistive
Technology field. Furthermore, I believe that I could apply the structure to my future
writing in my discipline.
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Project2
Assignment 3

Minjung Kim
G01020921