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Critical Analysis of Research Articles

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Critical Analysis of Rivero-Contreras, Engelhardt, and Saldana (2023)

Theoretical and Methodological Approach

This study uses the cognitive-psycholinguistic theoretical framework that focuses on how

visual support and lexical simplification affect sentence processing. This approach is rooted in

the dual-coding theory (Sadoski and Paivio, 2013) and Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia

learning (Mayer, 2014), which indicate that combining visual and verbal information can

strengthen cognitive processes and knowledge. However, the study falls into the trap of lacking a

clear theoretical stance, where there is no apparent connection to the operationalization of

cognitive processing theories of reading like the construction-integration model (Kintsch, 1988)

and the eye-mind assumption in eye-tracking research (Just and Carpenter, 1980).

Methodologically, the study adopts a mixed-design experimental plan with a 2 × 2 × 2

factorial design that employs eye-tracking technology to record reading behaviour. This

technique offers tools that provide quantitative data about cognitive processing during reading,

including fixation durations and regressions, which give insight into the mechanisms of reading

comprehension. Yet, the experiment's use of eye-tracking measures may only restrict the

interpretation of the findings. To get a more nuanced view of how easy-to-read adaptations affect

reading comprehension, we can add extra measures like reading comprehension tests or self-

report questionnaires to gain a deeper insight into the perceived level of difficulty (Rayner, 1998;

Conklin, Pellicer-Sánchez and Carrol, 2018). On the other hand, the study's choice to limit the

participants to adult Spanish speakers from one specific cultural and linguistic field may

compromise the findings' generalizability. Future studies may also investigate the generalization

of these findings in other languages and cultures.

Critical Analysis of Hizli Alkan (2021)

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Theoretical and Methodological Approach

Sinem Hizli Alkan's study uses a qualitative method to unpack the collaborative curricula

development process among secondary school teachers in Scotland and Wales. This study is

grounded in a critical realist position that mainly emphasizes understanding the nature and

dynamics of teachers' relations and how these affect teachers' curriculum-making practices.

Theoretical Approach

The study's theoretical framework lies in the relationality concept, following Donati and

Archer (2015), who consider interaction a relational issue. The researcher argues that

curriculum-making is a social and relational practice affected by three domains, e.g. qualities of

relationships (relational goods and evils), contextual factors (national and organizational

contexts), and teacher agency. This viewpoint underlines the intersection of the curriculum's

personal, structural, and cultural dimensions by stipulating the necessity of linking people's

understandings with their social interactions.

Methodological Approach

Methodologically, the study uses a qualitative ego-network approach to analyze the ego-

networks of eight secondary school teachers. This approach would focus on an individual teacher

(ego) and their connections (alters) to examine their curriculum-making networks' structure,

composition, and content. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using

descriptive statistics and narrative accounts to explore the prominent patterns and features of the

networks. According to Hizli Alkan (2023), this analysis method provides teachers with a

sophisticated understanding of the curriculum-making processes by considering both the

quantifiable indicators of the networks and the qualitative intricacies of the relationships and

interactions within them.

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References

Conklin, K., Pellicer-Sánchez, A. and Carrol, G., 2018. Eye-tracking: A guide for applied

linguistics research. Cambridge University Press.

Donati, P. and Archer, M.S., 2015. The relational subject. Cambridge University Press.

Hizli Alkan, S., 2021. Curriculum making as relational practice: A qualitative ego‐network

approach. The Curriculum Journal, 32(3), pp.421-443.

Hizli Alkan, S., 2023. Teachers’ Curriculum Making as Relational Practice: The Mediatory Role

of Reflexivity and Networks. In Handbook of Curriculum Theory and Research (pp. 1-

26). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Just, M.A. and Carpenter, P.A., 1980. A theory of reading: from eye fixations to

comprehension. Psychological review, 87(4), p.329.

Kintsch, W., 1988. The role of knowledge in discourse comprehension: a construction-

integration model. Psychological review, 95(2), p.163.

Mayer, R.E., 2014. Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and

instruction, 29, pp.171-173.

Rayner, K., 1998. Eye movements in reading and information processing: 20 years of

research. Psychological bulletin, 124(3), p.372.

Rivero-Contreras, M., Engelhardt, P.E. and Saldana, D., 2023. Do easy-to-read adaptations really

facilitate sentence processing for adults with a lower level of education? An experimental

eye-tracking study. Learning and Instruction, 84, p.101731.

Sadoski, M. and Paivio, A., 2013. Imagery and text: A dual coding theory of reading and

writing. Routledge.