Antibullying Critique

Critique of Effects of participation in a martial arts-based antibullying program in elementary schools
I. Evaluating the Introduction
1.) Identify and paraphrase the research questions (statement or hypothesis). Is the research question(s) clearly stated? Why or why not? Twemlow S., Biggs B., Nelson T., Vernberg E., Fonagy P., Twemlow S. (2008) clearly state the intentions of their study is to evaluate the Gentile Warrior Program’s effectiveness at reducing aggression in children grades three, four, and five. On page 947, they discuss how the study could indicate that boys who participate in traditional martial arts-based interventions could result in a measurable reduction in aggressive behavior. The research statement is clearly located and outlined sufficiently on page 947.
2.) Identify and define the variable(s) in the research question (statement or hypothesis). Are the variable(s) clearly stated? Why or why not? To answer the primary research question,
(2008) with a foundation to build their study upon. Past interventions at the school-wide level have attempted to reduce school violence by changing the school culture (e.g. Olweus, 1994) as well as the attitudes of students toward bullying and aggression through lectures and classroom discussion (e.g. Van Schoiak-Edstrom et al. 2002). Twemlow et al. (2008) use earlier martial arts-based research to target their intervention method on traditional martial arts-based programs, rather than modern martial arts instruction. Traditional martial arts are characterized by substantial emphasis on the psychological, spiritual, and nonaggressive aspects of the art, rather than focusing on the competition and aggressive behavior that modern martial arts promote (Fuller, 1988). Structuring their study around this literature, Twemlow et al. (2008) utilize the Gentile Warrior Program to reduce aggression in school children using a traditional martial arts-based intervention