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Critique of a Quantitative Research Article

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Select a quantitative research article on a topic of interest from marriage and family therapy literature. Include in your critique a description of the methodology, selection of subjects, data collection, and data analysis. Identify the limitations of the study, and weigh how the results may be applied to the marriage and family therapy practice.

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This solution provides a critique of a quantitative analysis related to marriage and family.

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(1) Select a quantitative research article on a topic of interest from marriage and family therapy literature.

In many African societies marriage behavior is often related to fertility patterns. In surveys it was found that marriage may be defined differently. For example, in one part of the society, marriage refers to the couple's cohabitation whether legalized by a formal union or not. In other parts, marriage is realized by the date of a ceremony. On this basis, the changes affecting marriages may also affect the fertility rate. In their study, Mondain, LeGrand, & Sabourin (2007) studied marriages in Senegal. The findings revealed different patterns regarding the matrimony process that could affect marriage, and ultimately fertility rates.

The study of Mondain et al (2007) focused on different dimensions including: (a) precise events in time (ceremonies, payments) and (b) different perceptions of the stages the marriage process should be to legitimize the marriage. In comparing women and men's marriage agenda, Mondain et al also found specific differences. Marriage agenda was operationalized as "key events or stages throughout the lifespan that may have an impact on the course of the marriage process, and thus on the reported date of first marriage". Research was presented on these differences that showed young men had an informal marriage process and delayed the ceremony because of economic reasons; whereas women delayed the first marriage itself (e.g., Ndiaye et al., 1997 as cited in Moudain et al., 2010). Further, according to Moudain et al (2010), in some African societies the time for men to initiate a first marriage was defined by status, among peers and family, and the timing of the finalization of the marriage by different ceremonies. The postponement of women's first marriage was due to male dominance and change in social relationships.

(2) Include in your critique a description ...

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