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PsychologyDiscussion postResearch methods

PSY 655 Week 7 DQ 1: Critical Incident Technique

The prompt concedes that all five steps are important, which means the marks are entirely in the defence. A criterion for critical is what makes the choice arguable.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 16, 2026

01

All five matter — the prompt wants a defended choice anyway

The prompt disarms the obvious answer by conceding that all five steps are important, so the post has to justify a ranking rather than assert one. Begin by stating the five as the assigned article gives them, since the method's steps are usually rendered as determining the general aim of the activity, setting plans and specifications for data collection, collecting the data, analysing the data, and interpreting and reporting the findings. Then state your criterion for critical, because without one the choice is a preference. A defensible criterion is irreversibility: which step, if done badly, cannot be repaired by doing the later steps well. That immediately favours the early steps, since analysis cannot rescue data collected against the wrong aim, whereas a weak interpretation can be revisited with the data still in hand. Name the criterion in a single sentence before applying it, so a reader can check the argument rather than take it on trust.

On that criterion the general aim is the strongest candidate, and it is worth arguing for properly. The critical incident technique depends on participants being able to recognise which incidents count, and that recognition is possible only if the aim is stated clearly enough to define an incident as effective or ineffective against something. An unclear aim produces a set of anecdotes rather than critical incidents, and no amount of careful coding turns one into the other. The plans and specifications step is the credible rival, since it is where the observer, the recall period and the inclusion rules are fixed, and a defensible answer might choose it and argue that aims are usually stated adequately while specifications are usually not. Name the rival explicitly and say why you rejected it, since a ranking that never mentions its competitor has not really been made. Say what you would do if you inherited a study whose aim was already badly set.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Reproduce the steps of the critical incident technique accurately.
  • 02
    State a criterion before ranking components of a method.
  • 03
    Explain why early methodological decisions constrain later ones.
  • 04
    Argue a ranking against its strongest rival.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

PSY 655 Grand Canyon Week 7 Discussion 1 Latest November 2016 DQ 1 : five identified steps to the CIT method as mentioned in the “Using the Critical Incident Technique in Counselling Psychology Research” article There are five identified steps to the CIT method as mentioned in the “Using the Critical Incident Technique in Counselling Psychology Research” article. Clearly, all five are important. Please choose the one you believe to be most critical. Describe it and then discuss why you believe it is the most critical step.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! PSY 655 Grand Canyon Week 7 Discussion 1 Latest November 2016 Grading Rubric Guidelines Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions. Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Application of Course Knowledge – Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources; Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life. Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources. Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life Performance Category 5 4 3 2 0 Interactive Dialogue Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) Exceeds minimum post requirements Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days. Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days Replies to a question posed by a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days. The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition 2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication. 4-5 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is somewhat focused. 6-7 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand. 8-10 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand. Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format. Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style does not facilitate communication. The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor 0 points lost -5 points lost Total Participation Requirements per discussion thread The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days Early Participation Requirement per discussion thread The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    The five steps, as the source presents them.
  2. 02
    An explicit criterion for critical.
  3. 03
    A nominated step, described in detail.
  4. 04
    A defence against the criterion.
  5. 05
    The rival candidate named and rejected with a reason.
03

The five, your choice, then the defence

01

The five steps

Present the method as the source describes it.

02

What makes a step critical

State a criterion such as irreversibility.

03

The step you nominate

Describe it in enough detail to support the argument.

04

Why it wins on your criterion

Apply the criterion to justify the choice.

05

The rival, rejected

Name the strongest alternative and say why it loses.

04

Method sources, since this is a methods question

Recommended databases

  • PsycINFO
  • PubMed Central
  • Business Source Complete
  • Your assigned article

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Take the five steps from the assigned article rather than a general methods text.
  2. 2.
    Search for critical incident technique applications to see where studies go wrong.
  3. 3.
    Look for methodological critiques of the technique.
  4. 4.
    Check how other qualitative methods handle the same early decisions.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    A qualitative evaluation of the crucial attributes of contextual information necessary in EHR design to support patient-centered medical home care

    BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · 2015

    A worked qualitative study whose value depends entirely on how the aim and inclusion rules were set — the argument this post makes.

  2. 02

    Finding a path in a methodological jungle: a qualitative research of resilience

    International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being · 2023

    Method selection decisions and their downstream consequences, which supports the irreversibility criterion.

  3. 03

    Strategies to reduce diagnostic errors: a systematic review

    BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · 2019

    Strategies to reduce error in expert judgement — the closest thing to an evidence base on debiasing a decision.

  4. 04

    Client Perspectives of Family Therapy: A Qualitative Systematic Review

    Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 2025

    A qualitative systematic review whose inclusion rules visibly shape what it could find.

  5. 05

    Research Ethics

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    Research design obligations, including why aims and specifications are settled before collection.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a step and asserting its importance without a criterion.
  • Describing all five equally, which the prompt already conceded.
  • Choosing analysis because it feels like the intellectual work.
  • Never naming an alternative, so no ranking is actually performed.

Submission checklist

  • Is your criterion stated before your choice?
  • Have you described the chosen step in detail?
  • Is a rival candidate named and rejected?
  • Does your argument use the criterion consistently?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

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Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

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Argumentation and thesis development

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