In this activity, you will have the opportunity to practice the SQ3R method to read some of the literature for your course paper that you found last week. This activity is a guided activity which should help you navigate the world of academic reading.
There are 4 parts to this activity and by the end of it, you should have an idea how to read academic literature in preparation for writing your course paper.
You can include this activity in the Writing Journal portion of your portfolio.
At the end of last week’s tutorial we asked you to find 6 articles – two articles for one topic that you identified in each of the three parts of your course paper.
Choose one of the articles that you chose and this is the article you will be working with today.
As a university student you will be exposed to lengthy texts, some of which will contain unfamiliar terminology or complex concepts. However, as you develop your academic skills, reading academic material will become easier.
Before you begin reading, remember that academic reading often requires you to actively engage with, and critically think about the information you take in. There is a purpose behind what you’re reading and understanding this purpose frames how you interpret and use the information. Rather than passively read information, reading academic sources and information encourages you to ask questions about what you’re reading, and invites you to draw connections to existing knowledge. Here, you are reading for the purposes of learning more about the topics you found in your essay question so that you can have the sources to justify the claims and arguments you make in your course paper. Try limit yourself to the time limit you are given, to make your reading quicker and more efficient.
Part 1: Surveying
This step is beneficial because it allows you to gain an overall idea of the text. It will help you to observe the publication details and the credibility of the author. It will provide clues and set up expectations about what you will read. Surveying the text will also help you filter out unimportant information and help you consider whether the text you are reading will be suitable for your essay. This part consists of 2 steps:
Step 1A: Skimming:
You have 5 minutes to scan the entire article. The following questions will guide you on which parts to look at when skimming. Skim the article and answer the following questions:
1. What is the title of your article and who is the author?
The title is Human resources for health and universal health coverage : progress, complexities and contestations. The authors are Laetitia C. Rispel ,Duane Blaauw, Prudence Ditlopo, Janine White
2. When was your article published?
(If your article is more than 10 years old, consider it outdated)
1 March 2018
3. Does your article contain an abstract?
Yes No
4. What are the headings in your text?
(These will give you a clue as to what each paragraph or section will cover. Read the first and last sentence in each paragraph, not word for word but quickly to give you an idea what each paragraph is about)
Conceptual framework for analysis.
Progress, complexities and contestations.
Conclusion and recommendations.
5. Does your article contain and tables and diagrams?
(Not all academic articles contain these, so do not write it off if you do not find this section)
Yes No
6. Does your text have an in-text referencing and a reference list at the end of it?
(All academic articles should have this, if yours does not, that it means it is not suitable for your course paper)
Yes No
7. Will this text be suitable for your essay?
Yes No
Step 1b: Scanning
Now that you have skimmed the text and have a general idea of what the text is about, you have 10 minutes to scan. To scan read the abstract, introduction (the first paragraph after the abstract), and conclusion (the last paragraph of the text).
1. What are the key concepts/ideas you find in these sections?
The introduction issues that have been controversial in the media in regards to health, “Since the launch of the 20th edition of the South African Health Review (SAHR) in August 2017, the Life Esidimeni catastrophe, or more accurately the Gauteng Mental Health Marathon Project (GMHMP)”, and points out that these situations are could be a case study for human resources for health and points out that human resources for health are essential for “resilient healthcare systems, and universal health coverage (UHC).” Then what will be discussed in the research is stated “This chapter highlights the progress, complexities and contestations pertaining to HRH for UHC and high-quality health systems in South Africa. “and where the statistics were found are also given in the introduction.
The conclusion recognizes the progress that has been made but the address the weakness that still need to be dealt with then recommends solutions for the weakness, which are , Enhance HRH technical capacity and expertise in the NDoH, Recruit public servants with the right skills, competencies, ethos and values, Improve performance management system, Increase allocation of HRH in rural and/or underserved areas and Immediate Priorities.
The Abstract summaries the importance of human resources for health (HRH) to achieve universal health coverage, lists the positive HRH developments then discusses weakness in South Africa in HRH and how these weakness can be addressed.
2. Will this text help you write on the topic you are reading it for?
Yes No
Part 2: Questioning
This step will help you gain deeper meaning of text. Questioning the text, will link ideas to other texts, existing knowledge and to your own ideas on the topic. Finally, it will help you evaluate the validity of the arguments made in the paper and assess whether the information will be relevant for your essay. Try keep to 10 minutes for this part.
1. From the previous step, you started sectioning the text by scanning the abstract, introduction and conclusion. Scan these sections one more time and think of 3 questions about the text or your topic?
1) What recommendations were given for the weakness in human resources for health that were listed?
2) What are the weakness in human resources for health that were listed?
3) What positive developments in human resource of health were identified?
Part 3: Reading, Recalling, Reviewing
As you begin to do a more in-depth reading of the text, keep these questions in mind. You will read as an attempt these questions will help provide you with context and purpose to inform your understanding. For this part you can use the rest of the session which should be about 30 minutes. At first you may use the whole 30 minutes or even longer. As you practice this method more and become better at reading academic texts it will take you less time.
Step 3A: Reading
Break the text into the heading sections, and if need be, break the heading sections down even more to manageable chunks. Start with each section and read carefully. Write notes as you read. Re-read the text again to clarify your understanding of the text and to answer your 3 questions from the previous step.
1. Answer your questions 3 questions:
1) “Key recommendations include enhancing HRH technical capacity and expertise in the National Department of Health to provide strategic leadership and support for the entire health system; recruitment of public servants with the right skills, competencies, ethos and values; and the equitable allocation of resources to rural and/or underserved areas.”
2) “These weaknesses include: insufficient stewardship of HRH planning across the entire healthcare system; lack of a national integrated HRH information system, and inadequate information on overall HRH supply to address historical inequities between urban and rural areas and the public and private health sectors; gaps, and at times failures, in HRH governance; fragmentation, weak coordination and suboptimal governance of health sciences education; and poor and ineffective operational management across all types of health facilities and provincial health departments, with rural provinces worse off than their urban counterparts.”
3) “Positive HRH developments during the review period include: government’s commitment to developing HRH norms and standards; confirmation of a relatively strong health professional regulatory framework that provides a foundation for reforms; the publication of a major study on health professions education; and embryonic initiatives to develop HRH strategic plans linked to universal health coverage. “
Step 4b: Recall
Now that you have read the text thoroughly, choose one section that you read in the text. It can be the introduction, a paragraph in the body or the conclusion. Without reading it again, in 150 – 250 words what are the main points of this section?
(Ideally you would repeat this step for each section of the text but for the purposes of this tutorial and time, we ask you to choose one section)
One of the topics listed under Progress, complexities, and contestations Human resource for health (HRH) is HRH Management which was defined as how an organization makes a choice on how to carry out a task such as employment, which employee to keep, who to employ, who to keep and who’s employment to terminate.
Research in rural areas in hospitals, clinic and community health centers found them to be under preforming and had poor operational management. In all provinces, including Gauteng, Western cape and KwaZulu-Natal which had the highest performance rate, performance was below 70%.
Poor operational management was linked to health worker retention and performance. Which most graduates moving to privet sector and graduates in rehabilitation therapy having no job opportunities in the public sector after community services has been completed. With all this poor operational management scores across all facility types and nine health departments are a concern. If NHI is to be implemented the focus should first be on retain staff and creating job opportunities in the public health sector.
Step 4c: Review
It is now time to consolidate what you have learned from the text. Cover the short paragraph you wrote above and see if you can remember it in your mind. If it helps, say it out loud. This step may seem unnecessary, but it helps your long-term memory. It will come in handy when you begin writing because it will help you remember what texts you can use to justify the claims you make.
Academic reading is a daunting task if you have never done it before. Although we tried to fit in the reading of a text in an hour, you should give yourself time during the week to read so that you can have a draft ready by 16 September.
Next week, we will begin creating mind maps and outlines for each section of your essay so it will be beneficial for you to use the week to read at least two papers for each part of your essay so that you can create a well-informed essay outline.
Remember to save this worksheet to upload to your Portfolio of Learning Writing Journal. When you meet with your tutors in 2 weeks you will also be able to give them these worksheets to review, give you feedback, and see whether you are on the right track.
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