Assignment 1 – 1 ½ pages

Merriam-Webster offers the following definition of a Theory: 
a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena.

1. Reflect on this definition and then 
define theory in your own words. Be sure to cite any source that inspired your definition.

2. Explain how theories and research can have practical applications in work with families and children. Give a specific example.

3. What areas in family science need to be further studied. Why?

Don’t forget to cite your text to support your position.

Assignment 2 – 3 pages

In this written assignment, you will be exploring the difference between 
primary and secondary sources and you will write a summary of one primary source research article. Your assignment (parts 1 and 2 below) should be 
3-4 pages in length.

Part 1:

To determine the difference between primary and secondary sources, search a chosen family-related research interest in both 
Google and 
Google Scholar. Then answer the following:

· What differences do you notice in the search results?

· Choose one result from Google and one result from Google Scholar and compare the information found in both sources.

· In a 1 page summary, describe the differences between the sources and how you determined if they are primary or secondary sources.

Part 2:

Summarize and critique the research study that you found for the first activity. Be sure to include:

· A summary – the purpose, hypothesis, research question(s), methods and findings of the study.

· Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions of the research?

· What questions remain unanswered in your mind about the topic of the study?