Co-sleeping with Babies – Good, Bad, Neither?

The purpose of this piece of assessment is to allow you to demonstrate your ability to explain a theory, find relevant empirical research, critically evaluate evidence and formulate a convincing argument. You will have already had lecture and tutorial content related to cross-cultural research. In this essay, you must introduce two empirical studies in detail, one that supports your position, and one that does not support it. You will then incorporate additional studies to support the arguments of each side. Finally, you will discuss your own conclusion – supported by the evidence you presented – about whether you agree with the statement in the prompt.

The essay is to be written in APA format with a word length of 2000 words excluding references. You must include a title and a reference list with all (and only) cited references noted. No abstract is required. Although this assessment piece will be discussed in general terms in your practical classes, the essay assesses your ability to work independently. Thus, you should use your library skills to locate relevant material independently. There are many different approaches possible and you will need to research some possible angles and then narrow your focus. Studies that are mentioned in the lecture on Development in a Cross-Cultural Context will be a good starting point, but keep in mind that you cannot use the articles provided as starter readings on Blackboard as your main research articles. To ensure that you do not go overboard with reading, you must limit your reference list to a maximum of 10-12 references. It is better to have a thorough discussion of a few major issues than to include too many different issues and end up with a superficial discussion. Your understanding, critical thinking, and ability to communicate key issues will be assessed, as well as your integration of the literature. General essay marking criteria and guidelines are below. The guidelines will be discussed extensively in two of your tutorials.