Learning Activity 4.4

The article clearly states its purpose in the first opening sentences, “This paper examines the philosophical foundation of servant leadership by extracting several value-laden principles drawn from Greenland’s and Jesus Christ’s delineation of the concept” (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002, p. 57). The overall focus is thereby appropriate given its intent. The sources and participants are appropriate as well.

It’s important to note at this point that this article was based more on qualitative than quantitative research. There was barely any numerical data. Instead, it used onions, reasons, and motivations to delve further into what servant leadership is comprised of. All of this means that this article would naturally score more on the qualitative chart than the quantitative one (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2015, p.184-185).

All of the above taken into account leads me to rate the article a three in every category with the exception of number five and six. Category five states that “The purpose is narrowed through research questions and/or hypotheses” (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2015, p. 184). Category six states that “The purpose follows logically from the statement of the problem and literature review” (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2015, p. 184). The reason why I wouldn’t give a three in these categories is that the article was more explanatory than it was research question oriented. In tune with this, it doesn’t really address a problem or seeks to explain a proposed statement or question. It is because of these that I would rate lower in these two categories.

Source:

Plano Clark, V. L., & Creswell, J. W. (2015). Understanding Research (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Sendjaya, S., & Sarros, J. C. (2002). Servant leadership: Its origin, development, and application in organizations. Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, 9(2), 57-64.