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Module Two Activity
Emily Higdon
Southern New Hampshire University
PSY 222: Research Methods in Psychology
Dr. Philips
January 7, 2025
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Module Two Activity
Article 1: Corporate Wellness Programmes in Singapore: Effect on Stress, Satisfaction and
Absenteeism
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This article is a scholarly article. By clicking on the publisher, Journal of Managerial
Psychology, it states on their homepage that the article has been peer-reviewed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is empirical. There is a methods section of the article that details that
their findings are based off of a questionnaire taken by companies without wellness programs
(Ho, 1997).
Article 2: Impact of Worksite Wellness Intervention on Cardiac Risk Factors and One-Year
Health Care Costs
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is scholarly. The American Journal of Cardiology states on their website
that their articles are "independent, scientific, peer-reviewed articles highlighting all aspects
of cardiovascular disease, including original clinical studies and experimental investigations"
(American Journal of Cardiology, n.d.).
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is empirical. By looking at the article, it states that the article is research
done by a behavioral assessment measured by the Kellner System Questionnaire, which is "a
92-question survey validated to assess behavioral characteristics including symptoms of
depression, anxiety, somatization, and hostility, with a lower score being more favorable for
each behavioral symptom" (Millani & Lavie, 2009).
Article 3: Effects of Occupational Stress Management Intervention Programs: A Meta-Analysis
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is a scholarly article. After clicking on the provided link, it notes that the
article is peer-reviewed right above the title of the article.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. The abstract in the article says that thirty-six different
experimental studies are included in the article, whereas the empirical article has only
original research data. This article also does not follow the different sections with specific
information in each section. (Richardson, 2008).
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Article 4: Enhancing Workplace Wellness Efforts to Reduce Obesity: A Qualitative Study of
Low-Wage Workers in St Louis, Missouri, 2013–2014
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is scholarly. By clicking the link that takes you to the original site that the
article is from, it says that it is peer-reveiwed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is empirical. The article includes original research from their experiment
through conducting "a total of 9 focus groups involving 61 workers" (Strickland, 2015). It also
follows the correct order: abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references.
Article 5: Promoting Prevention Through the Affordable Care Act: Workplace Wellness
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is scholarly. By going to the original publishers cite, which is the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it says that it is peer-reviewed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. Although the article contains data from research based
on the topic, there is no section that has specific information on the research design, the
participants, and the data analysis techniques.An example of the information from other
sources would be when it says "Self-reported data from more than 1.3 million employees
indicate that 30% experienced some depression or were in treatment" (Anderko et al., 2012).
There is also no clearly stated hypothesis that has been tested based on the research.
Article 6: The Risks of Using Workplace Wellness Programs to Foster a Culture of Health
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is scholarly. I know it is scholarly because it states it right on the web page
and it has an abstract. Southern New Hampshire University also provides access to this article.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. The data that is talked about is not original research and
was done a few years back. "A 2015 employer survey suggested that the average cost for a
health insurance policy covering a single individual was more than $6,000 per year,3 which
means that the ceiling for health program incentives is typically about $1,800" (Madison,
2016). That is an example of data provided that was taken from another study.
Article 7: Managing Employee Stress and Wellness in the New Millennium
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
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This research study is scholarly. I know this because it was published by Journal of
Occupational Health Psychology and is provided to us though SNHU. It also states on the page
that the article is peer-reviewed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. The research study is non-empirical because, even
though there is data, it does not have any type of specific research with participants. For
example the abstract says the purpose of the article is to "reflect back on the findings of the
2008 meta-analyses to review what was learned, see what new studies have added to the
literature, and assess recent social and political changes that present new challenges—and
opportunities—for the field" (Richardson, 2017).
Article 8: How Well Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work?
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is non-scholarly. I know this because the website says the publication type
is a blog. Blogs are not peer-reviewed and there is no mention of the article being peer-
reviewed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. For starters, the article is non-scholarly which most
empirical articles are peer-reviewed. The author did not conduct any studies themselves and
they include a lot of their own opinion instead of facts. There is also no structure to the
article. (Appleby, 2019)
Article 9: Workplace Wellness Programs: Right or Wrong?
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
This research study is scholarly. I know this because it is published in the Physician
Leadership Journal and SNHU provides us access to the article. It also says on the page that is
is peer-reviewed.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. I know this because the author did not do the research
themselves and there isn't any study being done. They mention studies done by other people.
There also is no structure to the article that empirical articles are supposed to have. (Bottles,
2015)
Article 10: Why Your Workplace Wellness Program Isn’t Working
Determine whether the research study is scholarly or non-scholarly.
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This research study is non-scholarly. I know this because the article was posted on Gallup
Business Journal which is a business magazine and not a peer-reviewed academic journal.
Determine whether the research study is empirical or non-empirical.
This research study is non-empirical. Systematic data collection and analysis, which are
essential components of empirical research, are not mentioned. The writers appear to draw
from both current literature and their professional expertise. (O'Boyle & Harter, 2014).
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References
Anderko, L., Roffenbender, J. S., Goetzel, R. Z., Howard, J., Millard, F., Wildenhaus, K., Desantis,
C., & Novelli, W. (2012). Promoting prevention through the affordable care act:
workplace wellness. Preventing chronic disease, 9, E175.
https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.120092
Appleby, J. (April 16, 2019 Tuesday). How Well Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work?. NPR
Shots. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn
%3acontentItem%3a5VWW-XFW1-JDH3-S00B-00000-
00&context=1519360&identityprofileid=54Q9Q854566.
Bottles, K. (2015). Workplace Wellness Programs Right or Wrong? Physician Leadership Journal,
2(3), 34–37.
Ho, J. T. S. (1997, March-April). Corporate wellness programmes in Singapore: effect on stress,
satisfaction and absenteeism. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 12(3-4), 177+.
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A19872925/AONE?u=nhc_main&sid=bookmark-
AONE&xid=b0f515fc
Madison, K. M. (2016). The Risks Of Using Workplace Wellness Programs To Foster A Culture Of
Health. Health Affairs, 35(11), 2068-2074. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0729
Milani, R. V., & Lavie, C. J. (2009). Impact of Worksite Wellness Intervention on Cardiac Risk
Factors and One-Year Health Care Costs. The American Journal of Cardiology, 104(10),
1389–1392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.07.007
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O’Boyle, E., & Harter, J. (2014). Why Your Workplace Wellness Program Isn’t Working. Gallup
Business Journal, 6.
Richardson, K. M., & Rothstein, H. R. (2008). Effects of occupational stress management
intervention programs: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,
13(1), 69–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.13.1.69
Richardson, K. M. (2017). Managing employee stress and wellness in the new millennium.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 423–428.
https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000066
Strickland, J. R., Eyler, A. A., Purnell, J. Q., Kinghorn, A. M., Herrick, C., & Evanoff, B. A. (2015).
Enhancing workplace wellness efforts to reduce obesity: a qualitative study of low-wage
workers in St Louis, Missouri, 2013-2014. Preventing chronic disease, 12, E67.
https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140405
