Assessment task 1: Essay
For this assignment, you will interview two nurses or midwives from any location or specialty with experience in leadership. (Please do not identify them in your written work unless they have given permission.) Integrate your findings from the literature and your interviews to construct an 3000 word essay that addresses the following question:
How can leadership approaches, and a leaders characteristics, influence practice change?
Additional Information
The two people you choose to interview do not have to hold an official leadership position; they may simply be people that you perceive as leaders in their field. You may choose two people with similar leadership characteristics or styles, or prefer to compare and contrast two different leadership approaches.
The marking criteria for this assignment require you to take a \’position\’ on this topic. By \’position\’, we mean the viewpoint or opinion that you are taking towards the topic you have chosen for your exploration, or the lens you have used for your critique. For example, your position might be to explain those specific professional and personal characteristics that you believe make a successful clinical leader. Or you might look at some of the leadership theories and choose to argue that one particular theory is more correct than the others. Or again, you might choose to examine the characteristics of a leader through a particular critical lens, such as feminism or Marxism, to show how these accepted characteristics have developed and who they have benefited. You will argue this position using evidence gleaned from the literature, your interviewee\’s evidence, and your own experience, but the important thing is that we can hear your voice in your argument/discussion and understand your conclusions on the subject.
It is also important for you to incorporate material from your interviewees to support your argument, as well as the literature. There are several ways in which quotes from your interviewees can be integrated into your written work. The document below gives some examples of how this may be done.
Incorporating interviews into text
Finally, please include the plan/structure/list of questions that you used for your interviews as an appendix to the essay. This will not be marked, but will serve as an indication to us of your organization and planning for this aspect of the assignment and help you to satisfy criterion 3 of the rubric more clearly without using up word count to specify questions, etc.
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A rubric for this assignment is available here:
Assessment 1 Rubric
Criteria High Distinction (HD) Distinction (DN) Credit (CR) Pass (PP) Fail (NN)
The extent to which a clear position is argued and sustained for the topic selected, and the degree of relevance for nursing or midwifery practice In your essay, you have:
Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn strong links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and drawn some links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and implied the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice clear Mentioned a topic but not explained its relevance or applicability OR have not explained your topic
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed and critiqued these to demonstrate a deep understanding of leadership theory
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate your understanding of leadership theory Taken a position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate a developing understanding of leadership theory Inferred your position on the topic and mentioned some aspects of leadership theory No position is outlined OR leadership theory is not mentioned OR discussion shows misunderstanding or misinterpretation of leadership theory
Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a compelling and well-supported conclusion. Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a well-supported conclusion Sustained a consistent argument throughout, although the conclusion could be more strongly supported Provided some discussion on the topic, but the conclusion is not supported OR there is no conclusion Not provided a logical or consistent argument about the topic
Appropriate literature is incorporated to support argument in a synthesized essay In your essay, you have:
Supported your discussion with extensive and relevant and literature drawn from quality scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from the unit readings and some scholarly sources Supported your discussion with minimal relevant literature from some scholarly sources and/or relied on unit readings Used support from general or non-scholarly literature or literature of limited relevance to nursing or midwifery, OR have relied on your own knowledge
Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a well synthesized argument that clearly demonstrated your own interpretation, opinions and understanding of the topic Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a synthesized argument that demonstrates your understanding of the topic
Included the literature in your discussion to produce an argument that supports your understanding of the topic Referred to the literature in your discussion to suggest your understanding OR relied on the authors opinions
Overlooked the literature in your discussion
Ability to access information from key stakeholders and to incorporate this as interviews into written work In your discussion of the interview material, you have:
Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed and well thought-out topic Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated some structure or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated minimal planning to gaining information OR conversation was on a general topic Given no evidence of the interview plan or structure OR there is no examination of a topic
Provided strong support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided some support for your chosen topic and/or your position at a surface level Provided minimal support for your chosen topic and/or position Not supported your themes or position
Consistently incorporated this seamlessly into your discussion Predominantly incorporated this well into your discussion Referred to this throughout your discussion Referred to this occasionally in parts of your discussion Not incorporated the interviews into the discussion
Communicates in academic writing, substantiating work with scholarly literature and using Harvard style
Consistently communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Predominantly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Mostly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent and cohesive sentences and paragraphs in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Communicated in academic language with coherent sentences which may include colloquialisms or extraneous details OR in a partial essay structure Used a casual writing style with colloquialisms and/or extraneous details OR the paper lacks flow and hence is challenging to read and understand
Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and consistently adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, both in-text and in reference list Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, with only minor errors Acknowledged most sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and in the reference list Acknowledged some sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and/or in the reference list; more in-text citation needed Used your own style of referencing OR have not referenced your sources adequately.
Criteria High Distinction (HD) Distinction (DN) Credit (CR) Pass (PP) Fail (NN)
The extent to which a clear position is argued and sustained for the topic selected, and the degree of relevance for nursing or midwifery practice In your essay, you have:
Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn strong links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and drawn some links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and implied the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice clear Mentioned a topic but not explained its relevance or applicability OR have not explained your topic
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed and critiqued these to demonstrate a deep understanding of leadership theory
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate your understanding of leadership theory Taken a position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate a developing understanding of leadership theory Inferred your position on the topic and mentioned some aspects of leadership theory No position is outlined OR leadership theory is not mentioned OR discussion shows misunderstanding or misinterpretation of leadership theory
Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a compelling and well-supported conclusion. Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a well-supported conclusion Sustained a consistent argument throughout, although the conclusion could be more strongly supported Provided some discussion on the topic, but the conclusion is not supported OR there is no conclusion Not provided a logical or consistent argument about the topic
Appropriate literature is incorporated to support argument in a synthesized essay In your essay, you have:
Supported your discussion with extensive and relevant and literature drawn from quality scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from the unit readings and some scholarly sources Supported your discussion with minimal relevant literature from some scholarly sources and/or relied on unit readings Used support from general or non-scholarly literature or literature of limited relevance to nursing or midwifery, OR have relied on your own knowledge
Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a well synthesized argument that clearly demonstrated your own interpretation, opinions and understanding of the topic Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a synthesized argument that demonstrates your understanding of the topic
Included the literature in your discussion to produce an argument that supports your understanding of the topic Referred to the literature in your discussion to suggest your understanding OR relied on the authors opinions
Overlooked the literature in your discussion
Ability to access information from key stakeholders and to incorporate this as interviews into written work In your discussion of the interview material, you have:
Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed and well thought-out topic Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated some structure or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated minimal planning to gaining information OR conversation was on a general topic Given no evidence of the interview plan or structure OR there is no examination of a topic
Provided strong support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided some support for your chosen topic and/or your position at a surface level Provided minimal support for your chosen topic and/or position Not supported your themes or position
Consistently incorporated this seamlessly into your discussion Predominantly incorporated this well into your discussion Referred to this throughout your discussion Referred to this occasionally in parts of your discussion Not incorporated the interviews into the discussion
Communicates in academic writing, substantiating work with scholarly literature and using Harvard style
Consistently communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Predominantly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Mostly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent and cohesive sentences and paragraphs in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Communicated in academic language with coherent sentences which may include colloquialisms or extraneous details OR in a partial essay structure Used a casual writing style with colloquialisms and/or extraneous details OR the paper lacks flow and hence is challenging to read and understand
Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and consistently adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, both in-text and in reference list Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, with only minor errors Acknowledged most sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and in the reference list Acknowledged some sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and/or in the reference list; more in-text citation needed Used your own style of referencing OR have not referenced your sources adequately.
Criteria High Distinction (HD) Distinction (DN) Credit (CR) Pass (PP) Fail (NN)
The extent to which a clear position is argued and sustained for the topic selected, and the degree of relevance for nursing or midwifery practice In your essay, you have:
Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn strong links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a focussed and relevant topic and drawn links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and drawn some links to show the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice Chosen a relevant topic and implied the applicability to nursing or midwifery practice clear Mentioned a topic but not explained its relevance or applicability OR have not explained your topic
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed and critiqued these to demonstrate a deep understanding of leadership theory
Taken a clear position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate your understanding of leadership theory Taken a position on the topic which draws on key themes from the literature and interviews, and have discussed these to demonstrate a developing understanding of leadership theory Inferred your position on the topic and mentioned some aspects of leadership theory No position is outlined OR leadership theory is not mentioned OR discussion shows misunderstanding or misinterpretation of leadership theory
Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a compelling and well-supported conclusion. Sustained a consistent and logical argument throughout, which comes to a well-supported conclusion Sustained a consistent argument throughout, although the conclusion could be more strongly supported Provided some discussion on the topic, but the conclusion is not supported OR there is no conclusion Not provided a logical or consistent argument about the topic
Appropriate literature is incorporated to support argument in a synthesized essay In your essay, you have:
Supported your discussion with extensive and relevant and literature drawn from quality scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from scholarly sources beyond the unit readings. Supported your discussion with relevant literature drawn from the unit readings and some scholarly sources Supported your discussion with minimal relevant literature from some scholarly sources and/or relied on unit readings Used support from general or non-scholarly literature or literature of limited relevance to nursing or midwifery, OR have relied on your own knowledge
Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a well synthesized argument that clearly demonstrated your own interpretation, opinions and understanding of the topic Integrated the literature into your discussion to produce a synthesized argument that demonstrates your understanding of the topic
Included the literature in your discussion to produce an argument that supports your understanding of the topic Referred to the literature in your discussion to suggest your understanding OR relied on the authors opinions
Overlooked the literature in your discussion
Ability to access information from key stakeholders and to incorporate this as interviews into written work In your discussion of the interview material, you have:
Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed and well thought-out topic Demonstrated a structured and/or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated some structure or planned approach to gaining information on a focussed topic Demonstrated minimal planning to gaining information OR conversation was on a general topic Given no evidence of the interview plan or structure OR there is no examination of a topic
Provided strong support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided support for both your chosen topic and your stated position Provided some support for your chosen topic and/or your position at a surface level Provided minimal support for your chosen topic and/or position Not supported your themes or position
Consistently incorporated this seamlessly into your discussion Predominantly incorporated this well into your discussion Referred to this throughout your discussion Referred to this occasionally in parts of your discussion Not incorporated the interviews into the discussion
Communicates in academic writing, substantiating work with scholarly literature and using Harvard style
Consistently communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Predominantly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent, concise and cohesive sentences and logically flowing paragraphs, in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Mostly communicated in fluent academic language with coherent and cohesive sentences and paragraphs in a full essay structure that includes introduction, body and conclusion Communicated in academic language with coherent sentences which may include colloquialisms or extraneous details OR in a partial essay structure Used a casual writing style with colloquialisms and/or extraneous details OR the paper lacks flow and hence is challenging to read and understand
Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and consistently adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, both in-text and in reference list Integrated your citations into the narrative, acknowledged all sources and adhered to Harvard referencing rules throughout, with only minor errors Acknowledged most sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and in the reference list Acknowledged some sources and adhered to most Harvard referencing rules in-text and/or in the reference list; more in-text citation needed Used your own style of referencing OR have not referenced your sources adequately.
