Gambling Among Older Adults In Singapore

This is a critique paper written on the introduction of the article “Gambling among older adults in Singapore: some preliminary empirical findings” by Vincent C. K. Ng, printed in Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development (2011), 21 (1), pages 18 – 21. The article is about a research study conducted to collect empirical data about gambling habits in older adults (aged 60 and above) in Singapore. The introduction of said article was evaluated thoroughly in its organisation and its language and style. Overall, it showed distinct creditable writing qualities while there is a slight neglect in developing the writer’s voice.

For readers who prefer a clear breakdown of information in a research article, they would enjoy reading this article. The Introduction was explored in a smooth and gradual progress, starting from a wide scope reference of gambling in Singapore context, to the definitions of key terms associated to topic, and finally concentrating the issue on gambling in older adults in Singapore in the third segment of Introduction. There are succinct headings on each segment of information, such as “Purpose of Study” (Ng, 2011, p. 20) found in the last segment of Introduction. Segmenting content with concise headings throughout the article is a favourable point as it allows ease of reference for readers looking for specific data.

Additionally, each segment was appropriately elaborated with information. As demonstrated in the opening segment of Introduction, Ng (2011) had clearly stated his topic sentence and only talked about the gambling situation and activities in Singapore, creating a generic background for his article. This consistent manner of organising content in bite-sized all through the article reduces overloading of information yet simultaneously equipped readers with sufficient knowledge to interpret data in later part of article.

Next, the language and writing style was adequate for the audience of the published journal. Syntax used was non-complex with its meaning clearly expressed, suitable for casual or side readings for audience ranging from interested social workers to sociologists studying the area of gambling and its effect to the society. Furthermore, the references cited in the Introduction were well integrated into the content using a mixture of central reporting, non-central reporting and non-reporting styles. Taking that this study was conducted in 2009 (Ng, 2011), the citations were within the 5-year mark (2005 – 2008) and were taken from sources such as Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and National Council on Problem Gambling, adding credibility to the research.

Despite the above factors portraying a promising Introduction, there seemed to be a lack in writer’s voice. Ng’s opinions were not overtly represented in the Introduction, though few were embedded with phrases such as “…seemed to suggest…” (Ng, 2011, p.20). A suggestion of improvement is that the writer could review who his targeted audience is and be more attentive to the words he could use overtly to enhance the significance of this study.

In conclusion, the research article is of consequence as it showed us the importance of increasing awareness of problem gambling in the older adults. Even though the writer could be more persuasive in presenting the importance of this study, the introduction is still relatively engaging with fitting writing style, well-defined arrangement and apt information in preparing readers who are interested in the topic.