Discussion and

Conclusion
…
 Discussion
• highlight the major
statistical findings from the
results section and interpret
them
 2 Steps
1. Restate the overall purpose of the
study.

• Explain the main finding as

related to the overall purpose of
the study.
 Steps
2. Summarize other interesting
findings from the results section

• Explain how the statistical

findings relate to that purpose of
the study. 
 Example
This study found that Nigerian teachers have a mix of beliefs regarding early literacy
development, some accurate beliefs and other inaccurate beliefs. The teachers
sampled in this study were accurate in their agreement about the importance of oral
language. Indeed, with the lack of materials often available for early childhood
educators in Nigerian classrooms, instruction focused on oral language may be one
of the most successful and cost-effective ways of improving early literacy skills. The
four instructional strategies previously mentioned - songs, rhymes, and word play;
storytelling; circle time; and dramatic play (Roskos et al., 2009) - are relatively easily
to implement and require few instructional materials. However, agreeing to the
importance of oral language in literacy development is different from having the
expertise to effectively teach oral language skills. Additional research needs to be
conducted to determine how well early childhood education teachers use instructional
strategies that promote oral language in the classroom. Particularly in Africa where
high quality reading materials are oftentimes scarce, early childhood teachers need
to be well trained in teaching strategies that foster oral language.
 Recommendations
• Recommendations must be
supported by the statistical
findings from the data
analysis
 Example
This study found that there is considerable variation in the students'
judgments of acceptability of ethical study practices, providing evidence that
university students are not certain about the right way to study. Thus,
teachers need to spend class time educating students about positive,
effective study skills. Few students understand and use good study
practices without explicit instruction (Weinstein, Meyer, Husman, Van Mater
Stone, & McKeachie, 2006). Therefore, direct instruction in study skills is
necessary. For example, teachers should instruct their students on how to
set goals for their education learning as well as instruction on specific study
practices such as effectively reading textbooks and studying notes for the
exam. When teachers spend the time necessary for teaching study skills,
then students will not be uncertain about ethical study practices and will be
more prepared for their exams. As Murdock and Anderman (2006) note,
students who are confident in their abilities engage in less cheating
behaviors.
 Limitations
• This section should
report the limitations that resulted
from the research methods.
 Guide Questions
• How could the research be conducted with a different research
design?
• How may the participants and sampling techniques not be
representative of the target population?
• How might the target population be limited?
• How were the instruments inadequate?
• Were there any problems with the treatment?
• What problems resulted from the study's procedures?
• What other unexpected problems arose in the data collection?
 Example
One of the limitations of this research study was the constitution of the sample. First, students
were not randomly selected from a larger population to participate in the study. Information about
the study was sent home with all of the students at Tonganoxie Elementary School. The parents
then had to sign and return an informed consent document. This might have biased the sample.
However, the teachers at Tonganoxie Elementary School commented that students from a range
of ability levels participated in the study. The sample was also relatively homogeneous with
mostly Caucasian middle class students who lived in a relatively rural community. Therefore, the
results might not generalize to other student populations, particularly those in an urban
community or those with greater diversity in ethnicity and social class.

Since the experimenter in the study also authored the paper, the experimenter might have biased
students' responses during the task. However, this conclusion was unlikely since the results for
the Number Series task were contrary to the original hypothesis. Regardless, a blind
administration of the experiment would have been desirable.

A ceiling effect also most likely influenced performance on the Equivalence task, with most
students having nearly perfect scores. This effect might have masked differences in performance
between the Pictorial and Numeral conditions, particularly in the high ability and second grade
samples.
 Suggestions for further research

Guide Questions
• What additional research should be conducted?
• What questions arose because of the major finding of
your study?
• How can other research studies improve over the
limitations that were described in the Limitations section?
 Example
Educational researchers need to continue conducting empirical research to
ascertain the factors that contribute to cheating amongst students. First,
researchers should identify the types of malpractices that are most frequent
amongst students. Second, researchers should determine what types of
factors influence students to engage in examination malpractice. Finally,
experimental research should be conducted to test various strategies for
preventing examination malpractice to determine which strategies are most
effective.
 Conclusions
• Briefly summarize the overall conclusion of
the data analysis based on the purpose of
the study. Also explain the importance of
the major finding to educational practice.
An example conclusion is given below.
 Example
Literacy is a fundamental human right (UNESCO, 2006).
However, learning how to read is a difficult endeavor that
requires competent instructors. This study provided
evidence that primary school teachers in Nigeria need
additional professional development to improve their beliefs
about literacy development so they can be more effective
literacy instructors. Only competent, well trained teachers
will help Nigerian children develop a high level of literacy
that is necessary for being effective in today's world.
Thank you!
…