Prof. A

 

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word rough draft of the fifth chapter of your master’s thesis, the discussion chapter. 

 

“The second section in Chapter Five is the Discussion (this section usually

 

does not have a level heading). One way to organize this section is to use

 

the three parallel ladders strategy. Write the discussion of the results or findings

 

in the same order they were reported in Chapter Four. For example,

 

if you reported quantitative data for various measurement instruments in

 

Chapter Four, then the discussion for each measurement instrument would

 

be written as a subsection in Chapter Five (see Figure 9.1 for the three parallel

 

ladders strategy for Chapters Four and Five). Similarly, if you reported

 

qualitative data by major themes or patterns, then the discussion for each

 

major theme or pattern would be a subsection in Chapter Five. Finally, if

 

you reported qualitative data by research questions, then the discussion for

 

each research question would be a subsection in Chapter Five.

 

In the discussion for each subsection, include a summary of the major

 

findings and a brief interpretation of the findings. This section is usually

 

difficult for students because for the last four chapters, you were asked to

 

minimize your personal interpretations of the findings. I usually receive first

 

drafts of this section that look exactly like what was reported in Chapter

 

Four because students do not feel like they have anything “new” to add

 

or permission to discuss their interpretation of the results. Remember, you

 

have already reported the results in Chapter Four, so you do not need to

 

repeat that information here. Instead, report a summary or synthesis of the major results. The summary should help to answer the research questions.

 

If appropriate, you can include the research questions here as a reminder

 

for yourself and the reader.

 

After the summary of the major results, provide a brief interpretation

 

of the results. For this process, ask yourself, “What factors from the

 

study could have contributed or influenced these results?” This is where

 

the “interpretation” part comes in except that the “interpretation” is not

 

based on pure conjecture. Instead, it is based on your knowledge of what

 

occurred during the research study.”

 

 

 

I also added an extra $20 to complete a short abstract as well. The instructions for the abstract are below.

 

 

 

“The next page is the abstract. The abstract is a brief (usually between

 

150 to 250 words) summary of the thesis. While it is brief, the abstract

 

should also be comprehensive in describing the purpose, participants,

 

methods, and major results/conclusions. The title “Abstract” is centered,

 

but the text is flushed to the left margin.”

 

 

 

Again this is a continuation of the past assignments.