CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Below is a list of questions to guide you when organizing the structure of the discussion section (Viera et al., 2018): What experiments did you conduct and what were the results?What do the results mean?What were the important results from the study?How did the results answer the research questions?Did the results support the hypothesis or reject the hypothesis?What are the variables or factors that might affect the results?What were the strengths and limitations of the study?What other published works support the findings?What other published works contradict the findings?What possible factors might cause the findings different from other findings?What is the significance of the research?What are new research questions to explore based on the findings? Organizing the Discussion Section The structure of the discussion section may be different from one paper to another, but it commonly has a beginning, middle-, and end- to the section. Present the contents of the section from narrow context (the study) to broader context (the field of study) (Ghasemi, 2019). One way to organize the structure of the discussion section is by dividing it into three parts (Ghasemi, 2019): The beginning part: The first sentence of the first paragraph should state the importance and the new findings of the research. The first paragraph may also include answers to the research questions mentioned in the introduction section. The middle part:The middle should contain the interpretations of the results to defend the answers, the strength of the study, the limitations of the study, and an update literature review that validates the findings. The end part:The end concludes the study and the significance of the research. Another possible way to organize the discussion section is by using this structure (Viera et al., 2018; Docherty, 1999): Discussion of important findingsComparison of the results with other published worksStrength and limitations of the studyConclusion and possible implications of the study (including the significance of the study)Future research questions based on the findings Finally, a last option is structuring the discussion this way (Hofmann, 2013, pg. 104): First Paragraph: Provide an interpretation based on the key findings. Then support the interpretation with evidence. Middle Paragraphs: The middle paragraphs should include the followingSecondary resultsLimitationsUnexpected findingsComparisons to previous publications Last Paragraph: The last paragraph should provide a summarization (conclusion) along with detailing the significance, implications and potential next steps. Remember, at the heart of the discussion section is presenting an interpretation of the major findings. Tips for supervisor – Discussion Section checking Highlight the significance of the findingsMention how the study will fill the gap of knowledge.Indicate the implication of the research.Avoid generalizing, misinterpreting the results, drawing a conclusion with no supportive findings from the results. An example paragraph from a Discussion: 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.
