Transcript Writing about Methods in Dissertations and Doctoral

Writing About Results in
Doctoral Capstone Studies
Kelly Chermack, PhD, Dissertation Editor
Walden University Writing Center Staff
Session overview & objectives
In this presentation, we will cover:
The contents of the Results section/chapter
General writing tips for writing about results
Presenting quantitative data: Table and figure
formatting
Presenting qualitative data: Excerpts from
transcripts
Links to results writing resources
Questions and Recording
• Type in the Questions box
• Access captioning
• Download slides
• View recording
• Walden Writing Center
website:
– www.writingcenter.waldenu.edu
– webinars
A research project is a whodunnit:
You’re telling a story when you present your results.
This is a narrative text.
What do
witnesses and
experts say?
(the literature)
How do I solve
the mystery?
(using the
appropriate
method)
What is the
mystery? (the
problem)
What is the
answer to the
mystery? (the
results section)
So what? (the
conclusion
and
discussion)
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Poll #1
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Beginning to write…
• Step 1: Download the correct template and
the appropriate rubric or checklist for your
program.
• Step 2: Review the headings and create an
outline. Be sure to insert the necessary
headings into your template.
• Step 3: Begin writing the content for each
heading.
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Beginning to write…
• Remember, this is a narrative where you tell
the story about your data
• You are summarizing the data that you
collected and describing the analyses that you
performed
• You are providing an answer to your research
question(s) and discussing the implications of
your results
• See pages 32-35 in the APA 6th Edition
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Commonalities among dissertations and
doctoral studies:
•
•
•
•
•
Clear introduction
Identification of data collection procedures
Description of data analyses
Discussion of findings
Implications and conclusions
Please see your specific rubric or checklist for more
details on results content (more on where to
download these documents at the end of the
presentation).
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General writing tips
Ensure that you stay on the right track by:
• Focusing on the right amount of detail
– Too little does not give your reader a clear
understanding
– Too much confuses the reader with nonessential
information
• Discussing only information relevant to your
research question(s)
– Do not get side tracked on questions you did not ask
• Focusing on being objective and sticking to the
data
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General writing tips
(continued)
Your task is to be reader oriented: You
want to portray your data, whether
qualitative or quantitative, in a way your
reader will understand the strength of your
findings and see how they relate to what
you set out to find out (Booth, Colomb, &
Williams, 2003, p. 241).
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003). The craft of research (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
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Poll #2
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Questions?
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The next few slides demonstrate
table and figure formatting
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What to present in tables and figures
• We can present both qualitative data and
quantitative data using tables and figures
• Information that is:
–
–
–
–
Necessary to present the data
Easier for the reader to comprehend visually
Concise and contains only elements that are essential
Supplemental to the text but that can also be
understood on its own
• See pages 128-167 in the APA 6th Edition
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Tables
• Examples of evidence often presented in
tables:
– Demographic information
– Proportions, percentages, means, standard
deviations, confidence intervals
– Factor loadings from a factor analysis
– t test, ANOVA, and results from other analyses
– See page 149 in APA 6th Edition for a sample word
table
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Tables
Example of a narrative with text-heavy data reporting:
Of the total superintendents surveyed, 61 (39.1%) had
obtained a doctorate degree. Within this category, 34 (55.7%) were
servant leaders, and 27 (44.3%) were nonservant leaders. A total
of 15 superintendents were education specialists, an official title
defined in this state as having all of their doctoral credits for formal
coursework; however, deficient the credits and final product of a
doctoral study. Within this cohort of 15, 7 (46.7%) were servant
leaders, and 8 (53.3%) were nonservant leaders. In the most
widespread category of this demographic, 80 (51.3%)
superintendents had obtained a master’s degree as their highest
level of formal education. Of these superintendents, 38 (47.5%)
were designated servant leaders, and 42 (52.5%) as nonservant
leaders. Table 10 presents a visual summary of the SASL
response data.
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Tables
Instead, present a table to summarize this information.
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Tables
Table 4
Here is an example where the text is sufficient and
the table is not needed.
– Example: Eighty-nine teachers responded to the survey. Their
ages ranged from 18 to 66 years, with a mean age of 36 years.
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Creating and inserting a table
* Be sure that the table conforms to the required margins. Insert a
landscape page for large, wide tables. Keep text size no larger than 12
point and no smaller than 8 point. Change the font to sans sarif, if
necessary, to improve readability.
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Formatting the table
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Formatting the table
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Creating a table
• Walden Writing Center page on Tables and
Figures
– http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/170.htm
• Walden Writing Center MS Word help:
– http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/64.htm
– Instructions for inserting a table in Word
• See pages 127-150 in the APA 6th Edition
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Formatting the table header
• Two components
– Table number (e.g., Table 1)
– Table title
•
•
•
•
Clear and concise description of the table
Italicized underneath the table number
Use title capitalization
No period at the end
• Table headers go above the table
• Statistical abbreviations are italicized throughout
• You will have to recreate SPSS (and other program
outputs) tables according to APA style
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Example table
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References to tables within the text
• Refer to tables by numbers (not by using the
table title or “the table above”).
– Example: “…as displayed in Table 1.”
• Reference the table in the text before you display
the table
• Number tables consecutively from start to finish
in the manuscript:
– Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, and so forth
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Questions?
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Figures
• Like tables, figures summarize data in visual form.
Include:
– Graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, photographs
– Percentages, proportions, and frequencies
– Path models, theoretical formulas, confirmatory factor
analysis
• Again, capture and display essential information
• Some data may be better displayed in a table, use
figures to display any information that cannot be
presented in rows and columns (as in a table)
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Figures
•
•
•
•
•
Labeled
With units
Y-axis written horizontally
Contains zero point
Values just large enough
to include all data points
• Use of color in rare
instances.
– Does color help to
enhance the presentation
of your data (APA 6th
Edition, 2009, p. 161)?
Figure 1. Mean heights of different aged children.
• Note the caption goes
under the figure.
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Creating and inserting a figure
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Formatting the figure caption
-
Caption is placed below the figure
Contains italicized figure number
Has figure caption/description
Period at the end.
• See pages 150-167 in the APA 6th Edition
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Example figure
APA 6th Edition, 2009, p. 153.
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References to figures within the text
• Refer to figures by number (not by using the
figure caption or “the figure above”).
– Example: “…as displayed in Figure 1.”
• Reference the figure in the text before you
display the figure
• Number figures consecutively from beginning to
end of the manuscript:
– Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and so forth
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In a quantitative study, be consistent in wording
your hypotheses and questions
• Be sure that your research questions and
hypotheses are worded the same throughout
the capstone.
• Discuss your hypotheses when you present
the results of your analyses.
• Discuss your research questions (and the
answer to them) when writing about the
implications of your findings.
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Questions?
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Poll #3
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Writing about qualitative data
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Describing qualitative data
• Consider the level of detail that is needed
• Present emergent themes in an effective manner
– Creating headings and subheadings around these themes
is a good way to help yourself (and your reader) stay on
track
– Using your research questions as headings might also be
helpful
• Be sure to clearly describe your data management and
analysis procedures
– How did you categorize your data?
– What was your process?
– Be specific.
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Organizing by theme
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Presenting qualitative data: Excerpts from
transcripts
However, one school did not provide new teachers with
professional development training. Compared to the schools
where training was provided, teachers at this school had an
entirely different first year of teaching. Participant 6 stated:
I really needed training that would help me to address
learning difficulties in the classrooms. It seemed that
professional development was too general when I asked
the school for support. I had to figure what to do all by
myself. It was not an effective way to try to help students
who could not learn in the traditional environment. As a
new teacher, I could have really used more information on
how to approach different levels and ways of learning.
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Presenting qualitative data: Excerpts from
transcripts
From simple strategies to the more complex, participants gave accounts of
how they dealt with the symptoms typically associated with schizophrenia:
Interviewer: How do you cope with this on a daily basis?
Participant 8: [Pause]. I mean, it’s hard, and I get to the point to where I’m
recognizing that I’m not ok and then I can sort of calm myself down… and I
used to, I used to not be able to do that. Taking medication really helps.
Participant 3: Hmm….well, one day I, you know, I was taking my medicine
like usual. And I was lying awake at night because I had the insomnia that
often occurs with the medicine. I also realized that I was going to have to
find a way to deal with the side effects of medication…like restlessness
and sleeplessness. I started using a humidifier at night because the sound
is soothing. I also have either warm milk or a cup of chamomile tea about a
half hour before bed. It might be totally psychological, but it calms me
down.
* Not from an actual study.
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Summary
• Begin by finding the appropriate template and rubric or
checklist
• Go through each required heading and begin writing about
the information needed in these areas
• As with writing the other chapters/sections, consider your
verb tense and voice, and beware of anthropomorphism
• Reflect on your writing as you go along:
– Have I adequately described and summarized my data?
– Are my tables and figures correctly formatted? Do they
represent a concise summary of necessary information?
– Am I adequately organizing themes from my qualitative data?
– Are the implications of my findings clear?
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Resources: Writing Center and Walden CRQ
Capstone Studies on the Writing Center Website
–
See left hand toolbar
Writing Center
• Webinars
– See Scholarly Writing Webinars, Graduate Level Webinars, Capstone
Webinars
Center for Research Quality
• Research resources
– See Research Planning and Writing
– See Research Design and Analysis
• Forms
– Rubrics and checklists, by program: DBA, DNP, EdD, PhD
Writing Center: Writing instruction services
To schedule an appointment with a writing
instructor to have your proposal
chapter/section reviewed:
1. In your myWalden portal, click the Academics tab.
2. On the next page, click Schedule an Appointment.
3. Then click Writing Center and Tutor.
4. Upload your draft.
5. Search for available appointments in the writing
instructors’ schedule.
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Questions
For questions about research analyses consult
your chair or email the Center for Research
Quality:
[email protected]
Email specific writing or APA questions to the
Writing Center:
[email protected]
Photos courtesy literaryblogspot.com
Questions?
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