The findings of the study should be discussed in relation to the aims and hypotheses presented in the introduction. You also need to discuss the findings with reference to prior research, in particular the literature that was cited in your introduction. There should be clear statements as to whether the hypotheses were supported.
You will need to discuss one or two limitations. However, these limitations should be relevant to your research study rather than generic limitations, such as the sample size wasnt large enough or self-report data creates biases. Even better is to be able to tie these limitations to future research directions.
Questions to help you write up your discussion section:
How do present findings inform your research question(s)? (i.e., were hypotheses supported? What do the results mean?)
How do findings advance current knowledge in this area?
Were there any factors that may limit the conclusions you draw from this data?
What questions still/now need to be resolved? (i.e., future research directions)
Presentation, writing style, structure etc (e.g., adherence to APA format) will also be assessed and is worth 5% of the overall mark.
Word length and Weighting.
The word limit is 2,000 words (excluding your Abstract, Reference list, and any Appendices) and the report is worth 40% of your overall grade. Although there is a 10% leeway for word limit, it is important to be concise in your writing. Limit use of adjectives and adverbs your writing will be more scientific as a result!
HPS781 students please note that you have an additional 500 words for your reflection piece (see the last section of these instructions).
Formatting.
Please ensure that you submit your work as a typed/word processed document, using a standard font (Times-New Roman) and suitable font size (12 pt) with double-line spacing. Your document should be formatted with 2.5 cm margins on each side. Please make sure that you spell-check AND carefully proof-read your work prior to submission. For guidance with APA formatting, you should refer to Burton (2010).
Submission.
The assignment is to be submitted as a word document onto the CloudDeakin dropbox for the HPS301/781 site. The dropbox will activate closer to the due date.