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Interpreting Findings and Drawing Conclusions

This document discusses how to properly interpret research findings and draw conclusions. It emphasizes that interpretation involves relating data back to the original research questions, prior literature, and relevant theories. While there is no single correct way to interpret results, interpretations must be carefully considered and explained. When interpreting findings, researchers should evaluate whether their data and analyses adequately address the concepts and hypotheses under investigation. They may also need to re-examine the literature, conceptual framework, or pose additional research questions based on their results. Finally, strong conclusions highlight the implications and contributions of the study, and provide strategic recommendations and next steps.

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Yumna Yuan
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92 views

Interpreting Findings and Drawing Conclusions

This document discusses how to properly interpret research findings and draw conclusions. It emphasizes that interpretation involves relating data back to the original research questions, prior literature, and relevant theories. While there is no single correct way to interpret results, interpretations must be carefully considered and explained. When interpreting findings, researchers should evaluate whether their data and analyses adequately address the concepts and hypotheses under investigation. They may also need to re-examine the literature, conceptual framework, or pose additional research questions based on their results. Finally, strong conclusions highlight the implications and contributions of the study, and provide strategic recommendations and next steps.

Uploaded by

Yumna Yuan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Interpreting Findings and

Drawing Conclusions
QB5503 Research Practice
Interpreting your research
materials and results
Interpreting your research

 Interpreting means making sense of the data


with reference to:
 Your research question(s)
 Previous research findings
 Relevant concepts and theories
Drawing appropriate
interpretations

 There is no automatic or
correct way of interpreting
research findings

 But not all interpretations are


equally useful

 You need to consider carefully


and clearly explain your
interpretations
Questions to consider when
interpreting findings

 Do my data adequately capture the concepts and


relationships I want to investigate?

 Have I adequately measured / explored these concepts


and relationships?

 Do my data and analyses support or not support my


hypotheses?

 How does my analysis fit with my conceptual framework?

 Have I answered my research questions?


Questions to consider when
interpreting findings

 Do I need to go back to the literature to explain my findings from


another perspective? Are there other ways I can interpret my
findings?

 Do you need to revisit my literature review and conceptual


framework in light of the new data I have got? Would drawing on
other theories help analyse my data better?

 What did I not find out that I expected to find out? What did I find
out that I didn’t expect to find out?

 Do I need to do further research to answer my research questions?

 What have I learned about my research setting, research methods,


research questions or theory? What can this contribute to future
research?
Framing conclusions and
recommendations
How to draw good conclusions?

 Conclusions are not the same as research


findings or analyses

 Conclusions highlight the contributions and


implications of your research, and suggest a
way forward to them
Types of conclusions

 Research conclusions – summarise your


understanding of your subject and provide
explanations for your research questions

 Strategic conclusions – summarise your


judgements about what should be done

 Recommendations – practical steps that need to


be taken to implement the strategic conclusions
Exercise: Interpreting research
findings
 Working in your project group, choose one article
assigned to your project. Consider the following
questions:
 How do the findings presented in the article relate to the
previous research reported in the article?
 How do these findings relate to the concepts and theories
proposed in the article?
 To what extent do the findings seem answer the research
questions set out by the authors?

 Illustrate your answers with reference to the specific


excerpts from the article.

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