College of Nursing - Dissertation Guide

36 Chapter Five Discussion and Summary This chapter should not contain any statistical values. It is time for the student to speak from the experience. Remember the purpose of the study. Restate the purpose of the study and the theoretical frame work. Restate the theoretical relationships that were being tested. Certainly include whether or not the findings support the theoretical framework . Summary of the Findings Provide a succinct summary of the results (no statistics). The student steps out of the details and speak more globally about what your study found and its implications. It is less about the findings and more about what the findings mean . Integration of the Findings with Previous Literature Compare your findings to those reported by other researchers. This will take the student back to the studies reviewed in chapter 2. Do not re-state these studies in the depth the student previous did, simply recall these studies for comparison to yours. Use both those studies in which your findings converged (similar findings) and those from which your findings diverged (different findings). Provide an explanation as to why your results may have been different. Implications of the Findings Now bring forward the implications the student discussed in chapter 1. The student had anticipated implications in various arenas. Now the student can provide some concrete discussion as to how these findings might be put in to practice or inform future researchers. Do not invent new implications. All implications must have come from the findings or the experience of the study. Implications for Nursing Education Implications for Nursing Practice Implications for Nursing Research Implications for Public Policy Limitations As your study progressed the student likely found that it did not proceed as optimally planned. For example, if the responses fell short of what was anticipated, provide an explanation of why this occurred and what it means for the generalizability of the findings. Be candid. The student doesn’t negate the efforts but stands back and realistically considers what might have been done that would have improved the study, including what may be considered for future studies. Chapter Summary