Writing About Results in Doctoral Capstone Studies

1. Writing About Results in Doctoral Capstone Studies Walden University Writing Center Staff Kelly Chermack, PhD, Dissertation Editor

2. 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

3. Questions and Recording • Type in the Questions box • Access captioning • Download slides • View recording • Walden Writing Center website: • www.writingcenter.waldenu.edu • webinars

4. A research project is a whodunnit: You’re telling a story when you present your results. This is a narrative text. How do I solve the mystery? (using the appropriate method) What is the answer to the mystery? (the results section) What do witnesses and experts say? (the literature) What is the mystery? (the problem) So what? (the conclusion and discussion)

5. Poll #1

6. 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.

7. 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 thatyou performed • You are providing an answer to your research question(s) anddiscussing the implications of your results • See pages 32-35 in the APA 6th Edition

8. 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).

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Poll #2

12. Questions?

13. The next few slides demonstrate table and figure formatting

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. Tables Instead, present a table to summarize this information.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. Formatting the table

21. Formatting the table

22. 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

23. 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

24. Example table

25. 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

26. Questions?

27. 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)

29. Figures Figure 1. Mean heights of different aged children. • 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)? • Note the caption goes under the figure.

30. Creating and inserting a figure

31. 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

32. Example figure APA 6th Edition, 2009, p. 153.

33. 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

34. 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.

35. Questions?

36. Poll #3

37. Writing about qualitative data

38. 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.

39. Organizing by theme

40. 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.

41. Presenting qualitative data: Excerpts from transcripts * Not from an actual study. 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.

42. 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?

43. 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

44. Writing Center: Writing instruction services To schedule an appointment with a writing instructor to have your proposal chapter/section reviewed: • In your myWalden portal, click the Academics tab. • On the next page, click Schedule an Appointment. • Then click Writing Center and Tutor. • Upload your draft. • Search for available appointments in the writing instructors’ schedule.

45. Questions For questions about research analyses consult your chair or email the Center for Research Quality: crq@waldenu.edu Email specific writing or APA questions to the Writing Center: editor@waldenu.edu Photos courtesy literaryblogspot.com

46. Questions?