1、单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,*,*,Chapter 7Discussion of Results,1/40,2025/11/10 周一,Introduction,The Functions of a Thesis Discussion of Results,Sample Analysis of a Masters Thesis Discussion of Results,Frequently Asked Questions,2/40,2025/11/10 周一,Introduction,In this chapter,we will be considering
2、 the discussion of results as a separate chapter from the presentation of results and conclusion chapters.,Some theses combine their presentation and discussion of results or findings in a single chapter.In contrast,some theses combine the discussion of results and conclusion in one chapter.,The,adv
3、antages,of haing a combined chapter:,it can avoid restating the results when you discuss them.,it is much easier for the reader to follow the development of the thesis.,3/40,2025/11/10 周一,The,approach,that is taken is often determined by discipinary preference and the type of thesis that is being wr
4、itten.,A discussion with your supervisor will assist you in arriving at the option best suited to the research you are reporting.,The approach taken in this chapter can be easily adapted to the choice you make.,4/40,2025/11/10 周一,If you decide to combine your presentation of results with your discus
5、sion of those results,you will most likely devide your results into,meaningful sections,(e.g.according to research questions/hypotheses,thematic or methodological foci)and present your discussion of each section of results immediately after each section or part section of results that has been prese
6、nted.The same approach would apply if you decided to combine your discussion of results and your conclusion.,5/40,2025/11/10 周一,Considering now the discussion of results as a single chapter,we begin with a consideraton of the purpose and functions of the chapter before looking at a range of move and
7、 sub-move options that might be considered.,The chapter will again conclude with a discussion of some key lingustic features of discussion chapters,some answers to frequently asked questons,further activities and suggestions for further reading.,6/40,2025/11/10 周一,What is meant by discussing a resul
8、t?,When you discuss a result,you should go beyond the result and express your own opinions about the result,i.e.your personal speculation on the reasons for a result,your judgement on its significance,implications,and the possible direction for future research,etc.,The,essential difference,between r
9、eporting a result and discussing the result is that the former is fact-driven while the latter is opinion-driven.However,your opinions are not whatever you have thought about but they should be based on either existing theories or previous studies or common sense.Therefore,in discussion,references a
10、re indispensable.,7/40,2025/11/10 周一,Usually the discussion going together with the report of a result cannot be too long since a lengthy discussion will separate the answers to the research questions and it will distract the readers attention.The elaboration of a discussion,if it is necessary,can b
11、e made in the last chapter of Conclusion.,8/40,2025/11/10 周一,The Functions of a Thesis Discussion of Results,The,key purpose,of this chapter is to discuss the meaning and significance of the results or findings of the research you are reporting.,1.An overview of the aims of the research that refers
12、to the research questions or hypotheses,2.A summary of the theoretical and research contexts of the study,3.A summary of the methodological approach for investigating the research questions or hypotheses,4.A discussion of the contribution you believe your results or findings have made to the researc
13、h questions or hypotheses and therefore to existing theory,research and practice(i.e.their importance and significance),5.This discussion will often include an interpretation of your results,a comparison with other research,an explanation of why the results occurred as they did and an evaluation of
14、their contribution to the field of knowledge,9/40,2025/11/10 周一,The Content and Structure of a Thesis Discussion of Results,Moves,1.Provide background information,2.Present a statement of result(SOR),3.Evaluate/comment on results or findings,Sub-moves,a.restatement of aims,research questions and hyp
15、otheses,b.restatement of key published research,c.restatement of research/methodological approach,a.restatement of a key result,b.expanded statement about a key result,a.explanation of resultsuggest reasons for result,b.(un)expected result,c.reference to previous research,d.exemplificationprovide ex
16、amples of result,e.deduction or claim,f.support from previous research,g.recommendation,h.justification for further research,10/40,2025/11/10 周一,Sample Analysis of a Masters Thesis Discussion of Results,Introduction to Disussion of Results,This chapter provides a detailed analysis of key research fi
17、ndings presented in chapter 4,with reference to each of the research questions.The results of the study are also discussed in relation to previous research studies.The first section(Section 5.2)discusses the relationship between self-report WTC and WTC behavior in the three classroom contexts observ
18、ed.Differences observed in WTC behavior in each of the contexts,and variations in WTC over time,are discussed in Sections 5.3 and 5.4.The fourth section presents the factors that learners perceived as being of most importance in affecting their WTC in class.The last section is a brief summary of the
19、 chapter.,11/40,2025/11/10 周一,This one also provides an advance organizer of what is to be presented in the chapter.The author begins by expaining that her discussion will be organized around the four research questions and that it will focus on the relationship between her results and those of earl
20、ier research studies.,While this is an important feature of a discussion chapter,it should also refer to the other featurs of the discussion that are included in the discussion chpter.,The paragraph then outlines the focus of each section of the discussion chapter.,12/40,2025/11/10 周一,Research Quest
21、on 1,1.,The first research question investigated the relationship between self-report WTC and WTC behavior in class.,2.,This queston relates to the concept of WTC as a trait variable or a state variable.,3.,correlaton analysis,indicated that self-report WTC strongly predicted WTC behavior in group w
22、orks,while self-report WTC negatively predicated WTC in the whole class and pair work.,4.,The strong positive relatonship between self-report WTC and WTC group work demonstrated that participants self-report WTC was consistent with their WTC behavior in group work.,5.,However,participants WTC behavi
23、or in the whole class and in pair work contradicated their WTC reported in the questonnaire.,Move 1a,(background),Move 2a,(SOR),Move 2b,(expansion),13/40,2025/11/10 周一,6.,Results form an examination of the relationship between self-report WTC and WTC behavior in three classroom contexts on an indivi
24、dual basis,were found to be mixed(see Table 4.1).,7.,For half of the class(Sherry,Jerry,Ray and Cathy),self-report WTC was consistent with actual WTC behavior in class,whereas for the other half(Erica,Sophie,Allan and John),self-report WTC contradicted classroom WTC behavior.,Move 2a,(SOR),Move 2b,(
25、expansion),14/40,2025/11/10 周一,8.,It is interesting to note that Erica,who reported high WTC in the questionnaire,appeared to demonstrate low WTC across the three class situations,as well as appearing to lack interest in class,.,9.,She was observed to be rather quiet and worked on the tasks by herse
26、lf most of the time.,10.,Sometimes the teacher had to call her to answer questions.,11.,In the interview,she attrivuted her extremely low participation across all contexts to the classmates whom she seemed to be unfamiliar with,and some of whom,to her,seemed to have snatched opportunities for commun
27、ication.,12.,For this learner,WTC did indeed appear to be influenced by lack of familiarity with interlocutors and lack of appropriate opportunities to participate in class.,13.,Likewise,Allan and John,who reported high WTC,seemed to be relatively quiet in the classroom.,14.,Both denonstrated low wi
28、llingness to communicate,particularly in the whole class situations.,Move 3d,(illustration),Move 3a,(explanation),Move 3d,(illustration),15/40,2025/11/10 周一,15.,This may have been due to an over-optimistic self-reporting of their WTC,suggesting,perhaps,that their self-report WTC was in effect paying
29、lip service to the survey,without actually having made any commitment to participate actively(Dornyei and Kormos:290).,16.,In other words,they may have been concerned about presenting themselves favorably,thus causeing them to respond inaccurately.,17.,Another possible interpretation could be that t
30、hey had high trait WTC,but they may have needed extra encouragement from the teacher,and more cooperation from their peer classmates,for them to particitpate more.,18.,Allan actually expressed his concern in the interview that there were not any chances to talk when the teacher talked most of the ti
31、me in the whole class situation.,Move 3a,(explanation),Move 3c,(previous research),Move 3a,(explanation),16/40,2025/11/10 周一,19.,Sophie,who belonged to the group of low WTCin self-report,on the other hand,showed very high WTC in the whole class and was an equally active participant in pair and group
32、 work.,20.,Her self-report WTC seemed to contradict her claim of herself being generally an extroverted and talkative person,a personality trait which was manifested in her actual behavior in class.,21.,The findings above seemed to reveal the dual characteristics of WTC proposed in previous studies:
33、the trait-like WTC and the situation-based WTC.,22.,MacIntyre et al.s(1998:546)claim that WTC in L2 should not be limited to a trait-like variable but a situational variable with both transient and enduring influences appeared to be supported by the findings of this study.,Move 3d,(illustration),Mov
34、e 3e,(claim),Move 3c,(previous research),17/40,2025/11/10 周一,23.,It is possible,however,that learners WTC behavior in the class context was influenced by both trait-level WTC and state-level WTC.,24.,As MacIntyre et al.s(1999)has pointed out,trait WTC may bring an individual into situations in which
35、 communication was likely,but once in a particular situation,state WTC could influence whether communication would take place.,25.,MacIntyre and his colleagues argued that state WTC predicted and affected the decision to initiate communication within a particular situation,shich may explain the disc
36、repancy between self-report WTC and WTC class behavior among half of the participants in the present study.,26.,Although their trait-level WTC determined their general tendency in communication,state-level WTC appeared to have a particularly strong impact on the participants communication behavior i
37、n particular class context.,27.,Their state-level WTC seedmed to be influenced by a variety of factors,which will be discussed in Section 5.5.,Move 3e,(claim),Move 3f,(previous research),Move 3e,(claim),18/40,2025/11/10 周一,28.,The findings of the relationship between self-report WTC and WTC behavior
38、 in class in this study do not appear to fully support those of Chan and McCroskey,(1987),in which observational data indicated that fewer of the students who had low scores on the WTC scale participated in class,than those who scored high on the scale.,29.,In Chan and McCroskeys study,more of the t
39、otal participation in class came from students with high scores than from students with low scores.,30.,They therefore concluded that class participation may be in large measure a function of an individuals orentation toward communication(trait WTC).,31.,The results of the current study do not suppo
40、rt this conclusion.,32.,A possible explanation is that Chan and McCroskey considered students participation in class where L1 instead of L2 was used.,33.,This would make the findings of the present study not comparable with those of Chan and McCroskeys,since WTC in L2 was unlikey to bea,simple manif
41、estation of WTC in the,Move 3b,(unexpected),Move 3c,(previous research),Move 3a,(explanation),19/40,2025/11/10 周一,L1 MacIntyre et al.s(1998:546).,34.,It was also possible that not all learners with high WTC in the present study exhibited high participation.,35.,Similar results to those of Chan and M
42、cCroskey may have been found had the sample size been larger.,36.,The findings of the present study do,however,support Weavers()conclusion that students WTC within the EFL classroom varied significantly across different speaking situations and tasks.,Move 3b,(unexpected),Move 3c,(previous research),
43、20/40,2025/11/10 周一,37.,The findings also lend support to MacIntyre et al.s(a:377)acknowledgement of the weakenss of the self-report questionnnaire as a reliable method for exaniming state WTC,because thinking about communication in the L2 is different from actually doing it.,38.,While their study f
44、ailed to find any evidence for the existence of stated WTC by using the single method of a self-report survey,in the present study,state WTC was identified by observation of WTC in three classroom contexts.,39.,On this basis,structured observation is proposed as a more suitable method for the examin
45、ation of state WTC,a variable difficult to identify by using a single self-report technique.,Move 3b,(expected),Move 3c,(previous research),Moves 3g&h,(further research&justification),21/40,2025/11/10 周一,1.,Sentences 1-2:,a restatement of the question being addressed.,2.,Sentences 3-7:,a statement o
46、f result is presented with a short expansion.,3.Illustrations of the statement of result are then presented,first those revealing the same patternErica(,sentences 8-12,)and Allen and John(,sentences 13-1,8)and then an illustration of the opposite pattern Sophie(,sentences 19-20,).,4.In prestenting t
47、he first group of illustrations,explanations are also offered.Previous research was referred to once in order to support the explanation being given.,5.As a result of these illustrations of the statement of result,further claims are made(,sentences21-27,)and these are supported with reference to pre
48、vious research.,22/40,2025/11/10 周一,6.the extent to which the results were expected or unexpected in light of previous research is then considered(,sentences 28-38,).First the author considers the research that her results do not support(,sentences 28-35,)and,in doing so,offers some explanations(,se
49、ntences 32-35,).Then she refers to studies that do support her results(,sentences 26-38,).,7.The discussion closes with a recommendation and justification for further research(,sentences 39,).,8.The author then moves on to discuss her results for the second reserarch question.However,we will focus o
50、ur attention now on part of her discussion of the results for research question 4.,23/40,2025/11/10 周一,Research Question 4,Research question 4 investigated the factors that could have an influence on willingness to communicate behaviour in class.In a separate sub-section for each factor,the author c






