Basic
Concepts of Quantitative Research
Dr. R. Ouyang
Conclusion and Recommendation
If a research is to investigate the effectiveness of reviews in increasing retention of mathematical rules, after the results are discussed, the statement of conclusion may similarly like "It was found that while review groups retained significantly more than the no-review group (F= 6.96. df = 1/48, p < .5)."
Two common errors committed by beginning researchers
Two common errors committed by beginning researchers are to confuse results and conclusion and to over-generalize the results.
Results vs. conclusion: A result is the outcome of a rest of significance, for example, the mean of group one is found to be significantly larger than the mean of group two. The corresponding conclusion is that the original hypothesis was supported and that method A was more effective than method B.
Over-generalization of the results: Over-generalization refers to the statement of conclusions that are not warranted by the results. For Example, if a group of first graders receiving personalized instruction were found to achieve significantly higher on a test of reading comprehension than a group receiving traditional instruction, it would be an overgeneralization to conclude that personalized instruction is a superior method of instruction for elementary students
The researcher should discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and make recommendations for future research or future action. For example, a study finding type of feedback to be a factor in retention might suggest that amount of feedback may also a factor, and recommend further research in that area.
Reference:
Gay, L. R. (1996). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.