Seminar 18 How to Write Discussion (3)

1. Seminar 18 How to write Discussion (1)

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2. Agenda

• Summarising key findings
• Comparing primary and secondary data
• Structuring the Discussion section
• Introduction of interpretation in discussion writing.
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3.

Lead in
• What information should be included in the Results section?
• What is the difference between the Results (Data Analysis) and
Discussion (Data Interpretation)?
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4. Activity 1: Identify a problem

1. Online learning is flexible and convenient. Ali studies online, so he will perform better than
students in face-to-face classes.
2. Group work improves communication skills. Sara participates in group work, so her
communication skills must be excellent.
3. Students who are confident, speak more in class. John speaks a lot during lessons, so he must be
confident.
4. Using technology makes lessons more engaging. The teacher used digital tools in class, so all
students were engaged.
5. Students who enjoy a subject achieve higher grades. Lina enjoys her course, so she will get high
marks.
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5. Note

To write a strong Discussion section, it is important to consider
both your key findings and relevant sources to make balanced
and well-supported argument
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6. What factors influence students’ participation during in-class activities at university?

Activity 2 Comparing Research Results
What factors influence students’ participation during inclass activities at university?
Source: https://share.google/QMdxF5rro1hwQD07H
Source: https://share.google/4Bz8a5EWicMc82LKF

7. Discuss the following questions

Activity 2 Task B Summarizing Key Findings
Discuss the following questions
• Which factors appear most frequently in the class findings?
• Are there any noticeable similarities or differences between male and
female students?
• How can these key findings be summarized in two or three clear
academic sentences?
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8. Activity 2 Task C Comparing Primary and Secondary Findings

A recent study investigated how interactive teaching methods, constructive feedback,
and positive teacher-student relationships influence student participation in
university classrooms. The research found that when teachers involve students in
discussions, provide timely and supportive feedback, and create a respectful learning
environment, students are more motivated and confident to participate in class
activities. These factors help increase students’ active engagement and willingness to
contribute to classroom discussions (Yasmin et al., 2026).
Yasmin, F. et al. (2026). Teacher activities and student participation in university classrooms: a cross-sectional study in the technological
era, Scientific Reports, 16, 5325. Available from https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36080-6 [Accessed 28 February 2026].
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9. Useful language for comparison

This finding is consistent with;
Similarly;
In contrast to the previous studies (Author’s last name and year of
publication);
However;
Unlike the findings of..
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10. Activity 2 Task D How to Write a Discussion Section?

https://youtu.be/LfCGoWtF_tc?si=1dWGCVDrXT1UGrJ2
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11. True or False

1. The discussion section is the place where you interpret and evaluate your results.
2. The discussion section should include new data or information that was not previously
mentioned in the results section.
3. It is important to provide a clear and concise summary of your findings in the discussion
section.
4. In the discussion section, you should only focus on the limitations of your study.
5. It is recommended to make broad generalizations and assumptions in the discussion section.
6. Including suggestions for future research is not necessary in the discussion section.
7. Citing relevant literature is not important in the discussion section.
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12. Discussion SHOULD include:

Overview of the section
• The summary of the major findings of the study
• How these findings relate to what others have done
(comparison/contrast with other studies mentioned in
the Thematic Synthesis)
• Interpretation of those findings
• Limitations or weaknesses of the findings
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13. Discussion should NOT include:

New results or data not presented previously in
the paper
• Unwarranted speculation
• Conclusions not supported by your data
• Statistics
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14. Activity 3 Task A. Analysing sample Discussion section (available in LMS)

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15. Based on reading answer the following questions

1. What was the purpose of the current study?
2. What issues does the study aim to investigate?
3. What were the main findings?
4. Did the study answer the research question (s)?
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16. Activity 3. Task B. Answer the given questions based on the reading

1.Which results are especially significant?
2. What do these results mean or suggest?
3. Were these results expected or unexpected?
4. What factors might explain these findings?
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17. Practice

Read the sentence and identify the function of the highlighted part
of the sentence
Findings show that in all aspects of a healthy lifestyle, the
university students in the medical university are better than students
in the three-year college and comprehensive university, which may
be because training of medical curricula make the medical students
pay more attention to adopt healthy lifestyle.
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18. Homework

Start drafting your Discussion section by
summarising the main findings.
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