In the discussion section of your dissertation, one should explain the implications of the results. While many students will often just descriptively repeat the results, chairs are looking for the larger picture when it comes to your findings. As such, this is where your implications come in.
The most important questions to ask yourself when looking at your findings are: why is this important? How do my findings apply to the real world? What are some things that could potentially happen because of this new information? These are the roots of your implications. By highlighting the real-world importance of your findings, you demonstrate the social significance of your study. This is what chairs are looking for.
Implications not only detail the social significance of your study, but provide realistic methods for addressing the problem you presented within the first chapter of your dissertation. Even if you failed to solve your problem, which often happens, you are still able to talk about why your findings matter in the larger realm of interest on the issue you addressed. If your findings differ from expectations, you’ve opened a new avenue for future research. Implications also serve as a roadmap for individuals involved in public policy decisions, who will apply your findings and explain their importance to the causes they support.
Note that your implications differ from your recommendations for future practice or research, which later sections will discuss. While other sections address shortcomings, implications focus on your study’s strengths: findings, importance, and real-world application.
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