dissertation motivation section

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What is the difference between "introduction" and "motivation" sections

I am working on a paper about a web data extractor (an application, I developed based on a unique approach). In the introduction I had a short review on the history of such applications (from hard-code to graphical user interface) and said my application belong to this latest group. However, I didn't say much about the approach I adopted in the application. I left it to be discussed in the motivation section.

In motivation section I counted the features of existing approaches and described the features of the approach I followed.

Now I think maybe I should merge these two sections into one section, as I read the introduction I can't get what is the difference of my application with existing. Should such information be put in the introduction?

In general, what is the scope of 'Introduction' and 'Motivation' sections?

• publications

2 Answers 2

Introduction: what.

The introduction of a scientific publication is where you explain the background of your research. What are you building on? What does the reader need to know to properly understand your presented work? What is your hypothesis (if this sort of thing is relevant to your field)?

Motivation: WHY

The motivation section explains the importance behind your research. Why should the reader care? Why is your research the most groundbreaking piece of scientific knowledge since sliced bread (or CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing)?

Some people do combine the introduction and the motivation, it really depends on the research and the researcher. There is generally a fair amount of overlap between introducing related work, and then saying that your work goes above and beyond this previous research. Remember that these are just two of the big questions you need to answer with your paper. Others include:

Methods: HOW

Results: what happened, discussion: so.

They are whatever you want them to be. Neither of them are required by any journal that I know of. These kinds of sections are just conventional. You want to tell a story leading your readers from where you started to what you learned. That's basically it. The sections like Introduction, Motivation, Literature Review, Prior Work, Methodology, Approach, Results, Discussion, Future Work, and Conclusions are sign posts to help your readers know what you're about to tell them about. Readers can use them to skip around if they are skimming your article.

If you want to combine your Introduction and Motivation into one introductory section, that's up to you. Just tell a good, coherent story that leads your reader through your material.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Setting Goals & Staying Motivated 

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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This vidcast talks about how to set goals and how to maintain motivation for long writing tasks. When setting goals for a writing project, it is important to think about goals for the entire project and also goals for specific writing times. These latter goals should be specific, measurable, and manageable within the time allotted for writing. The section on motivation shares ideas for boosting motivation over the course of a long writing project. The handouts on goal-setting and staying productive, as well as the scholarly writing inventory, complement the material in this vidcast and should be used in conjunction with it. 

Note: Closed-captioning and a full  transcript  are available for this vidcast. 

Handouts 

Goal-Setting for your Personal Intensive Writing Experience (IWE) | [PDF]

This handout guides writers through the important process of goal-setting for the personal Intensive Writing Experience. Specifically, it talks about how to (1) formulate specific, measurable, and reasonable writing goals, (2) set an overall IWE goal, (3) break up the overall goal into smaller, daily goals, and (4) break up daily goals into smaller goals for individual writing sessions. Writers are prompted to clear their head of distracting thoughts before each writing session and, after each session, to debrief on their progress and recalibrate goals as needed. 

Scholarly Writing Inventory (PDF) 

This questionnaire helps writers identify and inventory their personal strengths and weaknesses as scholarly writers. Specifically, writers are prompted to answer questions pertaining to (1) the emotional/psychological aspects of writing, (2) writing routines, (3) research, (4) organization, (5) citation, (6) mechanics, (7) social support, and (8) access to help. By completing this questionnaire, scholarly writers will find themselves in a better position to build upon their strengths and address their weaknesses. 

Stay ing Productive for Long Writing Tasks (PDF)

This resource offers some practical tips and tools to assist writers in staying productive for extended periods of time in the face of common challenges like procrastination. It discusses how the process of writing is more than putting words on a page and offers suggestions for addressing negative emotions towards writing, such as anxiety. The handout also lays out helpful methods for staying productive for long writing tasks: (1) time-based methods, (2) social-based methods, (3) output-based methods, (4) reward-based methods, and (5) mixed methods. 

How To Write A Dissertation Introduction

A Simple Explainer With Examples + Free Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By Dr Eunice Rautenbach (D. Tech) | March 2020

If you’re reading this, you’re probably at the daunting early phases of writing up the introduction chapter of your dissertation or thesis. It can be intimidating, I know. 

In this post, we’ll look at the 7 essential ingredients of a strong dissertation or thesis introduction chapter, as well as the essential things you need to keep in mind as you craft each section. We’ll also share some useful tips to help you optimize your approach.

Overview: Writing An Introduction Chapter

• The purpose and function of the intro chapter
• Craft an enticing and engaging opening section
• Provide a background and context to the study
• Clearly define the research problem
• State your research aims, objectives and questions
• Explain the significance of your study
• Identify the limitations of your research
• Outline the structure of your dissertation or thesis

A quick sidenote:

You’ll notice that I’ve used the words dissertation and thesis interchangeably. While these terms reflect different levels of research – for example, Masters vs PhD-level research – the introduction chapter generally contains the same 7 essential ingredients regardless of level. So, in this post, dissertation introduction equals thesis introduction.

Start with why.

To craft a high-quality dissertation or thesis introduction chapter, you need to understand exactly what this chapter needs to achieve. In other words, what’s its purpose ? As the name suggests, the introduction chapter needs to introduce the reader to your research so that they understand what you’re trying to figure out, or what problem you’re trying to solve. More specifically, you need to answer four important questions in your introduction chapter.

These questions are:

• What will you be researching? (in other words, your research topic)
• Why is that worthwhile? (in other words, your justification)
• What will the scope of your research be? (in other words, what will you cover and what won’t you cover)
• What will the limitations of your research be? (in other words, what will the potential shortcomings of your research be?)

Simply put, your dissertation’s introduction chapter needs to provide an overview of your planned research , as well as a clear rationale for it. In other words, this chapter has to explain the “what” and the “why” of your research – what’s it all about and why’s that important.

Simple enough, right?

Well, the trick is finding the appropriate depth of information. As the researcher, you’ll be extremely close to your topic and this makes it easy to get caught up in the minor details. While these intricate details might be interesting, you need to write your introduction chapter on more of a “need-to-know” type basis, or it will end up way too lengthy and dense. You need to balance painting a clear picture with keeping things concise. Don’t worry though – you’ll be able to explore all the intricate details in later chapters.

Now that you understand what you need to achieve from your introduction chapter, we can get into the details. While the exact requirements for this chapter can vary from university to university, there are seven core components that most universities will require. We call these the seven essential ingredients . 

The 7 Essential Ingredients

• The opening section – where you’ll introduce the reader to your research in high-level terms
• The background to the study – where you’ll explain the context of your project
• The research problem – where you’ll explain the “gap” that exists in the current research
• The research aims , objectives and questions – where you’ll clearly state what your research will aim to achieve
• The significance (or justification) – where you’ll explain why your research is worth doing and the value it will provide to the world
• The limitations – where you’ll acknowledge the potential limitations of your project and approach
• The structure – where you’ll briefly outline the structure of your dissertation or thesis to help orient the reader

By incorporating these seven essential ingredients into your introduction chapter, you’ll comprehensively cover both the “ what ” and the “ why ” I mentioned earlier – in other words, you’ll achieve the purpose of the chapter.

Side note – you can also use these 7 ingredients in this order as the structure for your chapter to ensure a smooth, logical flow. This isn’t essential, but, generally speaking, it helps create an engaging narrative that’s easy for your reader to understand. If you’d like, you can also download our free introduction chapter template here.

Alright – let’s look at each of the ingredients now.

#1 – The Opening Section

The very first essential ingredient for your dissertation introduction is, well, an introduction or opening section. Just like every other chapter, your introduction chapter needs to start by providing a brief overview of what you’ll be covering in the chapter.

This section needs to engage the reader with clear, concise language that can be easily understood and digested. If the reader (your marker!) has to struggle through it, they’ll lose interest, which will make it harder for you to earn marks. Just because you’re writing an academic paper doesn’t mean you can ignore the basic principles of engaging writing used by marketers, bloggers, and journalists. At the end of the day, you’re all trying to sell an idea – yours is just a research idea.

So, what goes into this opening section?

Well, while there’s no set formula, it’s a good idea to include the following four foundational sentences in your opening section:

1 – A sentence or two introducing the overall field of your research.

For example:

“Organisational skills development involves identifying current or potential skills gaps within a business and developing programs to resolve these gaps. Management research, including X, Y and Z, has clearly established that organisational skills development is an essential contributor to business growth.”

2 – A sentence introducing your specific research problem.

“However, there are conflicting views and an overall lack of research regarding how best to manage skills development initiatives in highly dynamic environments where subject knowledge is rapidly and continuously evolving – for example, in the website development industry.”

3 – A sentence stating your research aims and objectives.

“This research aims to identify and evaluate skills development approaches and strategies for highly dynamic industries in which subject knowledge is continuously evolving.”.

4 – A sentence outlining the layout of the chapter.

“This chapter will provide an introduction to the study by first discussing the background and context, followed by the research problem, the research aims, objectives and questions, the significance and finally, the limitations.”

As I mentioned, this opening section of your introduction chapter shouldn’t be lengthy . Typically, these four sentences should fit neatly into one or two paragraphs, max. What you’re aiming for here is a clear, concise introduction to your research – not a detailed account.

PS – If some of this terminology sounds unfamiliar, don’t stress – I’ll explain each of the concepts later in this post.

#2 – Background to the study

Now that you’ve provided a high-level overview of your dissertation or thesis, it’s time to go a little deeper and lay a foundation for your research topic. This foundation is what the second ingredient is all about – the background to your study.

So, what is the background section all about?

Well, this section of your introduction chapter should provide a broad overview of the topic area that you’ll be researching, as well as the current contextual factors . This could include, for example, a brief history of the topic, recent developments in the area, key pieces of research in the area and so on. In other words, in this section, you need to provide the relevant background information to give the reader a decent foundational understanding of your research area.

Let’s look at an example to make this a little more concrete.

If we stick with the skills development topic I mentioned earlier, the background to the study section would start by providing an overview of the skills development area and outline the key existing research. Then, it would go on to discuss how the modern-day context has created a new challenge for traditional skills development strategies and approaches. Specifically, that in many industries, technical knowledge is constantly and rapidly evolving, and traditional education providers struggle to keep up with the pace of new technologies.

Importantly, you need to write this section with the assumption that the reader is not an expert in your topic area. So, if there are industry-specific jargon and complex terminology, you should briefly explain that here , so that the reader can understand the rest of your document.

Don’t make assumptions about the reader’s knowledge – in most cases, your markers will not be able to ask you questions if they don’t understand something. So, always err on the safe side and explain anything that’s not common knowledge.

#3 – The research problem

Now that you’ve given your reader an overview of your research area, it’s time to get specific about the research problem that you’ll address in your dissertation or thesis. While the background section would have alluded to a potential research problem (or even multiple research problems), the purpose of this section is to narrow the focus and highlight the specific research problem you’ll focus on.

But, what exactly is a research problem, you ask?

Well, a research problem can be any issue or question for which there isn’t already a well-established and agreed-upon answer in the existing research. In other words, a research problem exists when there’s a need to answer a question (or set of questions), but there’s a gap in the existing literature , or the existing research is conflicting and/or inconsistent.

So, to present your research problem, you need to make it clear what exactly is missing in the current literature and why this is a problem . It’s usually a good idea to structure this discussion into three sections – specifically:

• What’s already well-established in the literature (in other words, the current state of research)
• What’s missing in the literature (in other words, the literature gap)
• Why this is a problem (in other words, why it’s important to fill this gap)

Let’s look at an example of this structure using the skills development topic.

Organisational skills development is critically important for employee satisfaction and company performance (reference). Numerous studies have investigated strategies and approaches to manage skills development programs within organisations (reference).

(this paragraph explains what’s already well-established in the literature)

However, these studies have traditionally focused on relatively slow-paced industries where key skills and knowledge do not change particularly often. This body of theory presents a problem for industries that face a rapidly changing skills landscape – for example, the website development industry – where new platforms, languages and best practices emerge on an extremely frequent basis.

(this paragraph explains what’s missing from the literature)

As a result, the existing research is inadequate for industries in which essential knowledge and skills are constantly and rapidly evolving, as it assumes a slow pace of knowledge development. Industries in such environments, therefore, find themselves ill-equipped in terms of skills development strategies and approaches.

(this paragraph explains why the research gap is problematic)

As you can see in this example, in a few lines, we’ve explained (1) the current state of research, (2) the literature gap and (3) why that gap is problematic. By doing this, the research problem is made crystal clear, which lays the foundation for the next ingredient.

#4 – The research aims, objectives and questions

Now that you’ve clearly identified your research problem, it’s time to identify your research aims and objectives , as well as your research questions . In other words, it’s time to explain what you’re going to do about the research problem.

So, what do you need to do here?

Well, the starting point is to clearly state your research aim (or aims) . The research aim is the main goal or the overarching purpose of your dissertation or thesis. In other words, it’s a high-level statement of what you’re aiming to achieve.

Let’s look at an example, sticking with the skills development topic:

“Given the lack of research regarding organisational skills development in fast-moving industries, this study will aim to identify and evaluate the skills development approaches utilised by web development companies in the UK”.

As you can see in this example, the research aim is clearly outlined, as well as the specific context in which the research will be undertaken (in other words, web development companies in the UK).

Next up is the research objective (or objectives) . While the research aims cover the high-level “what”, the research objectives are a bit more practically oriented, looking at specific things you’ll be doing to achieve those research aims.

Let’s take a look at an example of some research objectives (ROs) to fit the research aim.

• RO1 – To identify common skills development strategies and approaches utilised by web development companies in the UK.
• RO2 – To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and approaches.
• RO3 – To compare and contrast these strategies and approaches in terms of their strengths and weaknesses.

As you can see from this example, these objectives describe the actions you’ll take and the specific things you’ll investigate in order to achieve your research aims. They break down the research aims into more specific, actionable objectives.

The final step is to state your research questions . Your research questions bring the aims and objectives another level “down to earth”. These are the specific questions that your dissertation or theses will seek to answer. They’re not fluffy, ambiguous or conceptual – they’re very specific and you’ll need to directly answer them in your conclusions chapter .

The research questions typically relate directly to the research objectives and sometimes can look a bit obvious, but they are still extremely important. Let’s take a look at an example of the research questions (RQs) that would flow from the research objectives I mentioned earlier.

• RQ1 – What skills development strategies and approaches are currently being used by web development companies in the UK?
• RQ2 – How effective are each of these strategies and approaches?
• RQ3 – What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of these strategies and approaches?

As you can see, the research questions mimic the research objectives , but they are presented in question format. These questions will act as the driving force throughout your dissertation or thesis – from the literature review to the methodology and onward – so they’re really important.

A final note about this section – it’s really important to be clear about the scope of your study (more technically, the delimitations ). In other words, what you WILL cover and what you WON’T cover. If your research aims, objectives and questions are too broad, you’ll risk losing focus or investigating a problem that is too big to solve within a single dissertation.

Simply put, you need to establish clear boundaries in your research. You can do this, for example, by limiting it to a specific industry, country or time period. That way, you’ll ringfence your research, which will allow you to investigate your topic deeply and thoroughly – which is what earns marks!

Need a helping hand?

#5 – Significance

Now that you’ve made it clear what you’ll be researching, it’s time to make a strong argument regarding your study’s importance and significance . In other words, now that you’ve covered the what, it’s time to cover the why – enter essential ingredient number 5 – significance.

Of course, by this stage, you’ve already briefly alluded to the importance of your study in your background and research problem sections, but you haven’t explicitly stated how your research findings will benefit the world . So, now’s your chance to clearly state how your study will benefit either industry , academia , or – ideally – both . In other words, you need to explain how your research will make a difference and what implications it will have .

Let’s take a look at an example.

“This study will contribute to the body of knowledge on skills development by incorporating skills development strategies and approaches for industries in which knowledge and skills are rapidly and constantly changing. This will help address the current shortage of research in this area and provide real-world value to organisations operating in such dynamic environments.”

As you can see in this example, the paragraph clearly explains how the research will help fill a gap in the literature and also provide practical real-world value to organisations.

This section doesn’t need to be particularly lengthy, but it does need to be convincing . You need to “sell” the value of your research here so that the reader understands why it’s worth committing an entire dissertation or thesis to it. This section needs to be the salesman of your research. So, spend some time thinking about the ways in which your research will make a unique contribution to the world and how the knowledge you create could benefit both academia and industry – and then “sell it” in this section.

#6 – The limitations

Now that you’ve “sold” your research to the reader and hopefully got them excited about what’s coming up in the rest of your dissertation, it’s time to briefly discuss the potential limitations of your research.

But you’re probably thinking, hold up – what limitations? My research is well thought out and carefully designed – why would there be limitations?

Well, no piece of research is perfect . This is especially true for a dissertation or thesis – which typically has a very low or zero budget, tight time constraints and limited researcher experience. Generally, your dissertation will be the first or second formal research project you’ve ever undertaken, so it’s unlikely to win any research awards…

Simply put, your research will invariably have limitations. Don’t stress yourself out though – this is completely acceptable (and expected). Even “professional” research has limitations – as I said, no piece of research is perfect. The key is to recognise the limitations upfront and be completely transparent about them, so that future researchers are aware of them and can improve the study’s design to minimise the limitations and strengthen the findings.

Generally, you’ll want to consider at least the following four common limitations. These are:

• Your scope – for example, perhaps your focus is very narrow and doesn’t consider how certain variables interact with each other.
• Your research methodology – for example, a qualitative methodology could be criticised for being overly subjective, or a quantitative methodology could be criticised for oversimplifying the situation (learn more about methodologies here ).
• Your resources – for example, a lack of time, money, equipment and your own research experience.
• The generalisability of your findings – for example, the findings from the study of a specific industry or country can’t necessarily be generalised to other industries or countries.

Don’t be shy here. There’s no use trying to hide the limitations or weaknesses of your research. In fact, the more critical you can be of your study, the better. The markers want to see that you are aware of the limitations as this demonstrates your understanding of research design – so be brutal.

#7 – The structural outline

Now that you’ve clearly communicated what your research is going to be about, why it’s important and what the limitations of your research will be, the final ingredient is the structural outline.The purpose of this section is simply to provide your reader with a roadmap of what to expect in terms of the structure of your dissertation or thesis.

In this section, you’ll need to provide a brief summary of each chapter’s purpose and contents (including the introduction chapter). A sentence or two explaining what you’ll do in each chapter is generally enough to orient the reader. You don’t want to get too detailed here – it’s purely an outline, not a summary of your research.

Let’s look at an example:

In Chapter One, the context of the study has been introduced. The research objectives and questions have been identified, and the value of such research argued. The limitations of the study have also been discussed.

In Chapter Two, the existing literature will be reviewed and a foundation of theory will be laid out to identify key skills development approaches and strategies within the context of fast-moving industries, especially technology-intensive industries.

In Chapter Three, the methodological choices will be explored. Specifically, the adoption of a qualitative, inductive research approach will be justified, and the broader research design will be discussed, including the limitations thereof.

So, as you can see from the example, this section is simply an outline of the chapter structure, allocating a short paragraph to each chapter. Done correctly, the outline will help your reader understand what to expect and reassure them that you’ll address the multiple facets of the study.

By the way – if you’re unsure of how to structure your dissertation or thesis, be sure to check out our video post which explains dissertation structure .

Keep calm and carry on.

Hopefully you feel a bit more prepared for this challenge of crafting your dissertation or thesis introduction chapter now. Take a deep breath and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day – conquer one ingredient at a time and you’ll be firmly on the path to success.

Let’s quickly recap – the 7 ingredients are:

• The opening section – where you give a brief, high-level overview of what your research will be about.
• The study background – where you introduce the reader to key theory, concepts and terminology, as well as the context of your study.
• The research problem – where you explain what the problem with the current research is. In other words, the research gap.
• The research aims , objectives and questions – where you clearly state what your dissertation will investigate.
• The significance – where you explain what value your research will provide to the world.
• The limitations – where you explain what the potential shortcomings and limitations of your research may be.
• The structural outline – where you provide a high-level overview of the structure of your document

If you bake these ingredients into your dissertation introduction chapter, you’ll be well on your way to building an engaging introduction chapter that lays a rock-solid foundation for the rest of your document.

Remember, while we’ve covered the essential ingredients here, there may be some additional components that your university requires, so be sure to double-check your project brief!

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

44 Comments

Thanks very much for such an insight. I feel confident enough in undertaking my thesis on the survey;The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction

Glad to hear that. Good luck with your thesis!

Thanks very much for such an insight. I feel confident now undertaking my thesis; The future of facial recognition and learning non verbal interaction.

Thanks so much for this article. I found myself struggling and wasting a lot of time in my thesis writing but after reading this article and watching some of your youtube videos, I now have a clear understanding of what is required for a thesis.

Thank you Derek, i find your each post so useful. Keep it up.

Thank you so much Derek ,for shedding the light and making it easier for me to handle the daunting task of academic writing .

Thanks do much Dereck for the comprehensive guide. It will assist me queit a lot in my thesis.

thanks a lot for helping

i LOVE the gifs, such a fun way to engage readers. thanks for the advice, much appreciated

Thanks a lot Derek! It will be really useful to the beginner in research!

You’re welcome

This is a well written, easily comprehensible, simple introduction to the basics of a Research Dissertation../the need to keep the reader in mind while writing the dissertation is an important point that is covered../ I appreciate the efforts of the author../

The instruction given are perfect and clear. I was supposed to take the course , unfortunately in Nepal the service is not avaialble.However, I am much more hopeful that you will provide require documents whatever you have produced so far.

Thank you very much

Thanks so much ❤️😘 I feel am ready to start writing my research methodology

This is genuinely the most effective advice I have ever been given regarding academia. Thank you so much!

This is one of the best write up I have seen in my road to PhD thesis. regards, this write up update my knowledge of research

I was looking for some good blogs related to Education hopefully your article will help. Thanks for sharing.

This is an awesome masterpiece. It is one of the most comprehensive guides to writing a Dissertation/Thesis I have seen and read.

You just saved me from going astray in writing a Dissertation for my undergraduate studies. I could not be more grateful for such a relevant guide like this. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much Derek, this has been extremely helpful!!

I do have one question though, in the limitations part do you refer to the scope as the focus of the research on a specific industry/country/chronological period? I assume that in order to talk about whether or not the research could be generalized, the above would need to be already presented and described in the introduction.

Thank you again!

Phew! You have genuinely rescued me. I was stuck how to go about my thesis. Now l have started. Thank you.

This is the very best guide in anything that has to do with thesis or dissertation writing. The numerous blends of examples and detailed insights make it worth a read and in fact, a treasure that is worthy to be bookmarked.

Thanks a lot for this masterpiece!

Powerful insight. I can now take a step

Thank you very much for these valuable introductions to thesis chapters. I saw all your videos about writing the introduction, discussion, and conclusion chapter. Then, I am wondering if we need to explain our research limitations in all three chapters, introduction, discussion, and conclusion? Isn’t it a bit redundant? If not, could you please explain how can we write in different ways? Thank you.

Excellent!!! Thank you…

Thanks for this informative content. I have a question. The research gap is mentioned in both the introduction and literature section. I would like to know how can I demonstrate the research gap in both sections without repeating the contents?

I’m incredibly grateful for this invaluable content. I’ve been dreading compiling my postgrad thesis but breaking each chapter down into sections has made it so much easier for me to engage with the material without feeling overwhelmed. After relying on your guidance, I’m really happy with how I’ve laid out my introduction.

Thank you for the informative content you provided

Hi Derrick and Team, thank you so much for the comprehensive guide on how to write a dissertation or a thesis introduction section. For some of us first-timers, it is a daunting task. However, the instruction with relevant examples makes it clear and easy to follow through. Much appreciated.

It was so helpful. God Bless you. Thanks very much

I thank you Grad coach for your priceless help. I have two questions I have learned from your video the limitations of the research presented in chapter one. but in another video also presented in chapter five. which chapter limitation should be included? If possible, I need your answer since I am doing my thesis. how can I explain If I am asked what is my motivation for this research?

You explain what moment in life caused you to have a peaked interest in the thesis topic. Personal experiences? Or something that had an impact on your life, or others. Something would have caused your drive of topic. Dig deep inside, the answer is within you!

Thank you guys for the great work you are doing. Honestly, you have made the research to be interesting and simplified. Even a novice will easily grasp the ideas you put forward, Thank you once again.

Excellent piece!

I feel like just settling for a good topic is usually the hardest part.

Thank you so much. My confidence has been completely destroyed during my first year of PhD and you have helped me pull myself together again

Happy to help 🙂

I am so glad I ran into your resources and did not waste time doing the wrong this. Research is now making so much sense now.

Gratitude to Derrick and the team I was looking for a solid article that would aid me in drafting the thesis’ introduction. I felt quite happy when I came across the piece you wrote because it was so well-written and insightful. I wish you success in the future.

thank you so much. God Bless you

Thank you so much Grad Coach for these helpful insights. Now I can get started, with a great deal of confidence.

It’s ‘alluded to’ not ‘eluded to’.

This is great!

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• GETTING STARTED
• Introduction
• FUNDAMENTALS
• Acknowledgements
• Research questions & hypotheses
• Concepts, constructs & variables
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The purpose statement

The purpose statement is made up of three major components: (1) the motivation driving your dissertation; (2) the significance of the research you plan to carry out; and (3) the research questions you are going to address. Starting the first major chapter of your dissertation (usually Chapter One: Introduction ), the purpose statement establishes the intent of your entire dissertation. Just like a great song that needs a great "hook", the purpose statement needs to draw the reader in and keep their attention. This article explains the purpose of each of these three components that make up the purpose statement.

The "motivation" driving your dissertation

The "significance" of the research you plan to carry out, the "research questions" you are going to address.

Your choice of dissertation topic should be driven by some kind of motivation . This motivation is usually a problem or issue that you feel needs to be addressed or solved. This part of the purpose statement aims to answer the question: Why should we care? In other words, why should we be interested in the research problem or issue that you want to address?

The types of motivation that may drive your dissertation will vary depending on the subject area you are studying, as well as the specific dissertation topic you are interested in. However, some of the broad types of motivation that undergraduate and master's level dissertation students try to address are based around (a) individuals , (b) organisations , and/or (c) society .

Individuals face many problems and issues ranging from those associated with welfare , to health , prosperity , freedoms , security , and so on. From a health perspective, you may be concerned with the rise in childhood obesity and the potential need for regulation to combat the advertising of fast food to children. In terms of welfare and freedoms , you may be interested in the introduction of new legislation that aims to protect discrimination in the workplace, and its implications for small businesses.

Organisations also have a wide range of problems and issues that need to be addressed, whether relating to people , finances , operations , competition , regulations , and so forth. From a people perspective, you may be interested in how organisations use flexible working options to alleviate employee stress and burnout. In terms of regulations , you may be concerned with the growth in Internet piracy and the ways that organisations are dealing with such a threat.

Society is another lens through which you can view problems and issues that need to be addressed. These may relate to a wide range of societal risks or other problems and issues such as factory farming, the potential legalisation of marijuana, the health-related effects of talking on cell phones, and so forth. You may be interested in understanding individuals? views towards the potential legalisation of marijuana; or how these views are influenced by individuals? knowledge of the side-effects of marijuana use.

When communicating the motivation driving your dissertation to the reader, it is important to explain why the problem or issue you are addressing is interesting : that is, why should the reader care? It is not sufficient to simply state what the problem or issue is.

Whilst the motivation component of your purpose statement explains why the reader should care about your dissertation, the significance component justifies the value of the dissertation. In other words: What contribution will the dissertation make to the literature? Why should anyone bother to perform this research? What is its value?

Even though dissertations are rarely "ground-breaking" at the undergraduate or master's level (and are not expected to be), they should still be significant in some way. This component of the Introduction chapter, which follows the motivation section, should explain what this significance is. In this respect, your research may be significant in one of a number of ways. It may:

Capitalise on a recent event

Reflect a break from the past

Target a new audience

Address a flaw in a previous study

Expand a particular field of study

Help an individual, group, organisation, or community

When writing your purpose statement, you will need to explain the relationship between the motivation driving your dissertation and the significance of the research you plan to carry out. These two factors - motivation and significance - must be intrinsically linked; that is, you cannot have one without the other. The key point is that you must be able to explain the relationship between the motivation driving your dissertation and one (or more) of the types of significance highlighted in the bullets above.

The motivation and significance components of your Introduction chapter should signal to the reader the general intent of your dissertation. However, the research questions that you set out indicate the specific intent of your dissertation. In other words, your research questions tell the reader exactly what you intend to try and address (or answer) throughout the dissertation process.

In addition, since there are different types of research question (i.e., quantitative , qualitative and mixed methods research questions), it should be obvious from the significance component of your purpose statement which of these types of research question you intend to tackle [see the section, Research Questions , to learn more].

Having established the research questions you are going to address, this completes the purpose statement. At this point, the reader should be clear about the overall intent of your dissertation. If you are in the process of writing up your dissertation, we would recommend including a Chapter Summaries section after the Research Questions section of your Introduction chapter. This helps to let the reader know what to expect next from your dissertation.

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8 Motivational Tips for Dissertation Writing

By  Elisa Modolo

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Writing a dissertation is a grueling process that does not just require academic prowess, an excellent writing style and mastery of a very specific area of knowledge. It also demands discipline (in setting a writing schedule), perseverance (in keeping that schedule) and motivation (to get the writing done and the project completed).

The beginning of the academic year, with its array of looming deadlines, administrative procedures and mandatory adviser/graduate students/department meetings, can make it difficult to find motivation and hold on to it. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its utter disruption of normal operations, exacerbates this problem even further.

So, if you need additional motivation in these trying times, maybe a practice I followed when writing my own dissertation can help. I call it Motivational Post-it: a series of brief slogans to write on Post-it notes and put all over your desk or workstation, so you can see them every time you sit down to work. Here are some of mine.

Start with one (line/page). The idea of writing what may amount to hundreds of pages can feel disheartening, especially if you just started your project. So, if you find yourself staring at a white page while the white page stares back at you, don't think about the arduous work ahead. Focus on the present rather than the future. Start with one line or page. One is better than zero, and the lines, as well as pages, will accumulate over time if you keep it going regularly. Breaking down the work in more manageable chunks will get you writing and help you push through your writer's block.

Obsessing is not progressing. This is for all the perfectionists out there. I know it is not realistic to just stop obsessing on each line/quote/passage if you have done it for years and that is precisely what makes you great in an academic environment. Been there, done that! Thus, I propose what I call a “timed obsession”: leave a brief period -- such as three days -- out of the allotted time to obsess over the details of a specific chapter or phase of the project. Then, whether that chapter/project is now up to your standards or not, after your timed obsession, you let it go . You send it in as it is.

Finished is better than perfect. This is again along the lines of perfectionism, but it applies more broadly to the dissertation in its entirety rather than to the single chapters. Your dissertation is not (yet) an academic book. It has to pass the scrutiny of your dissertation committee -- not be published by a prestigious academic publishing house. Even if you wish to publish it in the future, that is not your goal right now.

Remember: the perfect dissertation does not exist, and a good dissertation is a finished or written dissertation. Prioritize writing all the chapters or completing all the experiments or sets of data rather than spending precious time refining small details in already written chapters.

Interruptions happen. When creating your writing schedule, try to plan with reasonable expectations on the amount and quality of your writing. That means you will need to accommodate the fact that some days you will exceed your writing goals, and some days you will not reach them, so your schedule will have to be adjusted accordingly.

Remember also to account for interruptions: it is normal and human to feel physically exhausted and/or emotionally drained in the middle of the daily emergency that is COVID-19. Recognize that such times will come and that you need a writing schedule flexible enough to allow you to get back on track without feeling overwhelmed.

Work backward. Write your introduction at the end. The intro to your entire dissertation? After you have written all the chapters, so you know precisely where you are going and which considerations to highlight. The intro to each single chapter? Again, after you have conducted your analysis, so you know which points you want your readers to concentrate on. In this way, you will create a more compelling text and avoid losing writing time at the very beginning that should be dedicated to the meat of your argument. (Note: This approach may not apply to those dissertations that acquire a linear approach.)

The most you can do is your best. Give it your best shot. Still feeling like your argument could have been more convincing or better framed? You did what you could, so you are at peace with your conscience. You cannot do more than your best.

Celebrate your accomplishments. Celebrate your achievements to feed your motivation. You sent your chapter in? Take one day to destress -- possibly with some pampering -- and celebrate this milestone. You reached your writing goals for today? Buy yourself a treat and/or your favorite latte and take a walk outside.

You may be tempted to capitalize on the adrenaline rush of completion or on being in the working/productive mind-set and try to tackle the next topic, but that is a recipe for burnout in the long run. Recognizing that you are progressing and getting closer to your main goal provides immediate reward and helps you envision your objective of completing a dissertation as feasible and attainable.

Why do you like it? If you got midway through your dissertation and are now feeling stuck, try focusing on the part of your project that you enjoy the most. That might be the close analysis of a particularly poignant passage or the application of a specific theory, method or approach to your data. If possible, see if you can start writing the chapter you are stuck on not from the beginning but from the portion that speaks to you the most.

Ask yourself: Which part of this study am I most looking forward to writing/dealing with? Then go there. The rest, the connective tissue between sections, will come. The goal is to get you going.

It can also be useful to just look at the beginning of your journey: Why did you choose this project? Focus on the reasons that got you interested in it in the first place. Remember the enthusiasm you felt when you started? The eagerness to jump right in? Tap in to that to motivate you to bring your project to the finish line.

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8 Most Effective Ways to Increase Motivation for Thesis Writing 

Writing a master’s or doctoral thesis is a tough job, and many students struggle with writer’s block and putting off work. The journey requires not just skill and knowledge but a sustained motivation for thesis writing. Here are eight essential strategies to help you find and maintain your motivation to write your thesis throughout the thesis writing process.

Know why you lack motivation

It’s important to understand whether you’re just avoiding writing (procrastination) or if you genuinely don’t feel interested in it (lack of motivation). Procrastination is when you delay writing even though you want to finish it, while a lack of motivation for thesis writing is when you have no interest in writing at all. Knowing the difference helps you find the right solution. Remember, not feeling motivated doesn’t mean you can’t write; it just might be less enjoyable.

Recognize external vs. internal motivation

In the early stages of your academic journey, things like job prospects or recognition may motivate you to write your thesis. These are external motivators. Over time, they might become less effective. That’s why it’s important to develop internal motivators, like a real passion for your topic, curiosity, or wanting to make a difference in your field. Shifting to these internal motivators can keep you energized about your thesis writing for a longer period.

Develop a writing plan

As you regularly spend time on your thesis, you’ll start to overcome any initial resistance. Planning and thinking about your work will make the next steps easier. You might find yourself working more than 20 minutes some days. As you progress, plan for longer thesis writing periods and set goals for completing each chapter.

Don’t overwhelm yourself

Getting stuck is normal in thesis or dissertation writing. Don’t view these challenges as impossible obstacles. If you’re frustrated or unsure, take a break for a few days. Then, consult your advisor or a mentor to discuss your challenges and find ways to move forward effectively.

Work on your thesis daily

Try to spend 15-20 minutes daily on tasks related to your thesis or dissertation. This includes reading, researching, outlining, and other preparatory activities. You can fit these tasks into short breaks throughout your day, like waiting for appointments, during commutes, or even while cooking.

Understand that thesis writing motivation changes

Realize that thesis writing motivation isn’t always the same; it changes over time. Your drive to write will vary with different stages of your research and life changes. Knowing that motivation can go up and down helps you adapt. When you feel less motivated, focus on small, doable parts of your work instead of big, intimidating goals.

Recharge your motivation regularly

Just like you need to rest and eat well to keep your body energized, your motivation for thesis writing needs to be refreshed too. Do things that boost your mental and creative energy. This could be talking with colleagues, attending workshops, or engaging in hobbies that relax you. Stay aware of your motivation levels and take action to rejuvenate them. This way, you can avoid burnout and keep a consistent pace in your thesis work.

Keep encouraging yourself

Repeating encouraging phrases like “I will finish my thesis by year’s end” or “I’ll complete a lot of work this week” can really help. Saying these affirmations regularly can focus your energy and keep you on track with your thesis writing motivation .

Remember, the amount you write can vary each day. Some days you might write a lot, and other days less. The key is to keep writing, even if it’s just rough ideas or jumbled thoughts. Don’t let the need for perfection stop you. Listening to podcasts where researchers talk about their writing experiences can also be inspiring and motivate you in your writing journey.

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Managing Research Projects

• Staying Organized

Practical checklist of ideas to keep you motivated

Convert text files to audio.

• What happens after I'm done?

Goal Setting & Staying Motivated

Work through this online intensive writing workshop from Purdue Online Writing Lab

When Motivation Wanes

Listen to a PhD student talk about struggling with motivation and how to keep going

Keeping motivated when doing a dissertation or thesis

A professor and counselor from the Dublin Institute of Technology have a conversation about how to stay motivated when undertaking a dissertation or thesis.

Motivation is a key factor to success in completing your research project. Here's some advice on how to plan your schedule and stay motivated.

Make sure you stay grounded in your decision to embark on such a huge task.  Is it a requirement for your degree? Then, what does a college degree mean to you and to your family? Think about how you’ll use this degree in your future career and how incredibly proud you’ll feel for accomplishing this goal! And, of course, think about your support system, family, and friends who believe in your college journey.

Now that you’ve identified why you are doing this project,  it’s important to find people to help you keep your eye on the prize.  Mentors can be teachers, spiritual leaders, or family friends who can give you guidance and help you stay on track.

To secure a support system:

• Identify one or more friends, family members, or mentors who can be your support
• Share your goals with them and ask them to help you keep these in mind when things get tough. 
• Reach out to friends and peers who can motivate you by listening and sharing ideas.

When working on your research project, it will be critical to establish routines and schedules to keep yourself motivated and focused. Be sure to set interim achievable goals as well as long-term larger goals.  Break down searching, reading, and writing work into manageable chunks and stick to a daily and weekly schedule.

You Can Handle Any Project in Small Chunks.  

Use a calendar or to-do list to check off daily and weekly tasks that you accomplish

Keep a list of your long-term goals handy too (including career goals), so you can refer to them when you want to remind yourself of your ultimate goal: graduation!

Although your classmates are working on topics different from yours, find ways to connect about the challenges of long-term research and writing projects.

• Use email and video conferencing to stay connected if you cannot meet in person.
• Find out if your classmates are using group texts, Instagram, Twitter, etc. as another means to connect. 
• Try setting up an online accountability group using a group text chat or Zoom to stay connected.

Staying positive and having a growth mindset is important to maintain motivation. 

• If you are finding it difficult to stay positive about your project, talk to your instructor.
• You may also want to talk with other students to help you through challenging times.
• Remember to take the time to encourage others through chat, email, and social media.
• Reach out to your support system - mentors, teachers, family, friends, fellow classmates. 

With all the hard work that you are doing, you need to take some time out to reward yourself.  When you accomplish a goal, no matter how small, be sure to reward yourself with something that will make you happy!  Whether it's a walk in your neighborhood, a FaceTime with family or friends, or watching your favorite Netflix series (try not to binge!), these rewards can help you stay motivated and on task.

Make a list of small rewards you can give yourself as you achieve your daily tasks. Make a list of bigger rewards you can give yourself as you finish bigger goals.

The information on this page is adapted from the Learning Online 101 Canvas module created by California State University, Channel Islands.

• Better yet, schedule it with a friend also working on a big project. You don't even need to talk!
• Schedule a library study room (or plan for another location) for this time. Knowing you have a room reserved and/or being in a different location might be the motivation you need.
• Work on tasks in 20 minute chunks to get you started.
• Convert some of the reading you need to do to audio , so you can keep making progress even if you can't sit down to read at the moment.

• Go back to the Planning Calculators and review what to do and when. But don't get overwhelmed! Put key dates on your calendar, and then make a list of only what you need to accomplish this week .
• Stay organized using a planner, such as this MS Excel Weekly Schedule Planner template .

• Use your commuting, walking, or cleaning time to listen to your course texts!
• Listen while you visually read along with a text to try to increase comprehension and memory.
• Use as a writing strategy: listen to your own writing as a way to notice areas to improve.
• Use a a motivation strategy; if you don't feel motivated to do anything, at least listening to readings will allow you to make some progress and may re-engage you in your work.

SPU has a tool called SensusAccess, which can convert text-based files to audio (plus other ways to change file types).

• Start at SPU’s SensusAccess Conversion Tool .
• (Step 1 of process) Upload a PDF document (or text or URL) you’d like converted to a streaming audio file. (If you have a print book, scan to PDF the section you need. If you are starting with a text file in another format, go straight to Step 6.)
• (Step 2) Select Accessibility conversion . This will send you a Word document, which will put header and footer info into correct places (it won't read you all those headers and footers) and which you can then edit otherwise as needed (don't need to listen to the 25 references at the end of the chapter? Delete them!).
• (Step 4) Email the file to yourself at your SPU email address, which takes only a few minutes to process.
• Re-start at SensusAccess Conversion Tool, and (Step 1) upload the Word document you’d been emailed. 
• (Step 2) Select MP3 audio as the target format.
• (Step 3) Select language of document and audio speed (choose default to start, then consider another speed later if necessary).
• (Step 4) Email the streaming file to yourself. It may take longer to process, depending on the length of audio, but is usually ready with 5 min - 1 hour.

The streaming audio file will be a link in the email and is available for one week. If you need it longer, re-convert the Word file to mp3.

Happy listening!

audiobook by Clea Doltz is licensed CC BY 3.0 .

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How to write a research proposal for a Master's dissertation

Unsure how to start your research proposal as part of your dissertation read below our top tips from banking and finance student, nelly, on how to structure your proposal and make sure it's a strong, formative foundation to build your dissertation..

It's understandable if the proposal part of your dissertation feels like a waste of time. Why not just get started on the dissertation itself? Isn't 'proposal' a just fancy word for a plan?

It's important to see your Master's research proposal not only as a requirement but as a way of formalising your ideas and mapping out the direction and purpose of your dissertation. A strong, carefully prepared proposal is instrumental in writing a good dissertation.

How to structure a research proposal for a Master's dissertation

First things first: what do you need to include in a research proposal? The recommended structure of your proposal is:

• Motivation: introduce your research question and give an overview of the topic, explain the importance of your research
• Theory:  draw on existing pieces of research that are relevant to your topic of choice, leading up to your question and identifying how your dissertation will explore new territory
• Data and methodology: how do you plan to answer the research question? Explain your data sources and methodology
• Expected results: finally, what will the outcome be? What do you think your data and methodology will find?

Top Tips for Writing a Dissertation Research Proposal

Choose a dissertation topic well in advance of starting to write it

Allow existing research to guide you

Make your research questions as specific as possible

When you choose a topic, it will naturally be very broad and general. For example, Market Efficiency . Under this umbrella term, there are so many questions you could explore and challenge. But, it's so important that you hone in on one very specific question, such as ' How do presidential elections affect market efficiency?'  When it comes to your Master's, the more specific and clear-cut the better.

Collate your bibliography as you go

Everyone knows it's best practice to update your bibliography as you go, but that doesn't just apply to the main bibliography document you submit with your dissertation. Get in the habit of writing down the title, author and date of the relevant article next to every note you make - you'll be grateful you did it later down the line!

Colour code your notes based on which part of the proposal they apply to

Use highlighters and sticky notes to keep track of why you thought a certain research piece was useful, and what you intended to use it for. For example, if you've underlined lots of sections of a research article when it comes to pulling your research proposal together it will take you longer to remember what piece of research applies to where.

Instead, you may want to highlight anything that could inform your methodology in blue, any quotations that will form your theory in yellow etc. This will save you time and stress later down the line.

Write your Motivation after your Theory

Your Motivation section will be that much more coherent and specific if you write it after you've done all your research. All the reading you have done for your Theory will better cement the importance of your research, as well as provide plenty of context for you to write in detail your motivation. Think about the difference between ' I'm doing this because I'm interested in it ' vs. ' I'm doing this because I'm passionate, and I've noticed a clear gap in this area of study which is detailed below in example A, B and C .'

Make sure your Data and Methodology section is to the point and succinct

Link your Expectations to existing research

Your expectations should be based on research and data, not conjecture and assumptions. It doesn't matter if the end results match up to what you expected, as long as both of these sections are informed by research and data. 

Published By Nelly on 01/09/2020 | Last Updated 23/01/2024

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• How to Write an Abstract for a Dissertation or Thesis
• Doing a PhD

What is a Thesis or Dissertation Abstract?

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines an abstract in academic writing as being “ a few sentences that give the main ideas in an article or a scientific paper ” and the Collins English Dictionary says “ an abstract of an article, document, or speech is a short piece of writing that gives the main points of it ”.

Whether you’re writing up your Master’s dissertation or PhD thesis, the abstract will be a key element of this document that you’ll want to make sure you give proper attention to.

What is the Purpose of an Abstract?

The aim of a thesis abstract is to give the reader a broad overview of what your research project was about and what you found that was novel, before he or she decides to read the entire thesis. The reality here though is that very few people will read the entire thesis, and not because they’re necessarily disinterested but because practically it’s too large a document for most people to have the time to read. The exception to this is your PhD examiner, however know that even they may not read the entire length of the document.

Some people may still skip to and read specific sections throughout your thesis such as the methodology, but the fact is that the abstract will be all that most read and will therefore be the section they base their opinions about your research on. In short, make sure you write a good, well-structured abstract.

How Long Should an Abstract Be?

If you’re a PhD student, having written your 100,000-word thesis, the abstract will be the 300 word summary included at the start of the thesis that succinctly explains the motivation for your study (i.e. why this research was needed), the main work you did (i.e. the focus of each chapter), what you found (the results) and concluding with how your research study contributed to new knowledge within your field.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America, once famously said:

The point here is that it’s easier to talk open-endedly about a subject that you know a lot about than it is to condense the key points into a 10-minute speech; the same applies for an abstract. Three hundred words is not a lot of words which makes it even more difficult to condense three (or more) years of research into a coherent, interesting story.

What Makes a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

Whilst the abstract is one of the first sections in your PhD thesis, practically it’s probably the last aspect that you’ll ending up writing before sending the document to print. The reason being that you can’t write a summary about what you did, what you found and what it means until you’ve done the work.

A good abstract is one that can clearly explain to the reader in 300 words:

• What your research field actually is,
• What the gap in knowledge was in your field,
• The overarching aim and objectives of your PhD in response to these gaps,
• What methods you employed to achieve these,
• You key results and findings,
• How your work has added to further knowledge in your field of study.

Another way to think of this structure is:

• Introduction,
• Aims and objectives,
• Discussion,
• Conclusion.

Following this ‘formulaic’ approach to writing the abstract should hopefully make it a little easier to write but you can already see here that there’s a lot of information to convey in a very limited number of words.

How Do You Write a Good PhD Thesis Abstract?

The biggest challenge you’ll have is getting all the 6 points mentioned above across in your abstract within the limit of 300 words . Your particular university may give some leeway in going a few words over this but it’s good practice to keep within this; the art of succinctly getting your information across is an important skill for a researcher to have and one that you’ll be called on to use regularly as you write papers for peer review.

Keep It Concise

Every word in the abstract is important so make sure you focus on only the key elements of your research and the main outcomes and significance of your project that you want the reader to know about. You may have come across incidental findings during your research which could be interesting to discuss but this should not happen in the abstract as you simply don’t have enough words. Furthermore, make sure everything you talk about in your thesis is actually described in the main thesis.

Make a Unique Point Each Sentence

Keep the sentences short and to the point. Each sentence should give the reader new, useful information about your research so there’s no need to write out your project title again. Give yourself one or two sentences to introduce your subject area and set the context for your project. Then another sentence or two to explain the gap in the knowledge; there’s no need or expectation for you to include references in the abstract.

Explain Your Research

Some people prefer to write their overarching aim whilst others set out their research questions as they correspond to the structure of their thesis chapters; the approach you use is up to you, as long as the reader can understand what your dissertation or thesis had set out to achieve. Knowing this will help the reader better understand if your results help to answer the research questions or if further work is needed.

Keep It Factual

Keep the content of the abstract factual; that is to say that you should avoid bringing too much or any opinion into it, which inevitably can make the writing seem vague in the points you’re trying to get across and even lacking in structure.

Write, Edit and Then Rewrite

Spend suitable time editing your text, and if necessary, completely re-writing it. Show the abstract to others and ask them to explain what they understand about your research – are they able to explain back to you each of the 6 structure points, including why your project was needed, the research questions and results, and the impact it had on your research field? It’s important that you’re able to convey what new knowledge you contributed to your field but be mindful when writing your abstract that you don’t inadvertently overstate the conclusions, impact and significance of your work.

Thesis and Dissertation Abstract Examples

Perhaps the best way to understand how to write a thesis abstract is to look at examples of what makes a good and bad abstract.

Example of A Bad Abstract

Let’s start with an example of a bad thesis abstract:

In this project on “The Analysis of the Structural Integrity of 3D Printed Polymers for use in Aircraft”, my research looked at how 3D printing of materials can help the aviation industry in the manufacture of planes. Plane parts can be made at a lower cost using 3D printing and made lighter than traditional components. This project investigated the structural integrity of EBM manufactured components, which could revolutionise the aviation industry.

What Makes This a Bad Abstract

Hopefully you’ll have spotted some of the reasons this would be considered a poor abstract, not least because the author used up valuable words by repeating the lengthy title of the project in the abstract.

Working through our checklist of the 6 key points you want to convey to the reader:

• There has been an attempt to introduce the research area , albeit half-way through the abstract but it’s not clear if this is a materials science project about 3D printing or is it about aircraft design.
• There’s no explanation about where the gap in the knowledge is that this project attempted to address.
• We can see that this project was focussed on the topic of structural integrity of materials in aircraft but the actual research aims or objectives haven’t been defined.
• There’s no mention at all of what the author actually did to investigate structural integrity. For example was this an experimental study involving real aircraft, or something in the lab, computer simulations etc.
• The author also doesn’t tell us a single result of his research, let alone the key findings !
• There’s a bold claim in the last sentence of the abstract that this project could revolutionise the aviation industry, and this may well be the case, but based on the abstract alone there is no evidence to support this as it’s not even clear what the author did .

This is an extreme example but is a good way to illustrate just how unhelpful a poorly written abstract can be. At only 71 words long, it definitely hasn’t maximised the amount of information that could be presented and the what they have presented has lacked clarity and structure.

A final point to note is the use of the EBM acronym, which stands for Electron Beam Melting in the context of 3D printing; this is a niche acronym for the author to assume that the reader would know the meaning of. It’s best to avoid acronyms in your abstract all together even if it’s something that you might expect most people to know about, unless you specifically define the meaning first.

Example of A Good Abstract

Having seen an example of a bad thesis abstract, now lets look at an example of a good PhD thesis abstract written about the same (fictional) project:

Additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium alloys has the potential to enable cheaper and lighter components to be produced with customised designs for use in aircraft engines. Whilst the proof-of-concept of these have been promising, the structural integrity of AM engine parts in response to full thrust and temperature variations is not clear.

The primary aim of this project was to determine the fracture modes and mechanisms of AM components designed for use in Boeing 747 engines. To achieve this an explicit finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the environment and parameters that the engine is exposed to during flight. The FE model was validated using experimental data replicating the environmental parameters in a laboratory setting using ten AM engine components provided by the industry sponsor. The validated FE model was then used to investigate the extent of crack initiation and propagation as the environment parameters were adjusted.

This project was the first to investigate fracture patterns in AM titanium components used in aircraft engines; the key finding was that the presence of cavities within the structures due to errors in the printing process, significantly increased the risk of fracture. Secondly, the simulations showed that cracks formed within AM parts were more likely to worsen and lead to component failure at subzero temperatures when compared to conventionally manufactured parts. This has demonstrated an important safety concern which needs to be addressed before AM parts can be used in commercial aircraft.

What Makes This a Good Abstract

Having read this ‘good abstract’ you should have a much better understand about what the subject area is about, where the gap in the knowledge was, the aim of the project, the methods that were used, key results and finally the significance of these results. To break these points down further, from this good abstract we now know that:

• The research area is around additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) of materials for use in aircraft.
• The gap in knowledge was how these materials will behave structural when used in aircraft engines.
• The aim was specifically to investigate how the components can fracture.
• The methods used to investigate this were a combination of computational and lab based experimental modelling.
• The key findings were the increased risk of fracture of these components due to the way they are manufactured.
• The significance of these findings were that it showed a potential risk of component failure that could comprise the safety of passengers and crew on the aircraft.

The abstract text has a much clearer flow through these different points in how it’s written and has made much better use of the available word count. Acronyms have even been used twice in this good abstract but they were clearly defined the first time they were introduced in the text so that there was no confusion about their meaning.

The abstract you write for your dissertation or thesis should succinctly explain to the reader why the work of your research was needed, what you did, what you found and what it means. Most people that come across your thesis, including any future employers, are likely to read only your abstract. Even just for this reason alone, it’s so important that you write the best abstract you can; this will not only convey your research effectively but also put you in the best light possible as a researcher.

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How to Write an INTRODUCTION Chapter (of a Thesis)

So it seems like you’ve read my previous article on how to develop a fantastic marketing or management thesis idea , right?

That is great. But perhaps now you have a clear idea of what to do for your research project but you don’t know exactly how to start your bachelor or masters thesis?

No worries! We’ve got your back. Here are some (hopefully) useful tips to do a great job and impress your supervisor and reviewers!

First of all: There is NO specific correct way to structure the Introduction chapter. But I suggest you cover the following structure:

***********************************************************

• Introduction

1.1 Personal Motivation

1.2 Research Aims and Objectives

       1.2.1 Aim

1.2.2 Objectives

1.3 Structure of the Thesis

Let’s discuss each topic in detail so that you don’t miss anything and can look impressively smart!

Imagine that your grandma is going to read your thesis and it is entitled “Applying Machine to Machine Interaction to Improve Sustainability Practices in Music Festivals”.

Would she know what “Machine to Machine Interaction” is? (Maybe she does and even more than us two put together!). But let’s assume she has no clue!

Would she know which sustainability practices are applied in music festivals? (Well, maybe she went to Woodstock in 1969, had an affair with Jimmy Hendrix and helped them reduce water consumption!). But let’s assume she has no clue of what it is!

This is exactly the point of an introduction! The reader (whoever he/she may be!) has to be able to read your introduction and have an OVERALL idea and be FAMILIARIZED with the CONTEXT of your study.

And how do you achieve it? SIMPLE. Do the following:

• What is it? When did it start?
• Which are they? What are examples of practices applied to music festivals?
• What is the trend within the industry sector/product type/service type you are discussing? In the last decade, has it increased? Decreased? How large is the global/regional market size? What are sales volumes of key players?
• Use RELIABLE sources for your data: renowned institutions and organizations, research groups, scientific publications.
• Make sure to REFERENCE all your data.

Video Support: Introduction Chapter 

In case you are enjoying the article, do not forget to watch the video with further support on how to write the introduction chapter of your thesis.

Here is the section of the thesis where you describe your motivation for conducting a study on this topic.

In other words: Explain why you are writing about “Applying Machine to Machine Interaction to Improve Sustainability Practices in Music Festivals” and not about any other random topic such as: “If there is life on other planets, aliens would also be fans of The Beatles”.

To explain your motivation and why you chose this topic you should ideally be very personal and even write this section in the first person ( other academics might disagree with me on this, but it’s ok ).

And keep this section SHORT. Two GOOD paragraphs should be enough.

Here it is VERY SIMPLE. You have read the recommendations on LiveInnovation.org on “ How to Develop a Research Project (or Thesis) Idea ”, right? NO? (Oh man, it’s not easy being your supervisor. Honestly!). So go check the site for it!

If you have, (Good on you, I’m proud!), then simply describe your aim in a sub-section 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 your objectives.

The objectives in 1.2.2 can even be stated in bullet points.

And here it is absolutely easy!

Even if you have a headache, you team has lost, you ran out of Oreo Ice cream Sandwich in the fridge and  your 6 year old neighbor is learning to play the violin, you can still write this section.

It will only take you one or two paragraphs to describe in GENERAL terms what will be discussed in the following chapters.

ONE SUGGESTION: Leave this for last and only write it once you have finished the entire thesis.

So basically you should have done the following in this chapter:

• First you have familiarized your reader with the context of your study, regardless of who is reading (Your former hippie grandma or Michael Jordan).
• You have familiarized the reader with YOU, by explaining WHY you are writing about this topic.
• You have explained what the thesis will be about.
• Finally you have anticipated the reader with what he/she/it will face on the coming chapters until the end of the thesis.

So now you are DONE with Chapter one and can focus on the rest of the thesis!

(In case you want to thank me later: I truly enjoy beer, Port wine and Whiskey).

Download the Recommendations

Did you like this article? Would like to have these recommendations with you while studying?

GREAT! Simply download the file here with all details:  LiveInnovation.org - Introduction Chapter of a Thesis.pdf

In case you would like to have more research suggestions, check our research resources section .

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What is a thesis?

What is a dissertation, getting started, staying on track.

A thesis is a long-term project that you work on over the course of a semester or a year. Theses have a very wide variety of styles and content, so we encourage you to look at prior examples and work closely with faculty to develop yours. 

Before you begin, make sure that you are familiar with the dissertation genre—what it is for and what it looks like.

Generally speaking, a dissertation’s purpose is to prove that you have the expertise necessary to fulfill your doctoral-degree requirements by showing depth of knowledge and independent thinking.

The form of a dissertation may vary by discipline. Be sure to follow the specific guidelines of your department.

• PhD This site directs candidates to the GSAS website about dissertations , with links to checklists,  planning, formatting, acknowledgments, submission, and publishing options. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus . Consult with your committee chair about specific requirements and standards for your dissertation.
• DDES This document covers planning, patent filing, submission guidelines, publishing options, formatting guidelines, sample pages, citation guidelines, and a list of common errors to avoid. There is also a link to guidelines for the prospectus .
• Scholarly Pursuits (GSAS) This searchable booklet from Harvard GSAS is a comprehensive guide to writing dissertations, dissertation-fellowship applications, academic journal articles, and academic job documents.

Finding an original topic can be a daunting and overwhelming task. These key concepts can help you focus and save time.

Finding a topic for your thesis or dissertation should start with a research question that excites or at least interests you. A rigorous, engaging, and original project will require continuous curiosity about your topic, about your own thoughts on the topic, and about what other scholars have said on your topic. Avoid getting boxed in by thinking you know what you want to say from the beginning; let your research and your writing evolve as you explore and fine-tune your focus through constant questioning and exploration.

Get a sense of the broader picture before you narrow your focus and attempt to frame an argument. Read, skim, and otherwise familiarize yourself with what other scholars have done in areas related to your proposed topic. Briefly explore topics tangentially related to yours to broaden your perspective and increase your chance of finding a unique angle to pursue.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is the opposite of passive reading. Instead of merely reading for information to absorb, critical reading also involves careful, sustained thinking about what you are reading. This process may include analyzing the author’s motives and assumptions, asking what might be left out of the discussion, considering what you agree with or disagree with in the author’s statements and why you agree or disagree, and exploring connections or contradictions between scholarly arguments. Here is a resource to help hone your critical-reading skills:

http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/criticalread.pdf

Conversation

Your thesis or dissertation will incorporate some ideas from other scholars whose work you researched. By reading critically and following your curiosity, you will develop your own ideas and claims, and these contributions are the core of your project. You will also acknowledge the work of scholars who came before you, and you must accurately and fairly attribute this work and define your place within the larger discussion. Make sure that you know how to quote, summarize, paraphrase ,  integrate , and cite secondary sources to avoid plagiarism and to show the depth and breadth of your knowledge.

A thesis is a long-term, large project that involves both research and writing; it is easy to lose focus, motivation, and momentum. Here are suggestions for achieving the result you want in the time you have.

The dissertation is probably the largest project you have undertaken, and a lot of the work is self-directed. The project can feel daunting or even overwhelming unless you break it down into manageable pieces and create a timeline for completing each smaller task. Be realistic but also challenge yourself, and be forgiving of yourself if you miss a self-imposed deadline here and there.

Your program will also have specific deadlines for different requirements, including establishing a committee, submitting a prospectus, completing the dissertation, defending the dissertation, and submitting your work. Consult your department’s website for these dates and incorporate them into the timeline for your work.

Accountability

Sometimes self-imposed deadlines do not feel urgent unless there is accountability to someone beyond yourself. To increase your motivation to complete tasks on schedule, set dates with your committee chair to submit pre-determined pieces of a chapter. You can also arrange with a fellow doctoral student to check on each other’s progress. Research and writing can be lonely, so it is also nice to share that journey with someone and support each other through the process.

Common Pitfalls

The most common challenges for students writing a dissertation are writer’s block, information-overload, and the compulsion to keep researching forever.

There are many strategies for avoiding writer’s block, such as freewriting, outlining, taking a walk, starting in the middle, and creating an ideal work environment for your particular learning style. Pay attention to what helps you and try different things until you find what works.

Efficient researching techniques are essential to avoiding information-overload. Here are a couple of resources about strategies for finding sources and quickly obtaining essential information from them.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_in_literature_detailed_discussion/reading_criticism.html

https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques

Finally, remember that there is always more to learn and your dissertation cannot incorporate everything. Follow your curiosity but also set limits on the scope of your work. It helps to create a folder entitled “future projects” for topics and sources that interest you but that do not fit neatly into the dissertation. Also remember that future scholars will build off of your work, so leave something for them to do.

Browsing through theses and dissertations of the past can help to get a sense of your options and gain inspiration but be careful to use current guidelines and refer to your committee instead of relying on these examples for form or formatting.

DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard.

HOLLIS Harvard Library’s catalog provides access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global .

MIT Architecture has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Rhode Island School of Design has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

University of South Florida has a list of their graduates’ dissertations and theses.

Harvard GSD has a list of projects, including theses and professors’ research.

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Finding and Maintaining your Motivation during the Dissertation Process

25th August 2022

Most people writing a dissertation have heard the comparisons to a “marathon, not a sprint.” While that’s not wrong, sometimes that’s not entirely helpful, either. Yes, it is a test of perseverance and dedication, of endurance and prolonged concentration and effort. You might feel, at multiple points throughout the process, that you want to give up, that you just can’t do it anymore – and then somehow find the energy to keep moving forward. Consistently finding motivation can be tricky, though. Here at Thesis Editor , we know this, since we’ve all been there. All of us have completed a major thesis or dissertation, and know firsthand the struggles and triumphs of the dissertation process. We have dissertation coaches on our team who can assist you with writer’s block, help you organize your research and writing, and provide guidance if you’re stuck. We know what it’s like, and recognize that the struggle is, indeed, real. Here are five tried-and-true tips and tricks to stay motivated while writing your dissertation.

• Keep moving forward. When you go to bed every night, make sure your dissertation is longer than it was when you woke up that morning. Even if it’s a few sentences per day to start with, that adds up over time.
• Partner up. Find a classmate to hold you accountable, and agree to call or text each other every day with word count updates. If you don’t have a classmate you can buddy up with, tell your partner, a family member, or a trusted friend whom you KNOW will be a reliable person who will contact you every day for the writing update. Make your goals known to family and friends and encourage them to ask you specifics about your work. Having people to answer to will hold your feet to the flames and keep you going.
• There’s an app for that. Check out websites like com or Academic Writing Club , as well as apps like WriteChain, Write on Track, and WriteOMeter. These all let you see your progress, set writing and word count goals, and help to hold you accountable.
• Treat yourself. For each milestone you reach, do something nice for yourself, completely unrelated to your dissertation. A cupcake, going to see a movie, get a new book, take a day off – something to recharge you for the next hurdle.
• Get some sleep. Yes, sleep! It might feel like you need to pull a bunch of all-nighters or late nights to get everything done, but a lack of sleep can actually interfere with productivity . If you’ve been staying up late, caffeine might keep you awake during the day, but it’s no substitute for sleep and rest. Try taking a 20-minute power nap, or going to bed earlier.

Tagged under: Dissertation Writing   Dissertation Writing Tips   General Dissertation   academic writing   dissertation coaching   dissertation consultants   dissertation help   dissertation motivation   professional services   writer's block   writing coach   writing your dissertation  

I received a great service from Thesis Editor in proofreading and formatting for my master’s thesis. I personally like to thank Dr Judith Jackson-Pomeroy who was amazing in assisting me from the first call I made to thesis editor enquiring about the service they provide until the submission of my project. She took personal care in the service provided, it was professional and responded quickly to all my queries throughout, which gave me peace of mind and direction at such an intense moment of finalising my dissertation. The strict deadline with thesis editor got me working hard - around the clock, which was all worth it. I highly recommend thesis editor to anyone who is looking for proofreading and formatting service for their thesis - look no further!

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The purpose of the discussion section is to interpret and describe the significance of your findings in relation to what was already known about the research problem being investigated and to explain any new understanding or insights that emerged as a result of your research. The discussion will always connect to the introduction by way of the research questions or hypotheses you posed and the literature you reviewed, but the discussion does not simply repeat or rearrange the first parts of your paper; the discussion clearly explains how your study advanced the reader's understanding of the research problem from where you left them at the end of your review of prior research.

Annesley, Thomas M. “The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument.” Clinical Chemistry 56 (November 2010): 1671-1674; Peacock, Matthew. “Communicative Moves in the Discussion Section of Research Articles.” System 30 (December 2002): 479-497.

Importance of a Good Discussion

The discussion section is often considered the most important part of your research paper because it:

• Most effectively demonstrates your ability as a researcher to think critically about an issue, to develop creative solutions to problems based upon a logical synthesis of the findings, and to formulate a deeper, more profound understanding of the research problem under investigation;
• Presents the underlying meaning of your research, notes possible implications in other areas of study, and explores possible improvements that can be made in order to further develop the concerns of your research;
• Highlights the importance of your study and how it can contribute to understanding the research problem within the field of study;
• Presents how the findings from your study revealed and helped fill gaps in the literature that had not been previously exposed or adequately described; and,
• Engages the reader in thinking critically about issues based on an evidence-based interpretation of findings; it is not governed strictly by objective reporting of information.

Annesley Thomas M. “The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument.” Clinical Chemistry 56 (November 2010): 1671-1674; Bitchener, John and Helen Basturkmen. “Perceptions of the Difficulties of Postgraduate L2 Thesis Students Writing the Discussion Section.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5 (January 2006): 4-18; Kretchmer, Paul. Fourteen Steps to Writing an Effective Discussion Section. San Francisco Edit, 2003-2008.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  General Rules

These are the general rules you should adopt when composing your discussion of the results :

• Do not be verbose or repetitive; be concise and make your points clearly
• Avoid the use of jargon or undefined technical language
• Follow a logical stream of thought; in general, interpret and discuss the significance of your findings in the same sequence you described them in your results section [a notable exception is to begin by highlighting an unexpected result or a finding that can grab the reader's attention]
• Use the present verb tense, especially for established facts; however, refer to specific works or prior studies in the past tense
• If needed, use subheadings to help organize your discussion or to categorize your interpretations into themes

II.  The Content

The content of the discussion section of your paper most often includes :

• Explanation of results : Comment on whether or not the results were expected for each set of findings; go into greater depth to explain findings that were unexpected or especially profound. If appropriate, note any unusual or unanticipated patterns or trends that emerged from your results and explain their meaning in relation to the research problem.
• References to previous research : Either compare your results with the findings from other studies or use the studies to support a claim. This can include re-visiting key sources already cited in your literature review section, or, save them to cite later in the discussion section if they are more important to compare with your results instead of being a part of the general literature review of prior research used to provide context and background information. Note that you can make this decision to highlight specific studies after you have begun writing the discussion section.
• Deduction : A claim for how the results can be applied more generally. For example, describing lessons learned, proposing recommendations that can help improve a situation, or highlighting best practices.
• Hypothesis : A more general claim or possible conclusion arising from the results [which may be proved or disproved in subsequent research]. This can be framed as new research questions that emerged as a consequence of your analysis.

III.  Organization and Structure

Keep the following sequential points in mind as you organize and write the discussion section of your paper:

• Think of your discussion as an inverted pyramid. Organize the discussion from the general to the specific, linking your findings to the literature, then to theory, then to practice [if appropriate].
• Use the same key terms, narrative style, and verb tense [present] that you used when describing the research problem in your introduction.
• Begin by briefly re-stating the research problem you were investigating and answer all of the research questions underpinning the problem that you posed in the introduction.
• Describe the patterns, principles, and relationships shown by each major findings and place them in proper perspective. The sequence of this information is important; first state the answer, then the relevant results, then cite the work of others. If appropriate, refer the reader to a figure or table to help enhance the interpretation of the data [either within the text or as an appendix].
• Regardless of where it's mentioned, a good discussion section includes analysis of any unexpected findings. This part of the discussion should begin with a description of the unanticipated finding, followed by a brief interpretation as to why you believe it appeared and, if necessary, its possible significance in relation to the overall study. If more than one unexpected finding emerged during the study, describe each of them in the order they appeared as you gathered or analyzed the data. As noted, the exception to discussing findings in the same order you described them in the results section would be to begin by highlighting the implications of a particularly unexpected or significant finding that emerged from the study, followed by a discussion of the remaining findings.
• Before concluding the discussion, identify potential limitations and weaknesses if you do not plan to do so in the conclusion of the paper. Comment on their relative importance in relation to your overall interpretation of the results and, if necessary, note how they may affect the validity of your findings. Avoid using an apologetic tone; however, be honest and self-critical [e.g., in retrospect, had you included a particular question in a survey instrument, additional data could have been revealed].
• The discussion section should end with a concise summary of the principal implications of the findings regardless of their significance. Give a brief explanation about why you believe the findings and conclusions of your study are important and how they support broader knowledge or understanding of the research problem. This can be followed by any recommendations for further research. However, do not offer recommendations which could have been easily addressed within the study. This would demonstrate to the reader that you have inadequately examined and interpreted the data.

IV.  Overall Objectives

The objectives of your discussion section should include the following: I.  Reiterate the Research Problem/State the Major Findings

Briefly reiterate the research problem or problems you are investigating and the methods you used to investigate them, then move quickly to describe the major findings of the study. You should write a direct, declarative, and succinct proclamation of the study results, usually in one paragraph.

II.  Explain the Meaning of the Findings and Why They are Important

No one has thought as long and hard about your study as you have. Systematically explain the underlying meaning of your findings and state why you believe they are significant. After reading the discussion section, you want the reader to think critically about the results and why they are important. You don’t want to force the reader to go through the paper multiple times to figure out what it all means. If applicable, begin this part of the section by repeating what you consider to be your most significant or unanticipated finding first, then systematically review each finding. Otherwise, follow the general order you reported the findings presented in the results section.

III.  Relate the Findings to Similar Studies

No study in the social sciences is so novel or possesses such a restricted focus that it has absolutely no relation to previously published research. The discussion section should relate your results to those found in other studies, particularly if questions raised from prior studies served as the motivation for your research. This is important because comparing and contrasting the findings of other studies helps to support the overall importance of your results and it highlights how and in what ways your study differs from other research about the topic. Note that any significant or unanticipated finding is often because there was no prior research to indicate the finding could occur. If there is prior research to indicate this, you need to explain why it was significant or unanticipated. IV.  Consider Alternative Explanations of the Findings

It is important to remember that the purpose of research in the social sciences is to discover and not to prove . When writing the discussion section, you should carefully consider all possible explanations for the study results, rather than just those that fit your hypothesis or prior assumptions and biases. This is especially important when describing the discovery of significant or unanticipated findings.

V.  Acknowledge the Study’s Limitations

It is far better for you to identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations than to have them pointed out by your professor! Note any unanswered questions or issues your study could not address and describe the generalizability of your results to other situations. If a limitation is applicable to the method chosen to gather information, then describe in detail the problems you encountered and why. VI.  Make Suggestions for Further Research

You may choose to conclude the discussion section by making suggestions for further research [as opposed to offering suggestions in the conclusion of your paper]. Although your study can offer important insights about the research problem, this is where you can address other questions related to the problem that remain unanswered or highlight hidden issues that were revealed as a result of conducting your research. You should frame your suggestions by linking the need for further research to the limitations of your study [e.g., in future studies, the survey instrument should include more questions that ask..."] or linking to critical issues revealed from the data that were not considered initially in your research.

NOTE: Besides the literature review section, the preponderance of references to sources is usually found in the discussion section . A few historical references may be helpful for perspective, but most of the references should be relatively recent and included to aid in the interpretation of your results, to support the significance of a finding, and/or to place a finding within a particular context. If a study that you cited does not support your findings, don't ignore it--clearly explain why your research findings differ from theirs.

V.  Problems to Avoid

• Do not waste time restating your results . Should you need to remind the reader of a finding to be discussed, use "bridge sentences" that relate the result to the interpretation. An example would be: “In the case of determining available housing to single women with children in rural areas of Texas, the findings suggest that access to good schools is important...," then move on to further explaining this finding and its implications.
• As noted, recommendations for further research can be included in either the discussion or conclusion of your paper, but do not repeat your recommendations in the both sections. Think about the overall narrative flow of your paper to determine where best to locate this information. However, if your findings raise a lot of new questions or issues, consider including suggestions for further research in the discussion section.
• Do not introduce new results in the discussion section. Be wary of mistaking the reiteration of a specific finding for an interpretation because it may confuse the reader. The description of findings [results section] and the interpretation of their significance [discussion section] should be distinct parts of your paper. If you choose to combine the results section and the discussion section into a single narrative, you must be clear in how you report the information discovered and your own interpretation of each finding. This approach is not recommended if you lack experience writing college-level research papers.
• Use of the first person pronoun is generally acceptable. Using first person singular pronouns can help emphasize a point or illustrate a contrasting finding. However, keep in mind that too much use of the first person can actually distract the reader from the main points [i.e., I know you're telling me this--just tell me!].

Analyzing vs. Summarizing. Department of English Writing Guide. George Mason University; Discussion. The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Hess, Dean R. "How to Write an Effective Discussion." Respiratory Care 49 (October 2004); Kretchmer, Paul. Fourteen Steps to Writing to Writing an Effective Discussion Section. San Francisco Edit, 2003-2008; The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Sauaia, A. et al. "The Anatomy of an Article: The Discussion Section: "How Does the Article I Read Today Change What I Will Recommend to my Patients Tomorrow?” The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery 74 (June 2013): 1599-1602; Research Limitations & Future Research . Lund Research Ltd., 2012; Summary: Using it Wisely. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Schafer, Mickey S. Writing the Discussion. Writing in Psychology course syllabus. University of Florida; Yellin, Linda L. A Sociology Writer's Guide . Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2009.

Writing Tip

Don’t Over-Interpret the Results!

Interpretation is a subjective exercise. As such, you should always approach the selection and interpretation of your findings introspectively and to think critically about the possibility of judgmental biases unintentionally entering into discussions about the significance of your work. With this in mind, be careful that you do not read more into the findings than can be supported by the evidence you have gathered. Remember that the data are the data: nothing more, nothing less.

MacCoun, Robert J. "Biases in the Interpretation and Use of Research Results." Annual Review of Psychology 49 (February 1998): 259-287; Ward, Paulet al, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Expertise . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Write Two Results Sections!

One of the most common mistakes that you can make when discussing the results of your study is to present a superficial interpretation of the findings that more or less re-states the results section of your paper. Obviously, you must refer to your results when discussing them, but focus on the interpretation of those results and their significance in relation to the research problem, not the data itself.

Azar, Beth. "Discussing Your Findings."  American Psychological Association gradPSYCH Magazine (January 2006).

Yet Another Writing Tip

Avoid Unwarranted Speculation!

The discussion section should remain focused on the findings of your study. For example, if the purpose of your research was to measure the impact of foreign aid on increasing access to education among disadvantaged children in Bangladesh, it would not be appropriate to speculate about how your findings might apply to populations in other countries without drawing from existing studies to support your claim or if analysis of other countries was not a part of your original research design. If you feel compelled to speculate, do so in the form of describing possible implications or explaining possible impacts. Be certain that you clearly identify your comments as speculation or as a suggestion for where further research is needed. Sometimes your professor will encourage you to expand your discussion of the results in this way, while others don’t care what your opinion is beyond your effort to interpret the data in relation to the research problem.

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Introduction: Motivation and Research Setting

• First Online: 05 May 2021

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• Max Jalowski 6  

Part of the book series: Markt- und Unternehmensentwicklung Markets and Organisations ((MAU))

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This dissertation is titled Revolutionizing Workshops —but why? Workshops are very popular and widely used in many types of organizations. Public institutions use them, companies use them anyway, and universities also use them in their teaching. Workshops serve for example to develop new business models or to design new products and services.

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Often described as a process consisting of different phases: inspiration, ideation, implementation (Brown 2008).

A process based on Design Thinking with five one-day phases, each supported by specific methodologies. At the end of a sprint, deliverables are created (Knapp, Zeratsky, & Kowitz 2016).

For example a collection of different methods and tools: https://www.designkit.org/methods .

In the course of this dissertation a canvas is understood as a “tool” for structuring tasks, it consists of several boxes for different subtasks. It is often printed in large format on paper and is fixed to a wall in a workshop. See also Section  5.2.1 .

Based on an Innovation Board with three phases: explore, create, evaluate: http://www.digital-innovation-playbook.de/templates/board .

An adaptable process or workshop method that supports collaborative dialogue, knowledge sharing and the development of new courses of action (Brown & Isaacs 2005).

Five or six participants are selected to take part in a discussion round. All other participants sit around in a circle and observe the discussion, take notes or continue the discussion (Gall & Gillett 1980).

In the following, PTs is used for “persuasive technologies” as the plural of PT.

Refer to Section  2.2 for ethical issues in this context.

LEGO Serious Play is a method using LEGO bricks in innovation processes ( https://www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay ).

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Jalowski, M. (2021). Introduction: Motivation and Research Setting. In: Revolutionizing Workshops. Markt- und Unternehmensentwicklung Markets and Organisations. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-33312-6_1

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How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction

Published on 9 September 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes.

The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation , appearing right after the table of contents . Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction.

Your introduction should include:

• Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your thesis dissertation?
• Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
• The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on your topic?
• Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and how?
• An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall aim?

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Table of contents

How to start your introduction, topic and context, focus and scope, relevance and importance, questions and objectives, overview of the structure, thesis introduction example, introduction checklist, frequently asked questions about introductions.

Although your introduction kicks off your dissertation, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you write – in fact, it’s often one of the very last parts to be completed (just before your abstract ).

It’s a good idea to write a rough draft of your introduction as you begin your research, to help guide you. If you wrote a research proposal , consider using this as a template, as it contains many of the same elements. However, be sure to revise your introduction throughout the writing process, making sure it matches the content of your ensuing sections.

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Begin by introducing your research topic and giving any necessary background information. It’s important to contextualise your research and generate interest. Aim to show why your topic is timely or important. You may want to mention a relevant news item, academic debate, or practical problem.

After a brief introduction to your general area of interest, narrow your focus and define the scope of your research.

You can narrow this down in many ways, such as by:

• Geographical area
• Time period
• Demographics or communities
• Themes or aspects of the topic

It’s essential to share your motivation for doing this research, as well as how it relates to existing work on your topic. Further, you should also mention what new insights you expect it will contribute.

Start by giving a brief overview of the current state of research. You should definitely cite the most relevant literature, but remember that you will conduct a more in-depth survey of relevant sources in the literature review section, so there’s no need to go too in-depth in the introduction.

Depending on your field, the importance of your research might focus on its practical application (e.g., in policy or management) or on advancing scholarly understanding of the topic (e.g., by developing theories or adding new empirical data). In many cases, it will do both.

Ultimately, your introduction should explain how your thesis or dissertation:

• Helps solve a practical or theoretical problem
• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Builds on existing research
• Proposes a new understanding of your topic

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Perhaps the most important part of your introduction is your questions and objectives, as it sets up the expectations for the rest of your thesis or dissertation. How you formulate your research questions and research objectives will depend on your discipline, topic, and focus, but you should always clearly state the central aim of your research.

If your research aims to test hypotheses , you can formulate them here. Your introduction is also a good place for a conceptual framework that suggests relationships between variables .

• Conduct surveys to collect data on students’ levels of knowledge, understanding, and positive/negative perceptions of government policy.
• Determine whether attitudes to climate policy are associated with variables such as age, gender, region, and social class.
• Conduct interviews to gain qualitative insights into students’ perspectives and actions in relation to climate policy.

To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline  of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.

I. Introduction

Human language consists of a set of vowels and consonants which are combined to form words. During the speech production process, thoughts are converted into spoken utterances to convey a message. The appropriate words and their meanings are selected in the mental lexicon (Dell & Burger, 1997). This pre-verbal message is then grammatically coded, during which a syntactic representation of the utterance is built.

Speech, language, and voice disorders affect the vocal cords, nerves, muscles, and brain structures, which result in a distorted language reception or speech production (Sataloff & Hawkshaw, 2014). The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice, depending on the type of disorder (Dodd, 2005). However, distortions of the speech may also occur as a result of a disease that seems unrelated to speech, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aims to determine which acoustic parameters are suitable for the automatic detection of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by investigating which aspects of speech differ between COPD patients and healthy speakers and which aspects differ between COPD patients in exacerbation and stable COPD patients.

Checklist: Introduction

I have introduced my research topic in an engaging way.

I have provided necessary context to help the reader understand my topic.

I have clearly specified the focus of my research.

I have shown the relevance and importance of the dissertation topic .

I have clearly stated the problem or question that my research addresses.

I have outlined the specific objectives of the research .

I have provided an overview of the dissertation’s structure .

You've written a strong introduction for your thesis or dissertation. Use the other checklists to continue improving your dissertation.

The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem
• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an outline of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarise the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

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What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

• In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
• In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

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Table of contents

Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

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The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

• Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
• Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
• Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation. This might include your supervisors, participants in your research, and friends or family who supported you. In some cases, your acknowledgements are part of a preface.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation, usually about 150 to 300 words long. Though this may seem very short, it’s one of the most important parts of your dissertation, because it introduces your work to your audience.

Your abstract should:

• State your main topic and the aims of your research
• Describe your methods
• Summarize your main results
• State your conclusions

Read more about abstracts

The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers. This gives your reader an overview of your structure and helps them easily navigate your document.

Remember to include all main parts of your dissertation in your table of contents, even the appendices. It’s easy to generate a table automatically in Word if you used heading styles. Generally speaking, you only include level 2 and level 3 headings, not every subheading you included in your finished work.

Read more about tables of contents

While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation. It’s easy to generate one of these in Word using the Insert Caption feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary. Here, alphabetize the terms and include a brief description or definition.

Read more about glossaries

The introduction serves to set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of your dissertation. The introduction should:

• Establish your research topic , giving the background information needed to contextualize your work
• Narrow down the focus and define the scope of your research
• Discuss the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate
• Clearly state your research questions and objectives
• Outline the flow of the rest of your work

Everything in the introduction should be clear, engaging, and relevant. By the end, the reader should understand the what, why, and how of your research.

Read more about introductions

A formative part of your research is your literature review . This helps you gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic.

Literature reviews encompass:

• Finding relevant sources (e.g., books and journal articles)
• Assessing the credibility of your sources
• Critically analyzing and evaluating each source
• Drawing connections between them (e.g., themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps) to strengthen your overall point

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing sources. Your literature review should have a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear justification for your own research. It may aim to:

• Address a gap in the literature or build on existing knowledge
• Take a new theoretical or methodological approach to your topic
• Propose a solution to an unresolved problem or advance one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to critically assess its credibility. Your methodology section should accurately report what you did, as well as convince your reader that this was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

• The overall research approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative ) and research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
• Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment )
• Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place
• Any tools and materials you used (e.g., computer programs, lab equipment)
• Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
• An evaluation or justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. You can structure this section around sub-questions, hypotheses , or themes, but avoid including any subjective or speculative interpretation here.

Your results section should:

• Concisely state each relevant result together with relevant descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
• Briefly state how the result relates to the question or whether the hypothesis was supported
• Report all results that are relevant to your research questions , including any that did not meet your expectations.

Additional data (including raw numbers, full questionnaires, or interview transcripts) can be included as an appendix. You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results. Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Here, interpret your results in detail, discussing whether they met your expectations and how well they fit with the framework that you built in earlier chapters. Refer back to relevant source material to show how your results fit within existing research in your field.

Some guiding questions include:

• What do your results mean?
• Why do your results matter?
• What limitations do the results have?

If any of the results were unexpected, offer explanations for why this might be. It’s a good idea to consider alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.

In some disciplines, the conclusion is just a short section preceding the discussion section, but in other contexts, it is the final chapter of your work. Here, you wrap up your dissertation with a final reflection on what you found, with recommendations for future research and concluding remarks.

It’s important to leave the reader with a clear impression of why your research matters. What have you added to what was already known? Why is your research necessary for the future of your field?

Read more about conclusions

It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation. Each style has strict and specific formatting requirements.

Common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA , but which style you use is often set by your department or your field.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.

Read more about appendices

Making sure that all of your sections are in the right place is only the first step to a well-written dissertation. Don’t forget to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, as grammar mistakes and sloppy spelling errors can really negatively impact your work.

Dissertations can take up to five years to write, so you will definitely want to make sure that everything is perfect before submitting. You may want to consider using a professional dissertation editing service , AI proofreader or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect prior to submitting.

After your written dissertation is approved, your committee will schedule a defense. Similarly to defending your prospectus, dissertation defenses are oral presentations of your work. You’ll present your dissertation, and your committee will ask you questions. Many departments allow family members, friends, and other people who are interested to join as well.

After your defense, your committee will meet, and then inform you whether you have passed. Keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality; most committees will have resolved any serious issues with your work with you far prior to your defense, giving you ample time to fix any problems.

As you write your dissertation, you can use this simple checklist to make sure you’ve included all the essentials.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

Congratulations!

The end is in sight—your dissertation is nearly ready to submit! Make sure it's perfectly polished with the help of a Scribbr editor.

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Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

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• Published: 23 August 2024

Different motivation, different achievements: the relationship of motivation and dedication to academic pursuits with final grades among Jewish and Arab undergraduates studying together

• Efrat Gill 1   na1 ,
• Oz Guterman 1   na1 &
• Ari Neuman   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1416-5522 2   na1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  1079 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Much research has indicated disparities between majority and minority groups in academic achievements. In Israel, differences have been recorded between the ethnic majority of students of Jewish origin and the ethnic minority of students of Arab origin. One possible reason for these findings might be differences in motivation, influenced by the respective cultures of the Jewish ethnic majority and Arab ethnic minority. The present research examined the relationship between differences in academic achievements of 73 students of Jewish origin and 74 students of Arab origin studying together and patterns of motivation and dedication to academic pursuits. The findings indicate considerable differences between the two populations in final grades and in motivational patterns and dedication to academic pursuits. In addition, in each of the research populations, different motivations were associated with a higher level of grades.

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In many societies, academic education is considered key to social mobility and is especially important for minority groups (Alsulami, 2018 ; Baskakova et al., 2017 ; Bautista et al., 2023 ; Dominguez-Whitehead, 2017 ). In a review of studies that examined the effect of academic education on the social status of minority groups, Arar and Mustafa ( 2011 ) found that academic education strengthened minority groups by enabling better integration into the labor market, thereby enabling the minority groups better economic, social, and political status. Given the importance of this factor, it is alarming to see data on the gaps between the majority and minority groups in academic achievement. This gap does not exist in all minority groups and there are even cases in which minority groups have higher academic achievements. However, in cases where there is a gap, it is an obstacle to the progress of minority groups (Pérez-Martín and Villardón-Gallego, 2023 ).

Gaps in education and academic success between majority and minority groups at all levels of education have been widely documented in the literature. According to Martin et al. ( 2017 ), this is one of the most difficult and frustrating problems for policymakers. For example, the data on the gaps between students of African American and of white origin in the United States over the last three decades indicated significant differences in grades in favor of the latter (Bowen and Bok, 1998 ; Charles et al., 2009 ; Hung et al., 2020 ). At the college level, students of Latin American and African American origin in the United States had lower academic achievements (average grade and graduation scores) and took a longer time to graduate compared with students of white or Asian origin (Bowen et al., 2009 ; Kugelmass and Ready, 2011 ).

The gap between academic achievements of majority and minority groups in Israel

In Israel, too, there are gaps between the ethnic majority and minority groups, such as, for example, students of Jewish and Arab origin. Arar and Mustafa ( 2011 ) contended that the characteristics of students of Arab origin in Israel’s higher education system were similar to those of other minority groups in the world.

Lufi and Parish-Plass ( 2010 ) argued that the differences between Jewish-origin and Arab-origin students in academic achievements were reflected in a number of academic and educational indicators. Feniger et al. ( 2013 ) found that after completing high school, about 69% of Jewish-origin students eligible for a matriculation certificate continued on to higher education, compared with only 51% of Arab-origin students. Moreover, 74% of the Jewish-origin students completed their studies at the end of the qualifying period, compared with 62% of the Arab-origin students. In other words, about half (51%) of the Jewish-origin students entitled to a matriculation certificate completed a bachelor’s degree, compared with about one-third (32%) of the Arab-origin students. In addition to their relatively low rates of enrollment in academic institutions, the dropout rate among Arab-origin students has been shown to be higher, approximately 16.6% within two years of entering, compared with 12% among Jewish-origin students (Mustafa, 2007 ). Examination of the data on gaps in education over several years revealed an upward trend in the level of education among the Arab population in the last decades, however, the gap between Jews and Arabs remained (Guterman and Gill, 2023 ; Central Bureau of Statistics, 2020 ). These differences were also found to be associated with cultural disparities. The Arab society in Israel is characterized by a higher level of collectivism compared to Jewish society, and these differences were found to be linked to the academic achievements of students, among other factors. (Guterman et al., 2024a ). The Arab society in Israel is generally more traditional, placing a greater emphasis on belonging to the extended family. In this regard, family identity is, on average, more significant for Arab-origin students, and there is a tendency in Arab society in Israel towards more collectivist motivations (Guterman et al., 2024b ).

Differences in motivation and dedication to academic pursuits and cultural differences between Jews and Arabs in Israel

One of the explanations for these gaps between students of Jewish and Arab origin in academic achievements may be motivational differences. Several studies examined the level of motivation of high-school students of Jewish and Arab origin and showed that the desire to pursue academic degrees was higher among students of Arab origin (e.g., Feniger et al., 2021 ; Khattab, 2005 ). However, the effect of different types of motivation on the academic success of the two groups was not examined.

One of the possible explanations for the differences between students of Jewish and Arab origin in Israel in level of motivation and dedication to academic pursuits lies in the cultural differences between these population groups in terms of collectivism and individualism. As explained, previous research has found that students of Arab origin have a higher tendency toward collectivism than students of Jewish origin do (e.g., Amzaleg and Masry-Herzallah, 2022 ).

Research on motivation and dedication to academic pursuits

Several academic models and theories are dedicated to examining the motivation and dedication that individuals exhibit toward their academic endeavors. Each of these theoretical frameworks offers different explanations for the gap in academic achievements between Jewish and Arab populations in Israel, as well as potential disparities between these two groups in motivation and dedication to academic pursuits. Achievement goal theory (AGT; Ames, 1992 ), one of the most widely used theoretical frameworks in the research of motivation to learn (Huang, 2012 ; Urdan and Kaplan, 2020 ), explains students’ purposes for studying. Elliot and Trash ( 2001 ) defined motivation for achievement, and especially motivation for academic achievement as the purpose for which a person engages in goal-driven activities (p. 140). A number of studies have shown the connection between achievement goals in an academic setting and students’ learning behaviors (see, e.g., Meece et al., 2006 ) and examined the characteristics of students who continue to succeed in challenging learning environments.

Earlier studies in the field distinguished between two types of goals: mastery goals, in which the purpose is to develop abilities, and performance goals, in which the purpose is to demonstrate mastery (Ames, 1992 ; Dweck and Leggett, 1988 ). Recent studies have added an approach-avoidance dimension, whereby approach goals arise from the motivation to succeed or the motivation to avoid failure, respectively. Huang ( 2012 ) argued that approach motivation is generally associated with higher academic achievement and avoidance motivation is associated with lower academic achievement.

The underlying factor of motivational orientations is the way in which students assign meaning to school and learning. Nicholls ( 1992 ) argues that mastery goals and performance goals stem from students’ theories about education and learning. These theories are shaped by cultural meanings associated with education in their respective communities and their personal experiences within educational contexts (Maehr and Nicholls, 1980 ). This perspective suggests that in schools within different cultural groups, students may have different theories regarding school and learning.

Significant cultural differences are evident between minority and majority groups. Generally, majority groups adhere to a distinct cultural group that is different from that of minority groups, allowing for the distinction between ‘majority culture’ and ‘minority culture.' Indeed, this viewpoint aligns with the findings that highlight disparities between these groups, in academic achievements. For example, the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), identified significant achievement gaps between immigrant and non-immigrant students was identified across all domains in most OECD countries. Immigrant students generally exhibited lower proficiency levels compared to their non-immigrant counterparts: in reading in 23 countries, in mathematics in 24 countries, and in science in 25 out of 28 countries. Additionally, academic difficulties were more prevalent among second-generation immigrants compared to first-generation immigrants (OECD, 2012 ).

Disparities in academic achievements were found in Israel between the majority Jewish population and the Arab minority. The gap in achievements was evident in the results of the 2002 PISA exam. According to the exam results, students of Arab origin achieved lower scores than those of Jewish origin, ranking Israel 31st in mathematics, 30th in reading, and 33rd in science out of 42 countries assessed. Conversely, if only scores of Jewish-origin students were considered, Israel would have ranked 12th. It was found that ~60% of students of Arab origin in Israel struggle with reading comprehension, compared to 30% among students of Jewish origin. In the Arab sector, despite an improvement in academic achievements, the eligibility rates for matriculation certificates remain low; among students of Arab origin, the eligibility rate stood at 34%, compared to 51% among students of Jewish origin. Regarding the quality of the matriculation certificate, a higher percentage of Jewish-origin students met the university entry requirements—87%, compared to 73% among Arab-origin students. Additionally, the dropout rate among youth is significantly higher in the Arab sector (Mi-Ami, 2003 ).

Indeed, previous research on differences between Jewish and Arab students in terms of achievements indicated the important role of learning goals (Guterman et al., 2024a ). The study found that the level of approach-avoidance goals of the Arab students was indeed lower than those of the Jewish students. This finding suggests the possibility that the collectivist perceptions of this population might lead to less willingness to create challenges, thus creating more passive and less active coping.

Another common model of motivation is the expectancy-value theory (EVT), a motivational framework that describes the correlation between an individual’s expectation of success in a task and the perceived value attributed to that task. First introduced by Atkinson in 1957 EVT was further developed by Wigfield and Eccles ( 2000 ). This theory comprises two principal components: expectancy and value. Expectancy is an individual’s belief in their ability to achieve success in a task, addressing the question, “Can I effectively execute this task?” Expectancy beliefs are influenced by past accomplishments or failures, thus shaping one’s perception of their likelihood of success. Value refers to the perceived importance, utility, or enjoyment associated with a task, addressing the question, “Do I consider this task worthwhile?” Value is influenced by an individual’s prior experiences, beliefs, and personal objectives. EVT identifies four distinct types of values: intrinsic value (the enjoyment derived from the task), attainment value (the personal significance of achieving success in the task), utility value (the practical usefulness of the task), and cost (the negative aspects associated with engagement in the task).

EVT offers an interesting look at the differences between groups. However, unlike AGT, differences between Jews and Arabs have not yet been examined from the perspective of this theory. In our opinion, and in accordance with EVT, there are no expected differences between the groups in the degree of desire to succeed (value). In other words, even though it is possible that the desire to succeed stems from different motivations, such as a desire for personal achievement (individualism) or a desire for group achievements (collectivism), there is no reason to assume that the desire for success itself would be different.

In contrast, there may be differences in the belief of individuals in their ability to succeed (expectancy). An individualistic perception directs individuals to focus on their own abilities. Indeed, research has shown a correlation between individualism and self-efficacy (Earley, 1994 ). In this respect, according to EVT, students of Jewish origin, who come from a more individualistic society, can be expected to show more active strategies compared with students of Arab origin, whose society is more collectivist.

The present study

The present study focused on motivation and dedication to academic pursuits among students of Jewish and Arab origin who were studying together in a college in Israel. To this end, a questionnaire validated in previous research in Israel was used to examine academic motivational patterns (Eliassy, 1999 ). The students were enrolled at an institution in which approximately half of the students were Jews and the other half were Arabs. The research examined several hypotheses:

In keeping with previous research, including studies conducted with students in academic institutions in Israel (Guterman and Neuman, 2019 ), a gap will be found between the groups in student grades, where the students of Jewish origin will have higher final grades than their peers of Arab origin.

A positive correlation will be found between the level of motivation to study and the final grade point average.

In light of the character of Arab culture in Israel, which is typically more collectivist than Jewish culture (Lapidot-Lefler and Hosri, 2016 ; Sagy et al., 2001 ), the level of passive engagement in learning (which refers to the performance of assignments given by lecturers) will be higher among students of Arab origin compared with those of Jewish origin. As noted, this hypothesis is based on previous findings that suggested a greater reliance on sources of authority as a basis for personal action in Arabs compared with Jewish society in Israel (Lapidot-Lefler and Hosri, 2016 ; Sagy et al., 2001 ).

Participants

The research was conducted with 147 students, all enrolled at the same college in Israel. The sample was divided between 74 students of Arab origin and 73 students of Jewish origin (according to their self-reports, as explained later). To enable examination of differences between the groups, we matched them in terms of the gender and age of the participants.

At the time of the research, the students were in their second year of bachelor’s degree studies. There were 109 female students (74.15% of the sample) and 38 male students (25.85%). Differences between the samples in the distribution of genders were examined using Chi-square analysis; no significant differences were found between the groups of Arab and Jewish origin in terms of the distribution of men and women; Χ 2 (1) = 0.96, p  > 0.5 (among the Arab students: 55 women and 19 men; among the Jewish students: 54 women and 19 men).

The participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 57. The mean age was 24.78 with a standard deviation of 6.64. To examine the differences between the groups in this respect, an independent sample t -test was conducted. No significant differences were found, t (145) = 0.44, p  > 0.05 (Arabs: M  = 24.54, SD = 7.27; Jews: M  = 25.02, SD = 5.98).

The researchers invited social sciences students to participate in the research during their classes at Western Galilee College. They explained that participation was voluntary and were assured that the data would not affect their grades or be used for any purpose other than the research. After the students gave their consent to participate in the research, meetings were arranged to administer the different questionnaires included in the research. The students signed to indicate their consent to participate in the research as well as permission for the research team to examine their final grades. The grades were collected two and a half years after completion of the questionnaires, according to the approval of the Ethics Committee of the college. Seven students dropped out of studies and were therefore not included in the research.

Instruments

Motivational patterns questionnaire.

Eliassy ( 1999 ) developed a questionnaire of 24 items in which the respondents rank the degree to which the statements fit them on a scale of 1 (“not at all true”) to 4 (“true to a great degree”). The items refer to different aspects of studying that represent patterns of high and low motivation in terms of quality and test the degree to which the student expresses willingness to demonstrate each of them. The Hebrew version regarding motivational patterns includes five subscales: (a) persistence when encountering difficulties during studies (such as difficult questions in homework assignments, study material that is hard to understand, and the like). In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha for this subscale was 0.71; (b) active involvement in studying, where the items examine the degree to which the student demonstrates interest in what is going on in class during lessons and their active participation in activities during lessons (that is, the degree to which the student engages in actions that reflect involvement, such as expressing an opinion, raising one’s hand, and the like). In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha for this subscale was 0.84; (c) passive involvement in studying, where the items also examine the degree of interest expressed by the student in what is happening in class during lessons, but in this case referring to situations when they turn their attention to what is happening during the lesson but do not take any specific action. In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha for this subscale was 0.82; (d) willingness to invest effort in studying (the degree to which the student is willing or chooses to put effort and time into studies, both in class and at home). In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha for this subscale was 0.81; and (e) seeking challenges in studying (the extent to which the student prefers to engage in complex or simple assignments in studies, in terms of the level of difficulty and the personal challenge they pose to the individual). In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha for this subscale was 0.77.

Academic achievements

The student’s final grades were collected from the college’s databases. The data were collected in accordance with the consent of the study participants and the approval of the Research Ethics Committee.

Demographic questionnaire

The respondents completed a demographic questionnaire that included questions about gender, study track, year of studies, age, and ethnic origin.

To test the hypotheses, several stages of analysis were conducted. First, the differences between Jewish and Arab students in all variables were analyzed. Second, the relationships between the research variables were examined, and finally, hierarchical regression was conducted to examine interactions between the variables in their contribution to explaining the variance in the final bachelor’s degree grades.

Differences between the students of Arab and Jewish origin in terms of the variables

To examine the differences between the students of Jewish origin and those of Arab origin in motivational patterns, a one-way MANOVA was performed. To examine the differences between the groups in final grades, a t -test was conducted.

The MANOVA regarding differences between the students of Jewish and Arab origin in motivational patterns showed a significant difference between the groups, F (5,141) = 4.01, p  < /−1. Eta 2  = 0.13. The results, means, and standard deviations of the motivational patterns by group are presented in Table 1 .

As the table shows, significant differences were found between the students of Jewish origin and their classmates of Arab origin in motivational patterns of willingness to invest effort in studies and seeking challenges in studies. In both these variables, the scores of the students of Jewish origin were higher, on average, than those of the students of Arab origin.

In addition, an independent sample t -test was conducted to examine whether there were differences between the students of Jewish and Arab origin in their final grades; it showed significant differences between the students in final grades, t (206) = 6.53, p  < 0.001. The average grades of the students of Jewish origin were higher than those of the students of Arab origin (Arabs: M  = 71.98, SD = 9.91; Jews: M  = 81.93, SD = 8.51).

Correlations among the research variables

To examine the correlations among the research variables and the between them and the final grades, Pearson correlations were calculated for each group. The correlations between the two motivational patterns and between these patterns and the final grade among students of Jewish origin and of Arab origin are presented in Tables 2 and 3 .

The tables show that among the students of Arab origin, there was a positive correlation between the final grade and passive involvement in studies. In comparison, among the students of Jewish origin, there was a positive correlation between final grade and active involvement in studies. In other words, among the students of Arab origin, the greater their passive involvement in studies was, the higher their final grades were, and among the students of Jewish origin, the greater their active involvement in studies, the higher their final grades were.

In contrast, in both groups, a negative correlation was found between involvement in studies (whether active or passive) and persistence when encountering difficulties with studies. In other words, in both groups, the less the student’s passive or active involvement in studies, the less their persistence when facing difficulty. In fact, in both groups, there was a positive correlation between the two types of involvement in studies (passive and active), where the greater the involvement of one type was, the greater the involvement of the other, as well; in other words, these variables were not independent. Furthermore, in both groups, a negative correlation was found between willingness to invest effort in studies and persistence when encountering academic difficulties. In other words, the greater the willingness to invest effort in studies, the lower the level of persistence when encountering difficulty. In both groups, a positive correlation was found between persistence when encountering academic difficulties and seeking challenges in studies: the greater the persistence when encountering difficulties, the greater, too, was the student’s search for challenges when studying.

In both groups, there was a positive correlation between passive involvement in studies and willingness to invest effort in studies. However, among the students of Jewish origin, there was also a positive correlation between active involvement and willingness to invest effort in studies, but among those of Arab origin such a correlation was not found. In other words, in both groups, the greater the passive involvement in studies, the greater the willingness to invest effort in studies, but only among those of Jewish origin did we also find that the greater the active involvement in studies, the greater the willingness to invest effort in studies.

In both groups, a negative correlation was found between passive involvement in studies and seeking challenges in studies, that is, the greater the passive involvement in studies, the less the search for challenges. Furthermore, among the students of Jewish origin, a negative correlation was also found between passive involvement in studies and willingness to invest effort in studies, that is, the greater the passive involvement in studies, the lower the willingness to invest effort. However, among the studies of Arab origin, no correlation was found between these two variables.

Regression analysis of explained variance of final grades among students of Jewish and Arab origin

To examine the contribution of the research variables to the explained variance in final grades, a separate regression analysis was performed for each of the groups. In both analyses, the first stage was to perform a multiple regression that included all the variables mentioned, even though some of them were not found to be associated with the final grade. The purpose of this analysis was to examine whether these variables might be found to contribute due to interaction with other variables. Next, a hierarchical regression was performed, where the variables that had been shown to correlate with the final grade, either as a main effect or an interaction, were entered. These regressions included three steps: (a) demographic characteristics (age and gender); (b) motivational patterns (persistence when encountering difficulties in studies, active involvement in studies, passive involvement in studies, willingness to invest effort in studies, and seeking challenges in studies); and (c) interaction of the motivational patterns with the demographic characteristics, to examine whether the contribution of the motivational patterns was dependent on the demographic characteristics of the student.

In the first two steps, the variables were force-entered; in the third step, which examined the contribution of the interactions to the explained variance, only those interactions that had been found to contribute to the explained variance significantly ( p  < 0.05) were entered. The regression regarding the students of Arab origin indicated that the level of explained variance was 30%; in comparison, the regression regarding students of Jewish origin indicated that the level of explained variance was 13%. The beta coefficients of the explained variance in each of the regressions are presented in Table 4 .

As the table shows, in the regression regarding the students of Arab origin, the results of the first step, which included only the demographic variables (age and gender), showed a significant contribution of 14% to the explained variance in final grades. In the regression regarding the students of Jewish origin, the same regression did not indicate a contribution to the explained variance in final grades. In the regression regarding the students of Arab origin, age was found to correlate positively with final grade: the older the student, the higher the grade. In the second step, when the five variables of the student’s motivational patterns (persistence when encountering difficulties in studies, active involvement in studies, passive involvement in studies, willingness to invest effort in studies, and seeking challenges in studies) were entered, both the regression regarding the students of Arab origin and that regarding students of Jewish origin indicated a significant contribution of 12% to the explained variance.

In the regression regarding students of Jewish origin, active involvement in studies correlated positively with the final grade (the greater the active involvement in studies, the higher the final grade). Furthermore, in the regression regarding Arab students, passive involvement in studies correlated positively with final grade (the greater the passive involvement in studies, the higher the final grade). In addition, among the students of Arab origin, a negative correlation was found between active involvement in studies and final grade (the greater the active involvement, the lower the final grade).

In the third step, when the interaction of willingness to invest effort in studies with age was entered, a significant contribution was found in the group of students of Arab origin. This interaction contributed an additional 4% to the explained variance in final grades among the Arab students. In the regression regarding students of Jewish origin, this interaction did not contribute significantly to explained variance in grades.

To reach a deeper understanding of the interactions, Aiken and West’s ( 1991 ) method was employed. Figure 1 presents a graphic description of the interaction of “willingness to invest effort in studies” with “age” among the students of Arab origin.

Relationship between willingness to invest effort in studies and final grades among older and younger students.

As shown, among the younger students of Arab origin, the willingness to invest effort in studies did not correlate significantly with final grades, β  = 0.20, p  > 0.5. In contrast, among the more mature students of Arab origin, a significant negative correlation was found between willingness to invest effort in studies and final grades, β  = –0.23, p  < 0.5. In other words, among these students, the greater their willingness to invest effort in studies, the lower their final grades were.

Consistent with the research hypotheses and the findings of previous research, a significant difference was found between the groups of students in final undergraduate grades. The students from the Jewish ethnic majority had higher grades than those from the Arab ethnic minority. In addition to this finding, which corroborates that of earlier studies, the results of the present study also indicated differences between the groups in terms of motivational patterns. The students of Jewish origin scored higher than those of Arab origin in seeking challenges and willingness to invest effort in learning.

These findings are consistent with the two models presented in the introduction with respect to seeking challenges. One possible explanation arises from the difference between the groups in achievements. The grades of the students of Arab origin were lower; therefore, it is reasonable that the studies were more difficult for them, and this may have posed a greater threat to them compared with their Jewish counterparts. As presented in the introduction, this finding is consistent with many research findings on the gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel in academic achievements (Ayalon et al., 2019 ; Blass, 2020 ; TIMSS, 2023 ; OECD, 2018 ; Zuzovsky, 2008 ).

These figures are not unique to Israel. Modern society is characterized by substantial migration both between and within countries, leading to the intersection of diverse languages, cultures, and identities. Consequently, numerous nations are comprised of different ethnic minorities that are distinguished by distinctive characteristics. This situation, occasionally intensified by successive waves of migration, gives rise to numerous social advantages alongside complex challenges. Among the latter, the socioeconomic assimilation of minority group members stands out prominently. Discrepancies between majority and minority population groups in educational accomplishments often serve as a notable contributor to the prevailing disparities in these realms (Lauri et al., 2022 ; OECD, 2019 ; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2023 ).

In light of the greater difficulty, they may have been less able to seek challenges in their studies. In further research, it would be interesting to examine the level of threat that students experience and the relationship between this and the degree to which they seek challenges.

With regard to the willingness to invest effort in studies, the results were contrary to the research hypotheses. It was hypothesized that the need to cope with a greater academic challenge would lead to a greater willingness to invest in studies. However, the more complex task of coping for the Arab students may have created an opposite effect, that is, perhaps it led them to give up and created a negative feeling, expressed in less willingness to invest effort in studies. Another possible explanation of this finding might be based on the cultural differences between the groups. As discussed in the Introduction (Lapidot-Lefler and Hosri, 2016 ; Sagy et al., 2001 ), Arab society in Israel is more collectivist and places greater emphasis on authority figures than Jewish society does. Accordingly, it is possible that the students of Arab origin tended to invest more according to the social demands led by the authority figures of the lecturers, and were therefore less inclined to invest beyond the formal requirements. In further research, it would be interesting to examine these explanations by means of qualitative interviews with students from both sectors, which could shed light on the feelings created by facing difficulties and its impact on students’ willingness to invest effort in studies, as well as the way members of the two groups perceive the concept of investing in studies.

Another finding that emerged from the research was the positive correlation among the students of Arab origin between passive engagement in learning and final grades, compared to the positive correlation among the Jewish students between active engagement in learning and final grades. Possible explanations for this finding might also be drawn from the results of previous research that compared these two groups. Specifically, here too, the finding may stem from the different attitudes of the students of Jewish and Arab origin to authority figures. Students from the more traditional Arab society, which places greater emphasis on authority, might be less inclined to be active and take the initiative beyond the specific definitions of the system so that their main effort is expressed in passive learning. In contrast, students from less traditional Jewish society, which stresses authority less, may tend to base their efforts more on personal initiative and less on the demands of the system. It would be interesting for further research to include measures associated with cultural variables, such as conformism or the perception of authority figures, in order to examine these explanations.

Another finding of the present study was the lack of correlation between willingness to invest in studies and final grades among the younger students of Arab origin, and the negative correlation between these two variables among the older students of Arab origin. This might indicate a change in perceptions over time. As presented earlier, among students of Jewish origin, there was a positive correlation between willingness to invest effort in studies and final grades. One possible explanation of these findings is that these students, who were raised in modern Arab society, are less traditional and less influenced by the potential conflict between a collectivist society that places more emphasis on instructions of the system and less on personal effort and the competitive, individualistic society in which they study. This might explain the negative correlation found among the older, but not the younger students of Arab origin. In this case, too, further research that combines measures of the level of collectivism of students might be useful in examining this explanation of the present findings.

The findings of the present research are important, but the study nevertheless had some limitations. First, the types of motivation considered were derived from the literature and research instruments. There is an advantage to using instruments that have been tested in previous research as well as previous research findings, but this method also has an intrinsic shortcoming. For example, the present study did not include an examination of the fit of the division into types of motivation presented in the questionnaires with the taxonomy of types of motivation as perceived by these participants. In the future, it would be interesting to conduct a qualitative examination of how students perceive the types of motivation they feel, followed by a quantitative examination of the research questions of the present study, taking this taxonomy into account.

Second, because of the limited number of respondents, the research examined differences between the groups without considering their subgroups, which could have a strong impact on the findings. For example, the Arab ethnic minority in Israel is composed of several different groups, such as Muslims, Christians, and Druze, which have different characteristics. The Jewish population in Israel can also be divided into groups in different ways. It would be interesting for further research to examine the impact of belonging to these groups on the attitudes and perceptions of the respondents in the two groups. Third, the present research referred to undergraduate studies in a mixed institution, where about half of the respondents belonged to each group. Naturally, the results might be different in other institutions, with different proportions between the groups. It is essential to continue to study this important issue among different population groups, in order to obtain a fuller view of the findings.

Despite these limitations, the present research offers an important contribution. It deepens the understanding of the relationship between the types of motivation and the academic achievements of students. Moreover, the results indicated how this relationship might be influenced by the cultural and personal characteristics of the learners, thus providing a new perspective and enhancing the understanding of this field. Understanding differences between ethnic minority and majority groups also contributes, together with further research in the field, to the ability to help members of ethnic minorities integrate and advance socially, by means of evidence-based practice. From this perspective, research in this field may inform better-focused and well-founded assistance to groups that currently demonstrate lower achievements. Thus, it is hoped that the present research will serve as the basis for further studies that will broaden the understanding of this field.

For instance, targeted interventions aimed at low socioeconomic status (SES) populations can concentrate on defining diverse goals and ensuring alignment with these objectives. Such research illustrates that the challenge lies not only in skills but also in addressing a cultural gap concerning learning objectives. Given that learning goals correlate with academic achievements, efforts to uplift low-SES populations should emphasize not only technical aspects but also the perception of learning goals. Moreover, understanding the correlation between culture and learning goals paves the way for a more profound theoretical comprehension of this domain.

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These authors contributed equally: Efrat Gill, Oz Guterman, Ari Neuman.

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Department of Human Resources, Western Galilee College, Acre, Israel

Efrat Gill & Oz Guterman

Department of Education, Western Galilee College, Acre, Israel

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Gill, E., Guterman, O. & Neuman, A. Different motivation, different achievements: the relationship of motivation and dedication to academic pursuits with final grades among Jewish and Arab undergraduates studying together. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1079 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03548-7

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Received : 15 October 2023

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Published : 23 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03548-7

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