The hypothesis states that there is a positive correlation between regular exercise and improved mental health.

Discussion Assignment

INSTRUCTIONS: Download this document and open it on your own computer using Microsoft Word. Delete any highlighted text and type your own answers in blue. Once completed, save this document to your computer, and upload it to the assignment submission portal on Blackboard. Please read the assignment text carefully and in its entirety.

Discussion: The Discussion is the final portion of an empirical paper. The purpose of the Discussion section is to reiterate the goals of the study and explain the results of the statistical analyses in real words rather than in statistical terms. Since you are not conducting research, you will not have any results to reiterate. However, a Discussion is where authors also write about what they believe their results mean in terms of empirical and societal implications, as well as discussing limitations of their work and the direction in which future research on this topic should move. In this section, you will detail the following information: 1) restatement of hypotheses; 2) explanation of what support for or against the hypotheses would mean both empirically and societally; 3) two limitations (weaknesses) of your study; 4) two future directions. Note that your grade for this section will, in part, reflect how well you are able to critically think about your design and then communicate those thoughts through writing; therefore, it is important to be as detailed and specific as possible in your language. Avoid being vague.

You will discuss 2 types of implications: empirical and societal. Empirical implications address how your study would add to the body of knowledge on your topic. An empirical implication should answer the question: What would this study teach us that we did not know before? Or, what gap in previous research would this study address? Empirical implications should relate to the sources mentioned in the Literature Review; after all, your literature review sources are the body of knowledge that empirical implications refer to. Societal implications, on the other hand, address what the results of your study would mean for society, or for certain populations. Societal implications should answer the question: Why do these results matter in real life? Or, to whom would these results matter most and why?

Finally, you will discuss limitations and future directions. A limitation is another word for weakness. Think of two limitations of the study you have proposed. Limitations should be related to methodology and should answer the question: What feature of this study design would make me have doubt in the results? Given that this assignment is a research proposal, your limitations must not be regarding participants (sample size or makeup). A future direction is an idea for follow-up research based on what you proposed in your study. A future direction should answer the question: Based on what this study may find, what should researchers study next? Future directions can address changes to methodology or sample makeup.

Section 1 – Hypothesis 1: Implications (26pts.)

1. (2pts.) Restate Hypothesis 1: ___
2. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #1: If Hypothesis 1 is supported by the data, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should be 3-4 sentences that bring in at least 1 of your literature review sources: ___
3. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #2: If Hypothesis 1 is supported, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should be 3-4 sentences that bring in the rest of your literature review sources: ___
4. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #3: If Hypothesis 1 is not supported, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should reference at least 1 of your literature review sources: ___
5. (3pts.) Societal Implication #1: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 1 is supported? ___
6. (3pts.) Societal Implication #2: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 1 is supported? ___
7. (3pts.) Societal Implication #3: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 1 is not supported? ___

Section 2 – Hypothesis 2: Implications (26pts.)

1. (2pts.) Restate Hypothesis 2: ___
2. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #1: If Hypothesis 2 is supported, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should be 3-4 sentences that bring in at least 1 of your literature review sources: ___
3. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #2: If Hypothesis 2 is supported, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should be 3-4 sentences that bring in the rest of your literature review sources: ___
4. (5pts.) Empirical Implication #3: If Hypothesis 2 is not supported, what would that mean for the state of knowledge regarding your topic? Your response should reference at least 1 of your literature review sources: ___
5. (3pts.) Societal Implication #1: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 2 is supported? ___
6. (3pts.) Societal Implication #2: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 2 is supported? ___
7. (3pts.) Societal Implication #3: What is a societal implication if Hypothesis 2 is not supported? ___

Section 3 – Limitations (10pts.)

1. (2pts.) Limitation #1: ___
   1. (3pts.) Why is this a limitation? ___
2. (2pts.) Limitation #2: ___
   1. (3pts.) Why is this a limitation? ___

Section 4 – Future Directions (10pts.)

1. (2pts.) Future Direction #1: ___
2. (2pts.) Future Direction #2: ___
   1. (3pts.) Why should future research do this? ___

Discussion (22pts.)

Indent and restate Hypothesis 1 here. In the same paragraph, insert Empirical Implications 1, 2, & 3 here.

Indent. New paragraph: Insert Hypothesis 1 Societal Implications 1, 2, & 3 here.

Indent. New paragraph: restate Hypothesis 2 here. In the same paragraph, insert Empirical Implications 1, 2, & 3 here.

Indent. New paragraph: Insert Hypothesis 2 Societal Implications 1, 2, & 3 here.

Indent. New paragraph: Insert Limitations 1a & 2a here.

Indent. New paragraph: Insert Future Directions 1a & 2a here.