đ Objective Reporting of Findings
Chapter Four presents the empirical results devoid of accompanying speculation or subjective interpretation. The meaning of the facts belongs exclusively in Chapter Five.
1. Two Characteristic Presentation Styles
Style A: Hypothesis-Analysis Style
Subdivided into sections corresponding directly to each stated hypothesis. Each section restates the hypothesis, displays statistical summary tables, and concludes with an unambiguous statement of whether the null hypothesis was rejected or failed to be rejected.
Style B: Analysis by Instruments Style
Organized by research instrument or dependent variable. Summarizes empirical variances and interactions across the full battery of measures before cross-referencing to specific research hypotheses.
2. Statistical Reporting Protocols under APA
Tables must be numbered with Arabic numerals (e.g., Table 1, Table 2). All subjects and scores must be fully accounted for. When reporting statistical copy in text:
âĸ Include the test symbol, degrees of freedom, exact test value, and probability level: F(2, 48) = 4.35, p = .018.
âĸ Report effect sizes (e.g., Cohen's d, partial eta squared) alongside p-values to demonstrate substantive magnitude.
âĸ Accompany all inferential tests with descriptive central tendency metrics (M = 45.2, SD = 6.8).
3. Presenting Qualitative Results
In qualitative inquiries, voluminous interview transcripts and field observations are synthesized into discrete core themes. In Chapter Four, present the identified themes supported by representative, verbatim quotations from participants. Subjective interpretation of the themes is reserved for Chapter Five.