Dissertation discussion, not much specific literature

Hi!
Just doing the discussion section of my dissertation at the moment,
there's not much available research investigating the specific topic I'm doing (staff's perceptions to a specific disability), so I'm struggling with the discussion section, and linking my results back to the limited research base.

I basically have two options:
State that there is not suitable existing literature to include within the discussion of my paper, therefore making my investigation more empirical in nature.

Or... Generalising the use of previous literature in my discussion to staff's perceptions of disabilities (in general), however the findings from these studies aren't likely to be relevant, and my research isn't contributing to these areas.

Any advice is appreciated,
Many thanks,
Conor

Reply 1

SarcAndSpark

I think you need to discuss this with your supervisor, but in most universities just stating their isn't that much literature isn't going to be acceptable. This can be a problem and it's one reason it's a good idea to do a bit of research before committing to your topic.

However, it's perfectly acceptable to reference a piece of literature and explain why it's not totally relevant. You can also use less related literature to reference specific points- e.g. when explaining why negative perception by staff may be harmful. You may also be able to reference literature about public perceptions of the disability as well. I'm sure it would be acceptable to say something like "These are staff perceptions of disability in general" "these are public perceptions of this disability" "This is how they might apply to staff" "This is why it could be a problem".

A good course of action would be to take the literature you have found to a supervisor meeting, suggest what you might do with it, and see what your supervisor says. If they see you being proactive, I am sure they will be able to help you come up with a solution.