subject: Preparing A Descriptive Thesis [print this page] A thesis that is descriptive examines a phenomenon, group of people, idea, or theory with a particular focus on facts and conditions of the subject. Collecting factual evidence and information that give your reader a comprehensive view of your subject is the main objective of this type of research. Writing a descriptive thesis can be quite challenging and interesting as it relies heavily upon unbiased perception.
Aim:
The purpose of a descriptive thesis is to provide an accurate and convincing account of a subject at the time of your research. Your thesis revolves around your subject, so if your subject changes after your research, your thesis remains an image of your subject during the time of your observation. Also, you will have to provide evidence and observations that test your hypothesis. This means that you need to gather enough evidence to support or deny your hypothesis statement, or provide evidence that answers multiple questions about the nature of your subject. Within your thesis, you will establish a test to determine how you can answer your hypothesis. For instance, your test may require that you demonstrate a number of particular psychological symptoms to prove a test diagnosis.
Applied Technique:
A descriptive thesis focuses on your use of senses. This includes describing the physical sensations you experience while observing your subject. Unlike other thesis types, you should not narrow down your options, nor involve in any early analysis of your sense information. For instance, you should avoid suggesting that your subject is depressed, as this is a diagnosis. Instead, you can assume that your subject is withdrawn, quiet, showing sad emotions, or prone to emotional outbursts. You can use the sense information for your diagnosis and analysis later in your research, or possibly arrive at a diagnosis that is entirely different than depression.
Required Elements:
A thesis using the descriptive method must be crafted in a declarative style. You need to state your facts and descriptions in a more convincing manner such that your reader cannot dispute them. A reader should be able to examine your facts and devise his/her own diagnosis based on your observations that may or may not coincide with your later analysis. The description should be clear enough for your readers to make their own assertions as they read.
Things to Avoid:
Avoid any sense of bias while recording any sensory facts and do not provide any internal analysis about their meaning in your descriptive thesis. For instance, if you observe your subject demonstrating a quiet, reserved manneravoid phrasing your description with words such as pitiful; words like pitiful have negative connotations and, therefore, create a bias against your subject. Emotional phrases, or words that relate your feelings about what you see, are irrelevant in a descriptive thesis. If you describe the scene as you see it, your reader should experience the same emotional feelings you witnessed in yourself.
