1. Test the boundaries of the result: Suppose your study demonstrates that
higher levels of academic performance are related to higher levels of self esteem
for elementary school children. Will this same result be found for
adolescents in middle school? Perhaps adolescents are less concerned
about respect from their parents and teachers, and are more concerned
about respect from peers. Perhaps academic success is not highly valued
by adolescents. In this case, you would not necessarily expect academic
success to be related to self-esteem for adolescents. Alternatively, you
might want to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and success
outside academics. Is there a relationship between success on the athletic
field and self-esteem? Notice that the goal is to determine whether your result
extends into other areas. How general are the results of your study?