2. CONTENT
• Introduction of hypothesis
• Definition of hypothesis
• Importance of hypothesis
• Types of hypothesis
• Elements of hypothesis
• Formation/developing a hypothesis
• Examples of hypothesis
• References
3. Introduction of hypothesis
• The hypothesis is what the researchers predict the relationship
between two or more variables, but it involves more than a guess.
• A hypothesis does not have to be correct. While the hypothesis
predicts what the researchers expect to see, the goal of the
research is to determine whether this guess is right or wrong.
4. Contd…
• Purpose of a hypothesis is to find the answer to a question.
• In exploratory research our base knowledge of a subject may be so low that we
cannot formulate meaningful hypotheses.
• Nonetheless, exploratory research should be guided by a clear purpose,
or research objectives as well as criteria by which the exploration will be judged
successful.
5. Definition of hypothesis
• A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or
more variables. It is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to
happen in a study.
• For example, a study designed to look at the relationship between sleep
deprivation and test performance might have a hypothesis that states, "This study
is designed to assess the hypothesis that sleep-deprived people will perform
worse on a test than individuals who are not sleep-deprived."
6. What Is The Importance Of Hypothesis In Research
Process?
• The research process begins and ends with the hypothesis. It is
core to the entire procedure and, therefore, is of the utmost
importance. A hypothesis can be formulated in several ways yet it
always performs the basic function of predicting the final
outcome of the investigation. The hypothesis usually occurs after
inductive reasoning, in which the researcher performs a series of
observations in order to form a theory.
7. TYPES OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
• Before researchers can begin working on a question that interests them, they need to formulate a research
hypothesis. This is an important step in the scientific method because this determines the direction of the
study.
• Research hypotheses are of different types:
• Simple
• Complex
• Directional
• Non-directional,
• Associative
• Causal
• Inductive & deductive
• Null,
• Alternative or Research.
• Statistical
8. Simple Hypothesis:
• This predicts the relationship between a single independent variable (IV)
and a single dependent variable (DV).
• For example: Lower levels of exercise postpartum (IV) will be associated
with greater weight retention (DV).
9. Complex Hypothesis:
• This predicts the relationship between two or more independent variables
and two or more dependent variables.
• Example of a complex multiple independent variable hypothesis - low risk
pregnant women (IV) who
• ●value health highly;
• ●believe that engaging in health promoting behaviours will result in positive
outcomes;
• ●decreased frequency of urinary incontinence episodes;
• ●decreased urine loss per episode;
• ●decreased avoidance of activities among women in ambulatory care settings.
10. Directional Hypothesis:
• This may imply that the researcher is intellectually committed to a particular
outcome. They specify the expected direction of the relationship between variables
i.e. the researcher predicts not only the existence of a relationship but also its
nature.
• Scientific journal articles generally use this form of hypothesis.
• Example, a researcher may state the hypothesis as, ‘High school students who
participate in extracurricular activities have a lower GPA than those who do
not participate in such activities.’ Such hypotheses provide a definite direction
to the prediction
11. Non-directional Hypothesis:
• This form of hypothesis is used in studies where there is no
sufficient past research on which to base a prediction. Do
not stipulate the direction of the relationship.
• Example, a non-directional hypothesis would read, ‘The
academic performance of high school students is related to
their participation in extracurricular activities.
12. Associative Hypothesis:
• Associative hypotheses propose relationships between
variables, when one variable changes, the other changes. Do not
indicate cause and effect.
• Example:
13.
14. Causal Hypothesis:
• Causal hypotheses propose a cause and effect interaction between two or more
variables. The independent variable is manipulated to cause effect on the
dependent variable.
• The causal hypothesis will state, ‘High school students who participate in
extracurricular activities spend less time studying which leads to a low
GPA.’ When verifying such hypotheses.
15. Inductive and Deductive Hypotheses:
• Inductive hypotheses are formed through inductively reasoning
from many specific observations to tentative explanations.
• Deductive hypotheses are formed through deductively
reasoning implications of theory.
16.
17. Null Hypothesis: (It is denoted as H0)
• This is a hypothesis that proposes no relationship or difference between two
variables. This is the conventional approach to making a prediction.
• It involves a statement that says there is no relationship between two groups
that the researcher compares on a certain variable.
• For example, ‘There is no difference in the academic performance of high school
students who participate in extracurricular activities and those who do not
participate in such activities’ is a null hypothesis.
18. Alternate or Research Hypothesis:
This hypothesis proposes a relationship between two or more variables,
symbolized as H1. For example, if a researcher was interested in examining the
relationship between music and emotion, s/he may believe that there is a
relationship between music and emotion.
H1 (the research/alternate hypothesis): Music at a fast tempo is rated by
participants as being happier than music at a slow tempo.
H0 (the null hypothesis): Music at a fast tempo and at a slow tempo is rated
the same in happiness by participants.
The two hypotheses we propose to test must be mutually exclusive; i.e., when one
is true the other must be false. And we see that they must be exhaustive; they must
include all possible occurrences.
19.
20.
21. Statistical Hypothesis:
• Statistical hypothesis is an assumption about statistical
populations that one seeks to support or refute. The null
hypothesis and alternative hypothesis together are called
statistical hypothesis.
22.
23. Elements of a Good Hypothesis
• Is your hypothesis based on your research on a topic?
• Can your hypothesis be tested?
• Does your hypothesis include independent and dependent
variables?
• It must be measurable
• Relevant to your question/problem
24. Developing a hypothesis
1. Ask a question
• Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer. The question should be
focused, specific, and researchable within the constraints of your project.
• Do students who attend more lectures get better exam results?
2. Do some preliminary research
• Your initial answer to the question should be based on what is already known about the topic. Look
for theories and previous studies to help you form educated assumptions about what your research will
find.
• At this stage, you might construct a conceptual framework to identify which variables you will study and
what you think the relationships are between them.
3. Formulate your hypothesis
• Now you should have some idea of what you expect to find. Write your initial answer to the question in a
clear, concise sentence.
• Attending more lectures leads to better exam results.
25. Contd…
4. Refine your hypothesis
• You need to make sure your hypothesis is specific and testable. There are various ways of phrasing a hypothesis, but all
the terms you use should have clear definitions, and the hypothesis should contain:
• The relevant variables
• The specific group being studied
• The predicted outcome of the experiment or analysis
5. Phrase your hypothesis in three ways
• To identify the variables, you can write a simple prediction in if…then form. The first part of the sentence states the
independent variable and the second part states the dependent variable.
• If a first-year student starts attending more lectures, then their exam scores will improve.
• In academic research, hypotheses are more commonly phrased in terms of correlations or effects, where you directly state the
predicted relationship between variables.
• The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive effect on their exam scores.
• If you are comparing two groups, the hypothesis can state what difference you expect to find between them.
• First-year students who attended most lectures will have better exam scores than those who attended few lectures.
26. Contd…
6. Write a null hypothesis
• If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing, you will also have to
write a null hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the default position that there
is no association between the variables. The null hypothesis is written as
H0, while the alternative hypothesis is H1 or Ha.
• H0: The number of lectures attended by first-year students has no effect on
their final exam scores.
• H1: The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive
effect on their final exam scores.
27. A few examples of hypothesis:
• "Students who eat breakfast will perform better on a math exam than
students who do not eat breakfast."
• "Students who experience test anxiety prior to an English exam will
get higher scores than students who do not experience test anxiety."
• "Motorists who talk on the phone while driving will be more likely to
make errors on a driving course than those who do not talk on the
phone."
28. Contd..
Research question Hypothesis Null hypothesis
What are the health benefits of eating
an apple a day?
Increasing apple consumption in over-60s will result
in decreasing frequency of doctor’s visits.
Increasing apple consumption in over-
60s will have no effect on frequency
of doctor’s visits.
Which airlines have the most delays? Low-cost airlines are more likely to have delays than
premium airlines.
Low-cost and premium airlines are
equally likely to have delays.
Can flexible work arrangements
improve job satisfaction?
Employees who have flexible working hours will
report greater job satisfaction than employees who
work fixed hours.
There is no relationship between
working hour flexibility and job
satisfaction.
How effective is high school sex
education at reducing teen
pregnancies?
Teenagers who received sex education lessons
throughout high school will have lower rates of
unplanned pregnancy than teenagers who did not
receive any sex education.
High school sex education has no
effect on teen pregnancy rates.
What effect does daily use of social
media have on the attention span of
under-16s?
There is a negative correlation between time spent
on social media and attention span in under-16s.
There is no relationship between social
media use and attention span in under-
16s.
29. A Hypothesis Checklist
• Explain what you expect to happen
• Be clear and understandable
• Be testable
• Be measurable
• And contain an independent and dependent variable