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    Lecture 5

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    godspower bruno
    1) A hypothesis is a tentative, testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It predicts the outcome of a scientific study and is based on existing research. 2) When forming a hypothesis, researchers identify the independent variable(s) that will be manipulated and the dependent variable(s) that will be measured. Control variables are also noted. 3) Hypotheses provide focus and clarity for a study by specifying what information needs to be collected. Testing a hypothesis allows researchers to conclude if the results support or refute the initial prediction.

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    Lecture 5

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    godspower bruno
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    1) A hypothesis is a tentative, testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It predicts the outcome of a scientific study and is based on existing research. 2) When forming a hypothesis, researchers identify the independent variable(s) that will be manipulated and the dependent variable(s) that will be measured. Control variables are also noted. 3) Hypotheses provide focus and clarity for a study by specifying what information needs to be collected. Testing a hypothesis allows researchers to conclude if the results support or refute the initial prediction.

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    1) A hypothesis is a tentative, testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It predicts the outcome of a scientific study and is based on existing research. 2) When forming a hypothesis, researchers identify the independent variable(s) that will be manipulated and the dependent variable(s) that will be measured. Control variables are also noted. 3) Hypotheses provide focus and clarity for a study by specifying what information needs to be collected. Testing a hypothesis allows researchers to conclude if the results support or refute the initial prediction.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    10 views12 pages

    Lecture 5

    Uploaded by

    godspower bruno
    1) A hypothesis is a tentative, testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It predicts the outcome of a scientific study and is based on existing research. 2) When forming a hypothesis, researchers identify the independent variable(s) that will be manipulated and the dependent variable(s) that will be measured. Control variables are also noted. 3) Hypotheses provide focus and clarity for a study by specifying what information needs to be collected. Testing a hypothesis allows researchers to conclude if the results support or refute the initial prediction.

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    Constructing Hypotheses

    Definition of a hypothesis
    • A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested by
    scientific research.

    • If you want to test a relationship between two or


    more variables, you need to write hypotheses before
    you start your experiment or data collection.

    • Hypotheses bring focus to the research problem in


    quantitative research
    What is a hypothesis
    • A hypothesis states your predictions about what your
    research will find. It is a tentative answer to your research
    question that has not yet been tested. For some research
    projects, you might have to write several hypotheses that
    address different aspects of your research question.

    • A hypothesis is not just a guess – it should be based on


    existing theories and knowledge. It also has to be testable,
    which means you can support or refute it through scientific
    research methods (such as experiments, observations and
    statistical analysis of data).
    Variables in hypotheses
    • An independent variable is something the researcher changes
    or controls.
    • A dependent variable is something the researcher observes
    and measures.
    • If there are any control variables, extraneous variables, or
    confounding variables, be sure to jot those down as you go to
    minimize the chances that research bias will affect your
    results.

    • Example: Hypothesis
    • Daily exposure to the sun leads to increased levels of
    happiness.
    Functions of a hypothesis
    • The formulation of a hypothesis brings specificity and clarity
    to a study.
    • This specificity and clarity used to construct a hypothesis
    ensures that only information needed is collected, thereby,
    providing focus to the study. This also enhances the validity
    of a study as it ensures measuring what the study sets out to
    measure.
    • As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis
    enhances objectivity in a study.
    • The testing of a hypothesis enables the researcher to
    specifically conclude what is true or what is false, thereby,
    contributing towards theory formulation.
    The process of testing a hypothesis
    How to formulate a hypothesis
    • A hypothesis should be simple, specific and
    conceptually clear
    • A hypothesis should be capable of verification
    • A hypothesis should be related to the existing body
    of knowledge
    • A hypothesis should be measurable

    Example: The average age of male students in this class


    is higher than that of the female students.
    How to formulate a hypothesis
    Step 1. Ask a question
    Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to
    answer.
    Example: Do students who attend more lectures get better exam
    results?

    Step 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.

    Step 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.
    Example: Attending more lectures leads to better exam results.
    How to formulate a hypothesis
    Step 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.
    How to formulate a hypothesis
    5. Phrase your hypothesis in three ways
    • 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.
    How to formulate a hypothesis
    Step 6. Write a null hypothesis
    If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing, you will
    also have to write a null hypothesis.

    The null hypothesis states that there is no difference between


    two situations, groups, outcomes, or the prevalence of a
    condition or phenomenon. 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.
    Errors in testing hypotheses
    Incorrect conclusions about the validity of a hypothesis may be
    drawn if:
    • the study design selected is faulty
    • the sampling procedure adopted is faulty
    • the method of data collection is inaccurate
    • the analysis is wrong
    • the statistical procedures applied are inappropriate
    • the conclusions drawn are incorrect

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