Hypothesis Formulation and Testing in Research - Prof. Younsoo Bae | Study Guides, Projects, Research Medicine

Formulating the Research Hypothesis

Page 1 of 7

EGE 3300

Hypothesis

2024

Research is the cornerstone of science. It is a systematic process through which new discoveries are

made and new answers are provided to some fundamental questions. In all field of activities, there are

several problems which exist making research and development an integral part of it. The solutions to

the problems can be sought for only after an effective research problem is identified and related questions

are enumerated. A researcher needs to raise questions which could be his/her assumptions laid in the

form of statements. Such statements are called hypothesis which helps the researcher to get a direction

for his research. Research is integral to every field. There needs to be a systematic method adopted for

research. The present chapter explains the initial stages of a research. Problem identification is the first

step of research, in fact, the need of research arises only when there is a problem. The problems are then

converted to research questions which are framed as hypothesis statements and tested for their validity.

This makes the research very strong and reliable.

MEANING OF HYPOTHESIS, RELEVANCE AND TYPES OF HYPOTHESES

Meaning of Hypothesis:

Hypothesis is a logical prediction of occurrences without empirical confirmation or evidence. In

scientific terms, it is a tentative theory or testable statement about the relationship between two or more

variables

i.e. independent and dependent variable. A hypothesis is an assumption that is made based on some

evidence. This is the initial point of any investigation that translates the research questions into

predictions. It includes components like variables, population and the relation between the variables.

Characteristics of good Hypothesis:

Following are the characteristics of hypothesis:

➢ The hypothesis should be clear and precise to consider it to be reliable.

➢ Must relate to the problem under investigation in all aspects.

➢ Good hypothesis should be testable. That is variables stated in hypothesis must be

measurable and possibly quantifiable. Some variables are more of constructs and are

difficult to measure e.g. job interest, personality etc, unless a researcher comes up with

own indicators for such constructs.

➢ Should be testable within a reasonable period of time. E.g. “children who are breastfed

over a long period of time will have a longer life expectancy in adulthood”. Such a

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Formulating the Research Hypothesis Research is the cornerstone of science. It is a systematic process through which new discoveries are made and new answers are provided to some fundamental questions. In all field of activities, there are several problems which exist making research and development an integral part of it. The solutions to the problems can be sought for only after an effective research problem is identified and related questions are enumerated. A researcher needs to raise questions which could be his/her assumptions laid in the form of statements. Such statements are called hypothesis which helps the researcher to get a direction for his research. Research is integral to every field. There needs to be a systematic method adopted for research. The present chapter explains the initial stages of a research. Problem identification is the first step of research, in fact, the need of research arises only when there is a problem. The problems are then converted to research questions which are framed as hypothesis statements and tested for their validity. This makes the research very strong and reliable. MEANING OF HYPOTHESIS, RELEVANCE AND TYPES OF HYPOTHESES Meaning of Hypothesis: Hypothesis is a logical prediction of occurrences without empirical confirmation or evidence. In scientific terms, it is a tentative theory or testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables i.e. independent and dependent variable. A hypothesis is an assumption that is made based on some evidence. This is the initial point of any investigation that translates the research questions into predictions. It includes components like variables, population and the relation between the variables. Characteristics of good Hypothesis: Following are the characteristics of hypothesis: ➢ The hypothesis should be clear and precise to consider it to be reliable. ➢ Must relate to the problem under investigation in all aspects. ➢ Good hypothesis should be testable. That is variables stated in hypothesis must be measurable and possibly quantifiable. Some variables are more of constructs and are difficult to measure e.g. job interest, personality etc, unless a researcher comes up with own indicators for such constructs. ➢ Should be testable within a reasonable period of time. E.g. “children who are breastfed over a long period of time will have a longer life expectancy in adulthood”. Such a

Formulating the Research Hypothesis hypothesis would take too long to be tested besides being affected by other extraneous variables. ➢ Must be based on a sound rationale derived from theory, previous research or professional experience. They must be consistent with generally accepted traits /common sense. It should not contradict reason or generally accepted traits. For an example: it’s wrong to hypothesis that; Ho = There is no relationship between river flowing up the hill and the speed of water flow. ➢ The hypothesis must be specific and should have scope for conducting more tests. ➢ The way of explanation of the hypothesis must be very simple. Relevance of Hypothesis ➢ It ensures the entire research methodologies are scientific and valid. ➢ It helps to assume the probability of research failure and progress. ➢ It helps to provide link to the underlying theory and specific research question. ➢ It helps in data analysis and measure the validity and reliability of the research. ➢ It provides a basis or evidence to prove the validity of the research. ➢ It helps to describe research study in concrete terms rather than theoretical terms. Types of Hypothesis: i) Null Hypothesis: - states that no real relationship or difference exists between the independent and the dependent variables; any relationship/difference is due to chance/error. It is usually denoted by H 0. In a study of productivity of crops within an area, a researcher may hypothesize that: Ho = failure to use fertilizer in crop production results in poor yields or Ho = there is no significant relationship between use of fertilizer in farming and resultant crop yield. ii) Alternative hypothesis These types of hypotheses indicate there is a relationship or difference between the two stipulated values, however, the relationship or difference is not indicated; whether positive or negative it’s not known. E.g. H1= there is a relationship between fertilizer application and resultant crop yields

Formulating the Research Hypothesis IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM AND HYPOTHESIS: Problem identification The problem is the most basic and fundamental part of the research process without which there is no point to research. Discovering problems means seeing what other people have seen, but thinking what no one else has thought. In this process, certain questions come first: ➢ Why can’t we afford to do more than this? ➢ Why do we continue to do certain things in ‘certain ways’ rather than in ‘certain other ways’? ➢ What will happen if a particular phenomenon occurs in certain other contexts? ➢ Why is A, a product of B, and B a product of C, but C seems to show no connections with A? These are some of the questions that usually lead to identifying and formulating research problem. Hence, what are found at the beginning of all inquiries are merely problems! “Research problem” emanates from researchers’ clear intent to reveal an unclear area of interest or subject matter on which previous researchers have been deficient and which provokes necessity for the conduct of new research work. “Research problems” indicate gaps in the scope of our knowledge. Such gap (or vague area of interest or missing or omitted point of concern) may result from whether there had been no research ever conducted on them or whether there were some elements of shortage or loopholes noted or observed in the previous researches. Identifying a research problem Identifying a research problem is the first step and stating it in a form agreeable to research is second. Hence a “research problem” is different from “problem statement”. A problem statement or statement of the problem, as it is also called, is an “expressed” problem and focal point of any research endeavour. While a research problem is the gap or loopholes identified by the researcher. Any problem area or untouched aspect which may be the focal area of the research being conducted is the research problem. To identify the research problem, the researcher needs to study the existing literature, understand the area of study and its problems with its demographic structure and jot down all the loopholes in the already existing structure. Thus, problem is identified.

Formulating the Research Hypothesis Statement of hypothesis As a research hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what is expected to happen in a study, one may consider drawing hypothesis from previously published research based on the theory. A good research hypothesis involves more efforts than just a guess. In particular, the hypothesis may begin with a question which could be further explored through background research. Following questions need to be considered while formulating hypothesis: Is the language clear and focused? What is the relationship between the hypothesis and the research topic? Is the hypothesis testable? If yes, then how? What are the possible explanations that one might want to explore? Does the hypothesis include both an independent and dependent variable? Can one manipulate the variables without hampering the ethical standards? How to Formulate an Effective Research Hypothesis A testable hypothesis is not a simple statement. It is rather a complicated statement that needs to offer a clear introduction to a scientific experiment, its intentions, and the possible outcomes. However, there are some important things to consider when building a compelling hypothesis. State the problem that you are trying to solve. Make sure that the hypothesis clearly defines the topic and the focus of the experiment. Try to write the hypothesis as an if-then statement. Define the variables: o Independent variables are the ones which are manipulated, controlled, or changed. Independent variables are isolated from other factors of the study. o Dependent variables, as name suggests are dependent on other factors of the study. They are influenced by the change in independent variable. Testing of hypothesis Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating the ideas about the world using statistics. It is most often used by scientists to test specific predictions, called hypotheses that arise from theories. There are 5 main steps in hypothesis testing: ❖ State your research hypothesis as a null hypothesis (Ho) and alternate hypothesis (Ha or H1).

Formulating the Research Hypothesis The results of hypothesis testing will be presented in the results and discussion sections of your research paper. In the results section you should give a brief summary of the data and a summary of the results of your statistical test (for example, the estimated difference between group means and associated p-value). In the discussion, you can discuss whether your initial hypothesis was supported by your results or not. In the formal language of hypothesis testing, we talk about rejecting or failing to reject the null hypothesis. You will probably be asked to do this in your statistics assignments. If we reject the null hypothesis based on our research (i.e., we find that it is unlikely that the pattern arose by chance), then we can say our test lends support to our hypothesis. But if the pattern does not pass our decision rule, meaning that it could have arisen by chance, then we say the test is inconsistent with our hypothesis.

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