Understanding Hypotheses in Research

Study Notes

A hypothesis is a tentative conclusion or educated guess answering a specific research question.
It defines the relationship between two or more variables and is a specific, testable prediction of expected outcomes.
Important functions of a hypothesis include:
- Assisting researchers in study design, including methods and data collection.
- Providing tentative explanations and facilitating knowledge extension.
- Serving as a basis for analyzing the relevance of data.
- Guiding researchers in consolidating findings and formulating conclusions.

Formulate hypotheses in declarative sentences.
Base hypotheses on theories, known facts, previous studies, or personal insights.
Establish logical relationships with the research problem and predict variable relationships.
Ensure hypothesis testability.
Use clear, specific language to avoid wordiness.

Null Hypothesis (H0): Indicates no relationship between the studied variables; asserts that one variable does not affect the other. Commonly used in various study designs.
Alternative Hypothesis (H1): Suggests there is a relationship between the independent and dependent variables; aims to disprove the null hypothesis. Can be:
- Directional Hypothesis (One-tailed): Predicts the direction of results, indicating which group will perform better or worse.
- Non-directional Hypothesis (Two-tailed): States there will be a difference between groups without predicting the direction of that difference.

Conceptual Framework:
- A broad, abstract structure outlining key concepts, variables, and relationships in a research study.
- Clarifies the study's scope and serves as a foundation for developing hypotheses or research questions.
Theoretical Framework:
- A more specific and comprehensive set of concepts, theories, and models used to explain the phenomena under investigation.