HYPOTHESIS

In quantitative research: (a) hypothesis

comes from a theory, (b) hypothesis is the
tentative answer to the research
questions
In qualitative research: (a) hypothesis comes
from data, (b) and it will be reformulated
again and again to become a theory.
What is a theory? A statement of
relationship between/among
variables/factors.
So, hypothesis should also contain
relationship between/among variables.

HYPOTHESIS in Quantitative Research

Hypothesis is a tentative answer to the
research question
E.g. If the research question is is Method
A better than Method B? the tentative
answer (=the hypothesis) can be:
Method A is better than Method B.
Later if the researcher analyses the data
using inferential statistics, he/she has to
change the hypothesis into Null
Hypothesis (=statement of no
difference): There is no difference
between Method A and Method B.

VARIABLES
Variable is anything that can vary: can be
different or change within the same or
different objects or persons.
Examples of variables of a person: age,
motivation, gender, skill, knowledge
Examples of variables of a school: programs,
facilities, teachers, students, parents
Kinds of variables: (1) independent variables
(=the cause variable) (2) dependent
variables (= effect variable)
Independent variable is a variable which
affects another variable; where as
dependent variable is a variable which is
affected by another variable.

VARIABLES
Some variables can be treated as either
independent variables or dependent variables: eg:
motivation can be treated as (1) independent
variable in a study on the effect of motivation on
the students learning outcomes, or a (2)
dependent variable in a study on the effect of
giving rewards on the students motivation to
learn a language
But some variables cannot be manipulated: some
variables can only be independent variables (eg:
age, gender). These are sometimes called
classifying or attributive variables.
To manipulate a variable=to make the variable vary;
e.g: a teaching method can be manipulated so
that we can have Teaching Method A, Teaching
Method B, Teaching Method D, etc.