SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPOTHESIS IN GIVING DIRECTION TO

RESEARCH: AN ANALYSIS

1.5 Legal Methods and Social Sciences Research

Submitted By

Subham Das

UID: SM0117051

B.A. L.L.B. 1st year, 1st semester

Faculty-in-charge

Mr. Thangzakhup Tombing

National Law University, Assam

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………..3
1.1 Literature Review…………………………………………………..4
1.2 Scope and Objectives………………………………………………4
1.3 Research Questions…………………………………………………5
1.4 Research Methodology……………………………………………..5
2. Hypothesis………………………………………………………………6
2.1 Nature of Hypothesis………………………………………………6-7
2.2 Sources of Hypothesis……………………………………………..7
2.3 Types of Hypothesis……………………………………………….7-8
2.4 Importance of Hypothesis…………………………………………8-9
3. Formulation of Hypothesis…………………………………………….10
3.1 Difficulties Faced during Formulation…………………………….10
4. Testing the Hypothesis……..…………………………………………..11-12
5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..13
6. Bibliography……………………………………………………………14

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 1. Introduction
Human Beings are curious animals and the hunger for learning never stops as new
discoveries or inventions never ceases to amaze us. Similarly learning something new about a
topic or area that is already known to us also gives us the same satisfaction and thrill. The
best way to increase our knowledge about a certain topic is to conduct a research on that topic
be it doctrinal or empirical research.

Research is a careful and detailed study into a specific problem, concern, or issue using the
scientific method. It's the adult form of the science fair projects back in elementary school,
where you try and learn something by performing an experiment. This is best accomplished
by turning the issue into a question, with the intent of the research to answer the question.1

According to Redman and Mory, “It is Systematized effort to gain new knowledge.”2

Research Methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field
of study. It comprises the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles
associated with a branch of knowledge.3

There are various types of research like doctrinal, comparative, statistical, critical,
comparative, laboratory, etc. This project shall focus on the hypothesis step of the research

Before a research is conducted a hypothesis is formulated which acts as a guide for

conducting the research and is an idea formed by the researcher about the topic before
conducting the actual research.

As a researcher, we never know the outcome prior to the research work but we will have
certain assumptions on how the end results will be. Based on our hunch and curiosity, we will
test it by collecting information that will enable us to conclude whether our assumptions are
right.4

1
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-research-definition-purpose-typical-researchers.html
2
Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia (H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law
House

3
http://lex-warrier.in/2017/03/significance-and-purpose-of-research-methodology/
4
http://tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/.../CMRM6103_Research_methodology_07.pdf

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 1.1 Literature Review

 Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia
(H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law House

This book provides a detailed account of the legal methodologies including the topic of
this research which is hypothesis. It also highlights the various types of hypothesis like
working, research, null, etc, and also about the formulation and importance of hypothesis
in conducting a research. This book has helped the researcher to fulfil the objectives of
the project.

 Ram Ahuja, RESEARCH METHODS, Rawat Publications

This book provides a detailed account of the legal methodologies including the topic of
this research which is hypothesis. It also highlights the various types of hypothesis like
working, research, null, etc, and also about the formulation and importance of hypothesis
in conducting a research. This book has helped the researcher to fulfil the objectives of
the project.

1.2 Scope and Objectives

Scope

This project shall focus on hypothesis, try to understand the concept of hypothesis, and
understand how hypothesis is formulated. The project shall also try to analyse the importance
of hypothesis in research.

Objectives

 To try and what is Hypothesis.

 To understand the formulation of Hypothesis.
 To analyze the importance of Hypothesis in research.

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1.3 Research Questions

 What is Hypothesis?
 How are Hypothesis formulated?
 What is the importance of Hypothesis in research?

1.4 Research Methodology

In this research work, the Doctrinal Method of Explanatory Research Design has been
employed for conducing the research. Only secondary sources such as books, articles and
journals have been used for the collection of information for the research work.

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 2. Hypothesis

Before doing a research, it is normally a tradition that the researcher chalks out an
predetermined idea or hypothesis about the research topic. It helps the researcher to get an
idea of how to proceed with the research and gives a imprecise direction to the research.

A hypothesis is an assumption about relations between variables. It is a tentative explanation

of the research problem or a guess about the research outcome. Before starting the research,
the researcher has a rather general, diffused, even confused notion of the problem.

According to Theodorson and Theodorson (1969:191), “a hypothesis is a tentative statement

asserting a relationship between certain facts. Kerlinger (1973:8) describes it as “a
conjectural statement of the relationship between two or more variables”.5

Some examples of hypothesis can be seen below

 Tall people play better basketball.

 Only fat people can sing opera.
 People living in cities are more selfish and self-oriented than people residing in the
villages.
 Poor people have more children as compared to rich people.
 People who stay up till late night are more creative.
 Lazy people have low stamina.

2.1 Nature of Hypothesis

A scientific justified hypothesis must meet the following criteria:

 It must accurately reflect the relevant sociological fact

 It must not be in contradiction with approved relevant statements of other scientific
disciplines.
 It must consider the experience of other researchers.6

5
Ram Ahuja, RESEARCH METHODS, Rawat Publications

6
Ram Ahuja, RESEARCH METHODS, Rawat Publications

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A hypothesis can’t be said to be true or false but can be judged on the criteria of being
relevant or irrelevant to the research topic on the hands of the researcher.

Some of the main features of hypothesis are-

 It is conceptual in nature.
 It is a verbal statement in a declarative form.
 It has some empirical referent.
 It has a forward or future reference.7

2.2 Sources of Hypothesis

There are various sources from which a researcher can formulate his hypothesis to smoothly
conduct his research in a better and easier way. Some of the sources are Personal Experience
Imagination & Thinking, Observation, Scientific Theory, Previous Study, Culture

Goode and Hatt have given the following sources of hypothesis.

1) Eneral Culture: The general pattern of culture helps not only to formulate a
hypothesis, but also to guide its trend.
2) Scientific Theory: Theory gives us the basic idea of what has been found to be correct
and the knowledge of theory leads us to form further generalization and these
generalizations form the part of hypothesis.
3) Analogies: Sometimes a hypothesis is formed from the analogy. A similarity between
the phenomenon is observed and hypothesis is formed to test whether the two
phenomena are similar in other respect.
4) Personal experience: Hypothesis is formulated according to the way in which an
individual reacts to culture, science and analogy.8

2.3 Types of Hypothesis

There are various types of hypothesis which include working hypothesis, research hypothesis,
null hypothesis, statistical hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, scientific hypothesis.

7
http://pkdas.in/RM/rm-3.pdf
8
Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia (H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law
House

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  Working hypothesis: It is a suggested explanation for a group of facts or phenomena,
accepted as a basis for further verification
 Research hypothesis: A research hypothesis is the statement created by
researchers when they speculate upon the outcome of a research or experiment.9
 Null hypothesis: Null hypothesis is contrary to the positive statement of a working
hypothesis. According to null hypothesis there is no relationship between dependent
and independent variable. It is denoted by ‘HO”.10
 Statistical hypothesis: A hypothesis which can be verified statistically called statistical
hypothesis. The statement would be logical or illogical but if statistic verifies it, it will
be statistical hypothesis.11
 Scientific hypothesis: Scientific hypothesis contains statements based on or derived
from sufficient theoretical and empirical data.12

2.4 Importance of Hypothesis

The research process begins with the hypothesis. It is very important to the entire procedure.
Hypothesis is nothing but the idea of the researcher on the research. No research can be
conducted properly and effectively without a hypothesis as there would be no direction to the
research. Hence, hypothesis is very essential part of the research. Hypothesis is nothing but
the good way by which researcher finds his destination. A hypothesis can be formulated in
several ways yet it always performs the basic function of predicting the final outcome of the
investigation. 

Some of the important reasons for the requirement of a hypothesis in a research are:

 Separating Relevant From Irrelevant Observation

 Selecting Required Facts
 Direction of Research
 Acts as a Guide
9
https://explorable.com/research-hypothesis
10
http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/types-of-hypothesis-null-empirical-complex-
logical-hypothesis
11
http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/types-of-hypothesis-null-empirical-complex-
logical-hypothesis
12
Ram Ahuja, RESEARCH METHODS, Rawat Publications

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  Prevents Blind Research
 Accuracy & Precision
 Save Time, Money & Energy13

13
http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/importance-of-hypothesis

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 3. Formulation of Hypothesis

For a hypothesis to be created for a specific research topic by the researcher there has to be
first of all the formulation of the hypothesis. Formulation of hypothesis is one of most
important steps in conduction of a research by a researcher. This step is indispensable for any
research and helps in giving direction and a destination to the research which results in the
increase of ease of doing the project saving time, money and energy of the researcher.

The main stages in formulation of hypothesis are as follows:

 The researcher has first to observe the phenomena.

 He should identify the reflection that is cause and consequence of the phenomenon.
 He should logically deduct the fact relating to the phenomena.
 He should keep it ready for verification with the empirical situation.14

3.1 Difficulties Faced During Formulation of Hypothesis

During formulation of hypothesis the researcher has to face a lot of difficulties and the path
of formulation is not a bed of roses.

The main difficulties to formulate hypothesis according to Goode and Hatt are:

 Absence of clear theoretical framework.

 Lack of ability to utilize that theoretical framework logically;

and

 Failure to be acquainted with available research techniques so as to be able to phrase

the hypothesis properly.15

4. Testing the Hypothesis

14
Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia (H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law
House
15
Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia (H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law
House

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After gathering information and formulating the hypothesis it is important to test that the
information and data collected is actually of use or not i.e. if the data collected after doing the
research is actually relevant to the research topic and if it would actually help the researcher
to fulfil the aims and objectives i.e. to reach the destination of the research.

Hypothesis testing is an act in statistics whereby an analyst tests an assumption regarding a

population parameter. The methodology employed by the analyst depends on the nature of
the data used and the reason for the analysis. Hypothesis testing is used to infer the result of a
hypothesis performed on sample data from a larger population. In hypothesis testing,
an analyst tests a statistical sample, with the goal of accepting or rejecting a null hypothesis.
The test tells the analyst whether or not his primary hypothesis is true. If it isn't true, the
analyst formulates a new hypothesis to be tested, repeating the process until data reveals a
true hypothesis.16

We cannot admit anything as valid knowledge until a satisfactory test of the validity has been
completed. It is a mistake to consider hypotheses as facts, no matter how talentedly and
systematically they have been arrived at. Indeed, very exact proof and measurement are
demanded, often, often by two or more persons, or by retest.

Robert Bales lists the following pertinent questions which should be asked about hypothesis
before they are adopted for testing:

1) Are the terms empirically specific, so thst the concepts or variables can be
distinguished in concrete situation?
2) Is the positive relationship between variables such that it could be verified or nullified
by means of empirical operations?
3) Is there any prior evidence as to the truth or falseness of the positive relationship?
4) Can an appropriate study design be devised?
5) Are the variables “contest-bound” or could they be equally well applied to other
interaction situated?
6) Are all the generalizations “culture-bound” or can they be also applied realistically to
other cultures?

16
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hypothesistesting.asp

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 7) If other relevant factors are subject to change in the cause of the observations, are they
adequately specified and enumerated so that the observers can ascertain whether they
have changed during the period of observations?
8) Is the generalization part of a theoretical system for which it could be deducted as
well as being verified by the proposed empirical inductions?
9) Is the empirical system that is constructed sufficiently precise and articulate to permit
predictions in concrete situations?17

Usually hypotheses are tested by a four-step process. The first step is for the predictor to state
the two hypotheses so that only one can be right. The second step is to formulate an scrutiny
plan, which summaries how the data will be evaluated. The third step is to carry out the plan
and physically analyse the data collected by the researcher. The final step is to analyse the
results and either accept or reject the null.

After the hypothesis has been formulated and verified or tested the next steps for the
researcher to conduct in the research are to prepare the research design and sampling design.

5. Conclusion

Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia (H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law
17

House

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After the completion of the research project by the researcher the researcher has come to the
conclusion that Hypothesis is one of the most important and indispensable part of a research.
Hypothesis is the predetermined idea that a researcher has about the topic that he is going to
conduct the research on and it acts as a guide by giving direction to the project. To carry on
with the research first it is necessary to formulate the hypothesis and there are mainly four
stages of formulation of hypothesis but there are also some difficulties that a researcher has to
overcome during the formulation of the hypothesis. Ultimately it can be concluded that
importance of hypothesis in a research cannot be neglected at all as along with giving
direction to the project it also saves precious time, money and energy of the researcher.

6. Bibliography

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 Dr. T. Padma & K.P.C. Rao, LEGAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, S.P. Gogia
(H.U.F.) c/o Asia Law House
 Ram Ahuja, RESEARCH METHODS, Rawat Publications

 http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-research-definition-purpose-typical-
researchers.html
 http://lex-warrier.in/2017/03/significance-and-purpose-of-research-methodology/
 http://tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/.../CMRM6103_Research_methodology_07.pdf
 http://pkdas.in/RM/rm-3.pdf
 https://explorable.com/research-hypothesis
 http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/types-of-hypothesis-
null-empirical-complex-logical-hypothesis
 http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-research-methodology/importance-of-
hypothesis
 http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hypothesistesting.asp

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