RESEARCH QUESTIONS

&
HYPOTHESES
 THEORY

BODY OF
PROBLEM
INDIVIDUAL COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE,
STATEMENT
PRECEDENT

RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS POINT OF VIEW
QUESTIONS

WHAT? WHY? RELATIONSHIP

HOW? OF
test - must confirm VARIABLES
guidelines or discredit
 QUESTIONS & HYPOTHESES

SIGNPOSTS TO CARRY RESEARCHER & READER

THROUGH A PLAN OF STUDY
1st PURPOSE STATEMENT – Establishes central direction
for study
2nd QUESTIONS OR HYPOTHESES – Narrows the focus
 GRAND CANYON
RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
QUESTIONS

LEVEL
OF
construct EFFORT
focus - which efficient route
road is next before traveling

NYC
DEVELOPING QUESTIONS & HYPOTHESES

QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES

• SHAPE THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

• DEFINE RELATIONSHIPS OF IDEAS & DATA
• FOCUS THE SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• INTERROGATIVE STATEMENTS OR QUESTIONS

THAT THE INVESTIGATOR SEEKS TO ANSWER
• WORKING GUIDELINES AS OPPOSED TO
TRUTHS TO BE PROVEN
• OFTEN NEED REFORMULATION AS RESEARCH
EVOLVES AND CHANGES
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• WHAT AND HOW QUESTIONS-TEND TO BE

MORE QUALITATIVE
• WHY QUESTIONS-TEND TO BE MORE
QUANTITATIVE (suggest cause and effect)
 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

CENTRAL QUESTIONS 1-2

• STUDY IN ITS MOST GENERAL FORM
• WHAT IS BROADEST QUESTION THAT CAN
BE ASKED
ASSOCIATED SUB-QUESTIONS 5-7 (no more than 12)
• NARROWS FOCUS OF CENTRAL QUESTION
STILL OPEN - DOORS NOT CLOSED
RESEARCH QUESTIONS RELATED TO
QUALITATIVE STRATEGIES

“YOU WILL HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF

QUESTIONS RELATED TO EACH STRATEGY”
• GROUNDED – discover
• ETHNOGRAPHY – seek to understand
• CASE STUDY – explore a process
• PHENOMENOLOGY – describe the experience
• NARRATIVE RESEARCH – report stories
(Creswell 107)
RESEARCH QUESTIONS RELATED TO
QUANTITATIVE STUDIES

USE VERBS LIKE:

DETERMINE CAUSE
INFLUENCE IMPACT
RELATE AFFECT

SUGGEST RELATIONSHIP
 RESEARCH QUESTION EXAMPLES

How do women in a psychology doctoral program

describe their decision to return to school?
(Creswell)
Does critical thinking ability relate to student
achievement? (Creswell)
What perspective do medical students adopt to
make sense of their experience in medical school?
(Locke)
What level of moisture affects the growth of
cactus?
 HYPOTHESES

• “…RETAINS CHARACTER OF A GUESS UNTIL FACTS

ARE FOUND TO CONFIRM OR DISCREDIT
IT.”(Mauch)
• WHAT RESEARCHER IS EXPECTING TO FIND
• “CREATES A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE THEORETICAL
CONSIDERATIONS THAT UNDERLIE A QUESTION
AND THE ENSUING RESEARCH PROCESS DESIGNED
TO PRODUCE THE ANSWER.” (Locke)
• INDICATES QUESTION IN TESTABLE FORM
• PREDICTS NATURE OF THE ANSWER
 HYPOTHESES

• EXERTS DIRECT INFLUENCE ON EACH SUBSEQUENT

STEP OF STUDY – FROM DESIGN TO PREPARATION
OF FINAL REPORT
• STATES DIRECTION STUDY WILL TAKE
• EMPLOYS STATISTICAL PROCEDURES
• DRAWS INFERENCES
• REQUIRES EMPIRICAL SUPPORT
 TYPES OF HYPOTHESES

NULL – Predicts NO relationship or NO differences

ALTERNATIVE (SOMETIMES CALLED RESEARCH)
• DIRECTIONAL – Expected prediction,
differences ARE specified
• NON-DIRECTIONAL – Expected prediction,
but exact form of differences NOT specified
 CREATING HYPOTHESES (Balian 1994)

1. MUST REFLECT WHAT THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN

ESSENCE ARE ALL ABOUT.
2. MUST BE WRITTEN CLEARLY, WITHOUT AMBIGUITY.
ENSURE THAT ONE HYPOTHESIS IS ONLY ONE
HYPOTHESIS AND NOT A COMPOUND THOUGHT.
3. A NULL HYPOTHESIS MUST BE TESTABLE BY
STATISTICAL MEANS. IF STATISTICAL TESTING IS NOT
POSSIBLE – “HYPOTHESIS” IS ACTUALLY A “RESEARCH
QUESTION”.
4. IT IS BEST IF A STATISTICAL TEST ASSESSES ONLY
ONE NULL HYPOTHESIS AT A TIME.
 Outside
WINDOW INCLINE GRAPHIC
0.50m 0.50m

1.10m

1.10m c

75°
Inside a
b

Section of south facing windows with the standard heights and the
required inclination (Baker& Taleb 55)
 HYPOTHESES EXAMPLES (Baker& Taleb 51)

ALTERNATIVE “The cooling cost of buildings in the

DIRECTIONAL summer season may be reduced by
structural changes and/or repositioning
of windows so that window panes are
inclined to the inside, and the direction
in which windows face is shifted at
predetermined angles”
 HYPOTHESES EXAMPLES

ALTERNATIVE The cooling cost of buildings in the

NON-DIRECTIONAL summer season may differ with
structural changes and/or repositioning
of windows so that window panes are
inclined to the inside, and the direction
in which windows face is shifted at
predetermined angles
 HYPOTHESES EXAMPLES

NULL The cooling cost of buildings in the

summer season will show no
appreciable difference with structural
changes and/or repositioning of
windows so that window panes are
inclined to the inside, and the direction
in which windows face is shifted at
predetermined angles
 RELATION OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
& HYPOTHESES (Groat 256)

PROBLEM “Students observed that the space was

STATEMENT seldom used as a lounge.”
QUESTION “What sort of changes would have to be
made for the area to function more as a
lounge and social space?”
HYPOTHESIS “The students hypothesized that the
gallery would be used more if the
arrangement of furniture were less formal
and if small screening elements were used
to block the view through the glass wall
along the doorway side of the space.”
GALLERY SPACE GRAPHIC
 FORMULATION DATA ANALYSIS
ANSWERS
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
A
B CONCLUSION
C RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
QUESTIONS
STATEMENT

D
PROBLEM

RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS 1
CONCLUSION
2
A RESEARCH
3
B QUESTIONS
4
5
REFERENCES
Baker, N. M. W., & Taleb, A. M. (2002). The Application of the Inclined Window
Method for Passive Cooling in Buildings, Architectural Science Review, 45(no1
Mar), 51-56
Balian, Edward. (1994). The Graduate Research Guidebook. Lanham, Maryland:
University Press of America, Inc.,57-67
Creswell, John. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed
Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc., 105-
169
Gardner, David. (1980). Dissertation Proposal Guidebook. Springfield, Illinois:
Charles C. Thomas, 17-23, 43-49
Groat, L. N., & Wang, D. (2002). Architectural Research Methods. New York: J.
Wiley, 249-260
Locke, L., Spirduso, W., & Silverman, S. (1993). Proposals That Work. Newbury
Park, California: Sage Publications, Inc., 12-17, 46-49, 84-87
Mauch, James. (1989). Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation :
Conception to Publication : a Handbook for Students and Faculty. New York,
New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 66-77