RESEARCH

HYPOTHESIS
LESSON 7
WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS?
• An educated guess
• A predictive statement of relationship between 2
concepts
• Always involves 2 or more variables
• Includes the variables to be manipulated or
measured, identifies population to be examined &
indicates the proposed outcome for the study.
IMPORTANCE OF STATING THE
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
• Helps translate the research problem and
objectives into a clear explanation
• It implies that there is a systematic relationship
between an independent & a dependent variable
• Guide in further investigation
• Provides objectivity to the research activity
IMPORTANCE OF STATING THE
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
• Provides clear and specific goals
• Provides link between theories & actual practical
research
• Bridge between theory and reality
• Suggests which type of research is likely to be
most appropriate
IMPORTANCE OF STATING THE
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
• Stimulates the thinking process of researcher
• Determines the most appropriate research designs
& techniques of data analysis
• Serves as a framework for drawing conclusions of a
research study
• Without it, research would be like aimless
wandering.
CHARACTERISTICS:
1. CONCEPTUAL CLARITY
• Should consist of clearly defined and
understandable concepts.
CHARACTERISTICS:
2. EMPIRICAL REFERENTS
• Must have first-hand basis from the area of
inquiry.
CHARACTERISTICS:
3. OBJECTIVITY
• Must be objective, which facilitates objectivity in
data collection and keeps the research activity
free form researcher’s judgment.
CHARACTERISTICS:
4. SPECIFICITY
• It should be specific, not general and should be
able to explain the expected relations between
variables.
CHARACTERISTICS:
5. RELEVANT
• Must have a significance with theory under test in
a research process.
CHARACTERISTICS:
6. TESTABILITY
• Should be testable and should not be a moral
judgment.
• Must be directly/indirectly observable and
measurable
CHARACTERISTICS:
7. CONSISTENCY
• Dependable with an existing body of theories
CHARACTERISTICS:
8. SIMPLICITY
• Understandable terms
CHARACTERISTICS:
9. AVAILABILITY OF TECHNIQUES
• Methods should be available for testing their
proposed hypothesis
CHARACTERISTICS:
10. PURPOSIVENESS
• Relevance with research problem and objectives
CHARACTERISTICS:
11. VERIFIABILITY
• Can be certified in practical terms
CHARACTERISTICS:
12. PROFUNDITY OF EFFECT
• Should have a profound effect upon a variety of
research variables
CHARACTERISTICS:
13. ECONOMICAL
• The expenditure of money and time can be
controlled if the hypothesis underlying the
research undertaken is good.
FRAMEWORK:
2 TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS
1. Null Hypothesis (H0)
2. Alternative Hypothesis (H1)
NULL HYPOTHESIS (H0)
• is a hypothesis which the researcher tries to
disprove, reject or nullify.
ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS (H1)
• is what the researcher really thinks is the cause of
a phenomenon.
EXAMPLE:
A researcher may postulate a hypothesis:

H : Tomato plants exhibit a higher rate of growth

1

when planted in compost rather than in soil.

And a null hypothesis:

H : Tomato plants do not exhibit a higher rate of

0

growth when planted in compost rather than soil.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS CAN:
• Predict a positive relationship
• Predict a negative relationship
• Predict a curvilinear relationship
• Predict a relationship
REFERENCES:
• https://www.slideshare.net/phdserena/operational-definitions-44880256
• https://explorable.com/null-hypothesis
• http://mathworld.wolfram.com/AlternativeHypothesis.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/rtaulbe1/fact-theory-hypothesis-1
• https://explorable.com/research-hypothesis
• https://www.slideshare.net/drjayeshpatidar/research-hypothesis-20719840