Hypothesis

 Definition of Hypothesis

The hypothesis is a tentative solution based on insufficient evidence that can be true or false. Hypotheses bring clarity, specificity and focus to a research problem. You can conduct a valid investigation constructing a single formal hypothesis. On the other hand, within the context of a research study, you can construct as many hypothesis as you consider to be appropriate.

➢Black and Champion define a hypothesis as 'a tentative statement about something, the validity of which is usually unknown'.

➢ Bogardus says: A Hypothesis is a proposition to be tested.

➢ Goode and Hatt- It is a proposition which can be put to test to determinants validity.

➢ P. V. Yaung- The idea of ​a temporary but central importance that  becomes the basis of useful research is called a working hypothesis. 

➢ F. N. Kerlinger- A hypothesis is a description of the relationship of two

or more variables.

➢ Townsend- Hypothesis is suggested answer to a problem in the  research studies.

Importance of Hypothesis

Hypothes is as the Investigator’s ‘Eyes’: By guiding the investigator in further investigation it serves as the investigator’s ‘Eyes’ in seeking answers to tentatively adopted generalization. A hypothesis is important in terms of bringing clarity to the research problem. Specifically, a hypothesis serves the following functions:

• The formulation of a hypothesis provides a study with focus. It tells you what specific aspects of a research problem to investigate.

• A hypothesis tells you what data to collect and what not to collect, and provide focus to the study.

• As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis enhances objectivity in a study.

• A hypothesis may enable you to add to the formulation of theory. It enables you to conclude specifically what is true or what is false. It ensures the entire research methodologies are scientific and valid.

Types of Hypothesis

Theoretically there should be only one type of hypothesis, that is the research hypothesis is the basis of your investigation. However, because of the conventions in scientific enquiries hypotheses can be classified into several types. There are two broad categories of hypotheses : Null Hypotheses and Alternate (or experimental) Hypotheses.

Null Hypothesis: It is impossible to test research hypotheses directly. You must first state a null  hypothesis. This is a hypothesis that proposes no relationship or difference between two variables. This is the conventional approach to making a prediction. It involves a statement that says  there is no relationship between two groups that the researcher compares on a certain variable. For example, ‘There is no difference in the academic performance of high school students who participate in extracurricular activities and those who do not participate in such activities’ is a null hypothesis. It is denoted as H0. The rejection of the null hypothesis indicates that the differences have statistical significance. The acceptance of the null hypothesis indicates that the differences are due to chance. 

Alternate or Research Hypothesis: This hypothesis proposes a relationship between two or more variables, symbolized as H1. For example, if a researcher was interested in examining the relationship between music and emotion, s/he may believe that there is a relationship between music and emotion.  

H1 (the research/alternate hypothesis): Music at a fast tempo is rated by participants as being happier than music at a slow tempo. H0 (the null hypothesis): Music at a fast tempo and at a slow tempo is rated the same in happiness by participants. 

The two hypotheses we propose to test must be mutually exclusive; i.e., when one is true the other must be false. And we see that they must be exhaustive; they must include all possible occurrences.

The null hypothesis always predicts that there will be no differences between the groups or variables being studied. By contrast, the alternate hypothesis always predicts that there will be a difference between the groups or variables being studied. In the end, researchers either approve or disapprove the null hypothesis. 

Hypothesis can be of the following types:

Preparation of Hypothesis

After domain selection and identifying the problem definition, researchers should formulate a hypothesis. State-of-the-art literature review on related topic creates a sufficient background for formulating the hypothesis. A hypothesis should be presented in the form of a concise declarative statement. A complete and concisely stated hypothesis makes clear what the researcher  needs to do to test it. It also provides the framework for presenting the findings of the study.

A hypothesis can be formulated in two ways Inductive Hypothesis and Deductive Hypothesis.

Researchers derive hypothesis inductively from observations of behavior or deductively from theory or from the findings of previous research. Induction and deduction are complementary processes. In induction, one starts with specific observations and reaches general conclusions. In deduction, one begins with  

generalizations and makes specific predictions.

The researcher formulates an inductive hypothesis as a generalization from apparent observed relationships. The researcher observes behavior, notices trends or probable relationships, and then hypothesizes an explanation for this observed behavior. An inductive hypothesis is a generalization based on specific observations. The  researcher observes that certain patterns or associations among variables occur in a number of situations. He uses these tentative observations to form an inductive hypothesis.

 

For example, a researcher observes that, in some eighth-grade classrooms,  

students who take essay tests appear to show less test anxiety than those who take multiple-choice  tests. This observation could become the basis for  an inductive hypothesis.

The inductive procedure is a particularly fruitful source of hypotheses for classroom teachers. Teachers observe learning and other student behavior every day. They try to relate their own behavior with students' behavior.

Deductive approach to research is the one that people typically associate with scientific investigation. The researcher studies what others have done, reads existing theories of phenomenon which the researcher is studying, and then tests hypothesis that emerge from those theories.

"A deductive hypothesis, in contrast, is derived from theory and provides  

evidence that supports, expands, or contradicts the theory."

After choosing a theory of interest, researcher use deductive reasoning to arrive at the logical consequences of the theory. If A is true, then we would expect B to follow.  These deductions then become the hypotheses in the research study. For example:

"All bald men are grandfathers. Robert is bald. Therefore, Robert is a grandfather".

In a study designed to test a deduction from a theory, it is extremely important to check for any logical gaps between theory and hypothesis. The researcher must ask, “Does the hypothesis logically follow from the theory?” If  the hypothesis does not really follow from the theory, then the researcher cannot reach valid conclusions about the adequacy of the theory. 

Difficulties in Formulation and Testing of Hypothesis

Professor R. A. Fisher was the first to use such an experiment for testing the hypothesis by scientific investigation. He talked about the principle of replication, randomization and local control in research.

Formulation and testing hypotheses in qualitative research—which does not strictly mean the same thing as in quantitative research—always come with challenges that provoke concerns. These concerns manifest in two major ways.

 Firstly, difficulty in framing a qualitative hypothesis, such that the various variables (dependent or independent) are easily understandable and explainable to enable ease in the collection of data associated with them.  Secondly, the issue of bias, which may lead to a breach in research ethics, and which could lead to producing highly falsified hypothesis outcomes.

Qualitative studies are characterised by an emphasis on describing, understanding and exploring phenomena. So the construction of hypotheses is neither advocated nor practised. In addition, to test a hypothesis is deliberately not adhere to of qualitative research and the testing of a hypothesis becomes difficult and meaningless. This does not mean that you cannot construct hypotheses in qualitative research. The non-specificity of the problem, methods and procedures make the convention of hypotheses formulation far less practicable and advisable.

 In quantitative research the practice of formulating hypotheses vary markedly from one academic discipline to another. 

For example: In the social sciences formulation of hypotheses is mostly dependent on the researcher and the academic discipline, whereas within  

an academic discipline it varies markedly between the quantitative and qualitative research paradigms.

Post written by Vikram Beniwal