1. Objectives
At the completion of this unit learners will be
able to:
Identify variables in the study, to formulate
research question and hypothesis
Formulate research question, which is to be
answered statistically and logically
Formulate null hypothesis and test able
research hypothesis, which is to be answered
statistically.
Explore and select the appropriate statistical
measures for selected research question
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2. Cont..
Justify the appropriateness of selected
statistical test, chosen for the testing question
and hypothesis
Interpret the selected statistical test, chosen
for the testing question and hypothesis in
statistical manner
Inference the selected statistical test, chosen
for the testing question and hypothesis in
statistical manner
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3. Research Questions
Research questions are the specified queries
researchers want to answer in addressing the problem.
Research questions guide the types of data to collect
in a study.
Structured
Unstructured
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5. Research Questions
In qualitative studies, research question states the
phenomenon of interest and the group or
population of interest.
phenomena : Fact, experience, happening
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6. Research Questions
Research questions are, in some cases, direct
rewordings of statements of purpose, phrased
interrogatively. e.g.
The purpose of this study is to assess the
relationship between the dependency level of renal
transplant recipients and their rate of recovery.
What is the relationship between the dependency
level of renal transplant recipients and their rate of
recovery?
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7. Research Questions
Example:
Robbins and colleagues (2009) studied gender
differences in middle school children’s
attitudes toward physical activity. One of their
key research questions was: Do middle school
boys and girls differ in their perceived benefits
of and barriers to physical activity?
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9. • Hypotheses: Intelligent hunches,
guesses, or predictions that assist the
researcher in seeking the solution or
answer to the research question.
• A theory’s validity is not directly
examined. Instead, it is through the
hypotheses that the merit of a theory can
be evaluated
Hypothesis
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10. Hypotheses:
• A hypothesis is a formal tentative
statement of the expected relationship
between two or more variables under
study.
• A clearly stated hypothesis includes the
variables to be manipulated, identifies
the population to be examined and
indicates proposed outcome of the
study.
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11. Important of hypothesis
• Enables the researcher to investigate
objectively
• Provides direction to conduct research
• Provides clear and specific goals to the
researchers
• Links theories and practice
• Bridges between theories and reality
• Guides the researchers towards the direction
in which research should be proceeds
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14. Simple vs. complex
The statements which reflects the relationship between
two variables is known as simple hypothesis.
E.g., The lower the level of hemoglobin the higher is
the risk of infection among postpartum women
The statement which reflects the relationship between
more than two variables is known as complex
hypothesis
E.g., Satisfaction is higher among patients who are
older and dwelling in rural areas than who are younger
and dwelling in urban areas 14
15. Associative vs. casual
It reflects a relationship between variables that occurs and
exists in natural settings without manipulation
e.g., The lower the blood sugar level, the lesser is the
risk of infection among diabetic patients
It predicts the cause and effect relationship between two or
more dependent and independent variables
e.g., Prevalence of pin site infection is lower in patients
who receive pin site care with hydrogen peroxide as
compared to patients who receive the pin site care with
betadine solution
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16. Directional vs. non-directional
It specify not only the existence, but also the
expected direction of the relationship between
variables
e.g., There is positive relationship between years
of nursing experience and job satisfaction.
It just predicts the existence of relationship between
the variables
e.g., There is a relationship between years of
nursing experience and job satisfaction among
nurses
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17. Null and research
Null hypothesis is also known as statistical
hypothesis and is used for statistical testing and
interpretation. It states the existence of no
relationship between the variables.
Research hypothesis states the existence of
relationship between variables
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18. Examples
There will be no difference in scores
of Hudson’s self esteem scale
between man and women
Women will have higher score on
Hudson’s self esteem scale than
men
Directional
There will be a difference by gender
on Hudson’s self esteem scale scores
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19. Examples
Smoking and the consumption of
alcohol during pregnancy might lead
to lower birth weights and lower
Apgar scores in infants.
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20. Examples
1. Older patients are more at risk of experiencing a fall than younger patients.
2. There is a relationship between the age of a patient and the
risk of falling.
3. The older the patient, the greater the risk that he or she will fall.
4. Older patients differ from younger ones with respect
to their risk of falling.
5. Younger patients tend to be less at risk of a fall than older patients.
6. The risk of falling increases with the age of the patient.
Non
directional
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21. A hypothesis can either be
supported or not supported by
study findings
Rejection of the statistical
hypothesis is equivalent to
acceptance of the research
hypothesis
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23. The type of research design; experimental or
non-experimental, will influence the wording of
the hypothesis
• In case of an experimental design, the hypothesis
will reflect cause effect relationship
• e.g. incidence of …. will be greater in subjects
after …. than after ….
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24. Hypothesis related to non-experimental
designs reflect associative relationship
statements
e.g., The lower the blood sugar level, the
lesser is the risk of infection among diabetic
patients
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25. References:
Babbie, Earl. 2007. The Practice of Social
Research. 11th edition.
Mellenbergh, G.J.(2008). Chapter 8:
Research designs: Testing of research
hypotheses.
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