This document discusses hypothesis, including its definition, characteristics, types, formulation, and testing. A hypothesis is a tentative assumption made to explain certain facts or observations that can be tested. It should be clear, testable, relate variables, be specific and consistent. The main types are the null, prediction, declarative, and question forms. When testing a hypothesis, the researcher specifies a null hypothesis and alternative, selects a significance level like 5% typically, decides on a distribution, selects samples, computes a test statistic, and compares it to the significance level to either reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis, avoiding type 1 and 2 errors.

1. HYPOTHESIS
-CHARACTERISTICS
-TYPES
--FORMULATION
-TESTING

2. HYPOTHESIS
• Greek word
• Hypo+ thesis= hypothesis
• Hypo- under or below, Thesis- a reasoned theory or
rational view point
• Greek, hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to
suppose."
• Meaning: a theory which is not fully reasoned.
• It is used to study facts & examine the validity of the
theory

3. • A tentative assumption or supposition
• Hunch/Guess
• Employed as a basis for action in search for new
truth
• States what we are looking for
• Proposition which can be put to test to
determine the validity. It may prove to be
correct/incorrect

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHESIS
• H should be clear & concise
• Able to be tested, verifiable
• State relationship between variables
• Limited in scope & specific
• Consistent, non contradictoriness
• Tested within reasonable time
• Simple

5. IMPORTANCE OF H
• Provides direction to research
• Sensitizes the investigator
• Guide to the thinking process & process of
discovery
• Investigator’s eye
• Focuses research
• Prevents blind research
• Serves as a framework for drawing
conclusions

6. TYPES OF H
The hypothesis can be stated in the following
forms:
1.Null form
2.Prediction form
3.Declarative form
4.Question form

7. NULL FORM
• It states that no significant difference exists
between the variables concerned.
• Preferred by researcher
• The no difference statement assumes that the
two groups will be tested and found to be equal.
• H0
• One may either reject, or not reject the null
hypothesis; one cannot accept it.

8. PREDICTION FORM
• It allows the researcher to state principles
which he actually expects to emerge from the
experiment.
• More useful in Action research.

9. DECLARATIVE FORM
It generally states a relationship between the
variables concerned.
QUESTION FORM
E.g. Is there a significant difference in the
instructional standards of boys and girls schools?

10. TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
• Null hypothesis & alternative hypothesis:
E.G Method of teaching A & method of teaching B
If we assume that both the methods are good- H0
If we assume that method A is better then B-Ha
• H0 represents the H we are trying to reject
Ha represents all other possibilities

11. • Make a formal statement-
• Select a level of significance:
Hypothesis can be tested on a pre-determined
level of significance & as such the same should
be specified.
Generally- either 5% level or 1% level is
adopted.

12. • If we take α at 5%, it implies that H0 will be rejected
when the sampling result has less than 0.05
probability of occurring if H0 is true.
• If we take α at 5%, it implies that researcher is
willing to take as much as 5% risk of rejecting the H0
when H0 is true.
• The α is the max value of probability of rejecting H0
when it is true & is usually determined in advance
before testing the hypothesis.

13. The factors that affect the level of significance are:
(i)The magnitude of the difference between sample
means
(ii)The size of the samples
(iii)The variability of measurement within the
samples
(iv)Whether the sample is directional or non-
directional

14. • Deciding the distribution to use: Decide the
appropriate sampling distribution. (Normal
distribution)
• Selecting random sample & computing an
appropriate value: from the sample data
• Calculation of the probability: of the sample
result whether it would diverge as widely as it
from expectations, if H0 were true.

15. • Comparing the probability:
Comparing the probability thus calculated with
specified value of ‘α’.

16. FLOW DIAGRAM FOR TESTING HYPOTHESIS

17. • Type I and Type II errors
DECISION
ACCEPT H0 REJECT H0
H0 TRUE CORRECT DECISION TYPE I ERROR
(α ERROR)
H0 FALSE TYPE II ERROR
(β ERROR)
CORRECT DECISION

18. Thank you