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1. I-Instructional Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Define Hypothesis,
2. Discuss the characteristics and purposes of Hypothesis,
3. Explain the components and making of hypothesis,
4. Identify the different types of hypothesis,
5. Appreciate the importance of hypothesis in research.
Lesson 2 Hypothesis
 Meaning
In ordinary context:
Hypothesis means mere assumptions or supposition which are to be proved
or disproved.
 In research context:
Hypothesis is a formal question that is intended to resolve.
Definition
Hypothesis may be defined as a proposition of a set of proposition set forth
as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group phenomenon
either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide some
investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts.
Hypothesis Defined
An educated guess
A tentative point of view
A proposition not yet tested
A preliminary explanation
A preliminary Postulate
Definition by Various Authors
“A hypothesis is a conjectural statement of the relation between two or
more variables”. (Kerlinger, 1956)
“Hypotheses are single tentative guesses, good hunches – assumed for use
in devising theory or planning experiments intended to be given a direct
experimental test when possible”. (Eric Rogers, 1966)

2. “Hypothesis is a formal statement that presents the expected relationship
between an independent and dependent variable.”(Creswell, 1994)
Characteristics and Purposes
 Guides/gives direction to the study/investigation
 Defines Facts that are relevant and not relevant
 Suggests which form of research design is likely to be the most appropriate
 Provides a framework for organizing the conclusions of the findings
 Limits the research to specific area
 Offers explanations for the relationships between those variables that can
be empirically tested
Components of Hypothesis
Types of Hypothesis
Universal hypothesis
It is one, which denotes that, the stated relationship holds for all specified
variables for all times at all places.
For example,
“if brave soldiers are frequently rewarded for their better performance, they
will perform better.”
This relationship hold true for all time and all place.
Existential Hypothesis
It is one in which the stated relationship is said to exist for atleast one
particular case.
For example,
There are at least few corporate workers who are scrounger and may not
perform better despite the fact that he is being awarded suitably for better
performance.s
Null Hypothesis
Null hypothesis always predicts that there is no relationship between the
variables being studied.
The researcher wishes to disapprove this hypothesis.
It is denoted by H0

3. For example:
“There is no relationship between smoking and lung cancer.”
Alternate Hypothesis
The alternate hypothesis always predicts that there will be a relationship
between the variables being studied.
It is denoted by Ha
Continued
If the hypothesis simply predicts that there will be a difference between the
two groups, then it is a non-directional hypothesis. It is non-directional
because it predicts that there will be a difference but does not specify how
the groups will differ.
“smoking leads to lungs cancer”
If, however, the hypothesis uses so-called comparison terms, such as
“greater,”“less,”“better,” or “worse,” then it is a directional hypothesis. It is
directional because it predicts that there will be a difference between the two
groups and it specifies how the two groups will differ
“smoking will increase the chances of lungs cancer in a person than a person
who do not smoke.”
Research Hypothesis
This type of hypothesis is derived from some type of theory or some
observation and examination.
In other words, the hypothesis set upon the basis of theory or prior
observation or on logical grounds.
References:
http://www.experiment-resources.com
http://www.ehow.com
http://stattrek.com
http://www.methodspace.com
http://www.aqr.org.uk – Association of Qualitative Research.

4. Lesson 3
Matrix of Sample Hypothesis
Types of Hypothesis Types of independent
Variable
Qualitative
(Categorical)
Quantitative
(Continuous)
Directional Group differences exist;
one group expected to
perform better than the
other group(s).
Either a positive or
negative relationship will
exist.
Non- Directional
Group differences exist,
but it is not clear which
group will do better.
Relationship will exist
but it is not clear if it will
be positive or negative.
Null No differences expected;
group will do the same.
No relationship
expected.

5. Tips for Writing Hypotheses
 Selecta topic
Select a topic. Pick a topic that interests you, and that you think it would
be good to know more about.
Ex: effectof caffeine on differentpopulation
 Read existing research
Gather the literature. Gather all the information you can about the topic
you've selected. You'll need to become an expert on the subject and
develop a good grasp of what is already known about the topic.
o Focus on academic and scholarly writing. You need to be certain
that your information is unbiased, accurate, and comprehensive.
o You can find information in textbooks, at a library, and online. If you
are in school, you can also ask for help from teachers, librarians,
and your peers.
Ex: learn how caffeine effectthe body
Read studies testing caffeine’s effecton people
 Analyze the literature
Analyze the literature. Spend some time reading the materials you've
collected. As you do so, look for and make note of unanswered questions
in the literature. These can provide excellent ideas for areas to investigate.

6. o For example, if you are interested in the effects of caffeine on the
human body, but notice that nobody seems to have explored
whether caffeine affects men differently than it does women, this
could be something to formulate a hypothesis about. Or, if you are
interested in organic farming, you might notice that no one has
tested whether organic fertilizer results in different growth rates for
plants than chemical fertilizer.
 Generate Questions
Generate questions. After studying the literature on your topic, generate
one or more unanswered questions you'd be interested in exploring
further. These are your research questions.
Ex: "Does caffeine affect women differently than men?"
 Determine your Variable
Determine your variables. A hypothesis must state a relationship you
think may exist between two variables: and independent variable and a
dependent variable.
o You can think of the independent variable as the one that is
causing some kind of difference or effect to occur. In the examples,
the independent variable would be sex, i.e. whether a person is
male or female, and fertilizer type, i.e. whether the fertilizer is
organic or chemical-based.
o The dependent variable is what is affected by (i.e. "depends" on)
the independent variable. In the examples above, the dependent
variable would be the impact of caffeine or fertilizer.
 Write Simple Hypothesis
-General not specific
“[factor]will change [effect]”

7. Generate a general hypothesis. Once you've spent some time thinking
about your research question and variables, write down your initial idea
about how the variables might be related as a simple declarative
statement.
o Don't worry too much at this point about being precise or detailed.
o In the examples above, one hypothesis would make a statement
about whether a person's sex might impact the way they are
affected by caffeine; for example, at this point, your hypothesis
might simply be: "men and women will be
affected differently by caffeine." The other
hypothesis would make a general statement
about plant growth and fertilizer; for example your general
hypothesis might be "plants given different types of fertilizer will
grow at different rates."
 Make it “directional” if possible
Decide on direction. Hypotheses can either be directional or non-
directional. A non-directional hypothesis simply says that one variable will
affect the other in some way, but doesn't say specifically how.A directional
hypothesis provides more information about the nature (or "direction") of
the relationship, stating specifically how one variable will affect the other.
o Using our example, our non-directional hypotheses would be "there
is a relationship between a person's sex and how much caffeine
increases their heart rate," and "there is a relationship between
fertilizer type and the speed at which plants grow."
o Directional hypotheses using the same examples would be :
"Women will experience a greater increase in heart rate after
consuming caffeine than will men," and "plants fertilized with
chemical fertilizer will grow faster than those fertilized with organic
fertilizer."

8. If the literature provides any basis for making a directional hypothesis, it is better
to do so, because it provides more information. Especially in the physical
sciences, non-directional hypotheses are often seen as inadequate.
 Be specific in your hypotheses, but not so specific that your hypothesis
can't be applied to anything outside your specific experiment. You
definitely want to be clear about the population you are interested in
drawing conclusions about, but nobody will be interested in reading a
paper with the hypothesis: "my three roommates will each be able to do a
different amount of pushups."
 Keep your feelings and opinions out of your research. Hypotheses aren't
about you, and your hypothesis should never say "I believe," "I think," or "I
feel."