Hypothesis

Seminar Presentation on
Research Hypotheses
BY: Gizachew Asrat
(Ph.D., Candidate)
Department of Political Science
Punjabi University, Patiala, India
Nov, 2016

INTRODUCTION
Research in common parlance refers to a search for
knowledge.
One can also define research as a scientific and
systematic search for pertinent information on a
specific topic.
Research comprises
Defining and redefining problems,
Formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions;
Collecting, organising and evaluating data;
Making deductions and reaching conclusions; and
At last carefully testing the conclusions to determine
whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.
Having this in mind lets come to the idea of research
hypothesis.

Cont….
1. Definition of Research Hypotheses
 The Etymological meaning, according to Kumar Singh
(2006), of hypothesis is from two Greek roots: Hypo +
thesis = Hypothesis
 Hypo means:
tentative or subject to verification
composition of two or more variables which is to be verified
 ‘Thesis’ means:
statement about solution of a problem.
position of these variables in the specific frame of reference

Continuation
So hypothesis is:
a tentative statement about the solution of the problem.
the composition of some variables which have some specific
position or role of the variables i.e. to be verified empirically
a brilliant guess about the solution of a problem
 A research hypothesis is a tentative answer to a research
problem, expressed in the form of a clearly stated relation
between the Variable.

Continuation
 Why a tentative answer or solution for a research problem?
Because they can be verified only after they have been tested
empirically.
 Hypothesis is a more formal means of stating expected research
outcomes, more firmly fixing the direction of a study.
 Kerlinger (1986)
 hypothesis is a conjectural/unproven statement of the
relationship between two or more variables.
o According to Grinnell: A hypothesis is written in such a way
that it can be proven or disproven by valid and reliable data
– it is in order to obtain these data that we perform our study
(1988: 200)

Continuation
 According to Ranjit Kumar (2014:98), hypotheses bring
clarity, specificity and focus to a research problem, but are
not essential for a study.
 You can conduct a valid investigation without constructing a
single formal hypothesis.
How many hypotheses a researcher should have in a
single research?
 Within the context of a research study, you can construct as
many hypotheses as you consider to be appropriate.

Continuation
Important terminologies in a hypothesis:
1) Variable: a characteristic that can vary from one unit of analysis
to another or for one unit of analysis over time
2) Dependent variable: a variable that a researcher sees as being
affected or influenced by another variable
3) Independent variable: a variable that a researcher sees as
affecting or influencing another variable
4) Concepts: words or signs that refer to phenomena that share
common characteristics
5) Conceptualization: the process of clarifying what we mean by a
concept
 We can exemplify it with real research title.

Continuation
 If, for example, my title of investigation is on “education and vote”
 Then, The more education people have the more likely they are to vote.
 Here Vote is a dependent variable while education is the independent
variable.
 Or As income inequality increase civil disobedience is more likely to
occur i.e income IV and civil disobedience DV
2. Characteristics of A Good Research Hypothesis
 The wording of a hypothesis must have certain attributes that make it
easier for a researcher to ascertain its validity. These attributes are:
1) A hypothesis should be simple, specific and conceptually clear
For example: The average age of the male students in this class
is higher than that of the female students

Continuation
2) A hypothesis should be capable of verification
3) A hypothesis should be related to the existing body of knowledge
4) A hypothesis should be operationalisable and it should be empirically
testable (‘God is Great’ is not a hypothesis)
5. Hypothesis should be amenable to testing within a reasonable
time. One cannot spend a life-time collecting data to test it.
6. Hypothesis should be limited in scope and must be specific
7. Hypothesis should be stated as far as possible in most simple terms
so that the same is easily understandable by all concerned

Continuation
2.1. Hypotheses in Qualitative Researches
 The differences in qualitative and quantitative research is the importance
attached to and the extent of use of hypotheses when conducting a study.
 As qualitative studies are characterised by an emphasis on describing,
understanding and exploring phenomena using categorical and subjective
measurement procedures, so hypothesis is not practiced
 The non-specificity of the problem as well as methods and procedures which
make not to formulate hypothesis
 However, it does not mean that you cannot construct hypotheses in qualitative
research.
 In qualitative research, hypotheses are rarely stated at the outset, because most
qualitative researchers believe social behaviour is complex and transitory,
and does not consist of constant regularities.
 Human actions therefore do not follow ‘laws’.

Continuation
 Even within quantitative studies the importance attached to
and the practice of formulating hypotheses vary markedly
from one academic discipline to another.
 hypotheses are most prevalent in research relating to the
establishment of causality of a phenomenon, where it
becomes important to narrow the list of probable causes so
that a specific cause-and-effect relationship can be studied.
 In the social sciences formulation of hypotheses is mostly
dependent on the researcher and the academic discipline

Continuation
Kerlinger and Lee (2000 cited in Thomas, 2002: 30-35)
suggest two criteria for acceptable hypotheses:
a) A hypothesis should be statements of possible relationships
between variables, and
b) These statements should imply how they are to be tested.
4. Types of Hypothesis
 According to Ranjit Kumar (2014), theoretically there
should be only one type of hypothesis that is the research
hypothesis – the basis of your investigation.

Continuation
 There are two broad categories of hypothesis:
1. Research hypotheses;
2. Alternate hypotheses.
 The main function of alternative hypothesis is to explicitly
specify the relationship that will be considered as true in case the
research hypothesis proves to be wrong.
 Alternate hypothesis is the opposite of the research hypothesis.
 Conventionally, a null hypothesis, or hypothesis of no difference,
is formulated as an alternate hypothesis.
Ways to formulate hypotheses are:

Continuation
 For example: Suppose you want to study the smoking
pattern in a community in relation to gender differentials.
The following hypotheses could be constructed:
1. There is no significant difference in the proportion of male
and female smokers in the study population_ null
hypothesis usually written as Ho.
2. A greater proportion of females than males are smokers in
the study population_ hypothesis of difference.
3. A total of 60 per cent of females and 30 per cent of males
in the study population are smokers_ a hypothesis of point-
prevalence.

Continuation
4. There are twice as many female smokers as male smokers in the study
population_ a hypothesis of association.
4.1. Testing of Hypothesis
Testing of hypothesis employs statistical procedures in which the
investigator draws inferences about the population from a study sample.
 To test a hypothesis you need to go through a process that comprises
three phases:
(1) constructing a hypothesis;
(2) gathering appropriate evidence; and
(3) analysing evidence to draw conclusions as to its validity
 It is only after analysing the evidence that you can conclude whether
your hunch or hypothesis was true or false.

Continuation
 Incorrect conclusions (errors in testing hypothesis) about the
validity of a hypothesis may be drawn if:
The study design selected is faulty;
The sampling procedure adopted is faulty;
The method of data collection is inaccurate;
The analysis is wrong;
The statistical procedures applied are inappropriate; or
The conclusions drawn are incorrect
 Any, some or all, of this making conclusions misleading.

Continuation
5. The Importance of Hypothesis
 A hypothesis serves the following functions:
1. The formulation of a hypothesis provides a study with focus.
It tells you what specific aspects of a research problem to
investigate.
2. A hypothesis tells you what data to collect and what not to
collect, thereby providing focus to the study.

Continuation
3. As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis enhances
objectivity in a study.
4. 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.
6. Sources of Hypothesis
 The major sources of hypotheses are:
1. Specialization of an educational field.
2. Programme of reading: Published studies, abstracts, research
journals. Hand books, seminars on the issue, current trends on
the research area

Continuation
3. Instructional programmes persuaded.
4. Analyse of the area studied
5. Considering existing practices and needs
6. Extension of the investigation
7. Offshoots of research studies in the field
 Therefore, in general speaking, in most studies the hypothesis will
be based upon either previous studies or once own or someone
else’s observations.

Hypothesis

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