Do students who attend more lectures get better exam results? Your initial answer to the question should be based on what is already known about the topic. Look for theories and previous studies to help you form educated assumptions about what your research will find. At this stage, you might construct a conceptual framework to identify which variables you will study and what you think the relationships are between them. Now you should have some idea of what you expect to find. Write your initial answer to the question in a clear, concise sentence.
You need to make sure your hypothesis is specific and testable. There are various ways of phrasing a hypothesis, but all the terms you use should have clear definitions, and the hypothesis should contain:. To identify the variables, you can write a simple prediction in if…then form. The first part of the sentence states the independent variable and the second part states the dependent variable. If a first-year student starts attending more lectures , then their exam scores will improve.
In academic research, hypotheses are more commonly phrased in terms of correlations or effects, where you directly state the predicted relationship between variables.
The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive effect on their exam scores. If you are comparing two groups, the hypothesis can state what difference you expect to find between them.
First-year students who attended most lectures will have better exam scores than those who attended few lectures. If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing , you will also have to write a null hypothesis.
The null hypothesis is the default position that there is no association between the variables. The null hypothesis is written as H 0 , while the alternative hypothesis is H 1 or H a. H 0 : The number of lectures attended by first-year students has no effect on their final exam scores.
In order to form a hypothesis, you should take these steps:. In the scientific method , falsifiability is an important part of any valid hypothesis. Students sometimes confuse the idea of falsifiability with the idea that it means that something is false, which is not the case. What falsifiability means is that if something was false, then it is possible to demonstrate that it is false.
One of the hallmarks of pseudoscience is that it makes claims that cannot be refuted or proven false. A variable is a factor or element that can be changed and manipulated in ways that are observable and measurable. However, the researcher must also define how the variable will be manipulated and measured in the study. For example, a researcher might operationally define the variable " test anxiety " as the results of a self-report measure of anxiety experienced during an exam.
A "study habits" variable might be defined by the amount of studying that actually occurs as measured by time. These precise descriptions are important because many things can be measured in a number of different ways.
One of the basic principles of any type of scientific research is that the results must be replicable. Some variables are more difficult than others to define. How would you operationally define a variable such as aggression? For obvious ethical reasons, researchers cannot create a situation in which a person behaves aggressively toward others. In order to measure this variable, the researcher must devise a measurement that assesses aggressive behavior without harming other people.
In this situation, the researcher might utilize a simulated task to measure aggressiveness. Once a researcher has formed a testable hypothesis, the next step is to select a research design and start collecting data. The research method depends largely on exactly what they are studying. There are two basic types of research methods: descriptive research and experimental research. Descriptive research such as case studies , naturalistic observations , and surveys are often used when it would be impossible or difficult to conduct an experiment.
These methods are best used to describe different aspects of a behavior or psychological phenomenon. Once a researcher has collected data using descriptive methods, a correlational study can then be used to look at how the variables are related.
This type of research method might be used to investigate a hypothesis that is difficult to test experimentally. Experimental methods are used to demonstrate causal relationships between variables. In an experiment, the researcher systematically manipulates a variable of interest known as the independent variable and measures the effect on another variable known as the dependent variable.
Unlike correlational studies, which can only be used to determine if there is a relationship between two variables, experimental methods can be used to determine the actual nature of the relationship—whether changes in one variable actually cause another to change.
The hypothesis is a critical part of any scientific exploration. It represents what researchers expect to find in a study or experiment. In situations where the hypothesis is unsupported by the research, the research still has value. Such research helps us better understand how different aspects of the natural world relate to one another. It also helps us develop new hypotheses that can then be tested in the future. Ever wonder what your personality type means?
Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Castillo M. It is universal. It allows for predictions that will occur in new circumstances. It builds upon previously accumulated knowledge e. Like Newton's hypothesis, the one offered by Einstein has all of the characteristics of a good hypothesis.
That's good news for scientists of all ages. There are always questions to answer and educated guesses to make! Menu Science Projects. Project Guides. View Site Map. Science Projects. Grade Levels. Physical Science.
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