Chapter 4-RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AND DEFINING VARIABLES

Research
Hypothesis
and Defining
Variables

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
• simply an educated guess or hunch that can be
supported by theory and previous research.

• A wise guess that is formulated and temporarily adopted
to explain the observed facts covered by the study
(Calmorin and Calmorin,1999).

• A declarative statement that is tentative in nature.

• It must be tested, explained and measured

06/09/12 Free template from www.brainybetty.com

Two Types of Hypothesis
• Null Hypothesis
– a denial of an attribute, an existence, a difference
or an effect or relationship expressed in negative
statement.

• Example:
– “There is no significant difference in the perception
of the different groups of respondents on the
effectiveness of the program in terms of its vision”


Two Types of Hypothesis
• Alternative Hypothesis
– affirms the existence of a phenomenon, acceptance
of the attribute of relationship, effects and
differences.

• Example:
– “There is a significant difference in the perception of
the different groups of respondents on the
effectiveness of the program in terms of its vision.”


Characteristics of Hypotheses
A good hypothesis has
several basic
characteristics:

– Testable

– logical

– directly related to the
research problem

– represents a single unit or
subset of the problem


Characteristics of Hypotheses
– factually or theoretically
based
- states a relationship
between variables

– sets limits of study

- stated in a form that can be
accepted or rejected


Sources of Hypothesis
• based on observation:
– Environment
– on literature
– on other empirical data
– personal experiences


Criteria for Evaluating Research
Hypothesis
• stated in declarative form

• be consistent with known facts, previous researches,
and theories

• statement should follow from the statement of the
research problem


Criteria for Evaluating Research
Hypothesis
• state the expected relationship between two or
more variables

• Testable

• stated clearly and concisely

• The level of significance must be indicated when
stating the null hypothesis

Example of a Research Hypothesis:
• The following hypothesis were tested at 0.05 level of significance

• There is no significant gain between the pre-test and post-test
scores of students exposed to Computer-Aided Instruction in
Analytic Geometry

• There is no significant gain between the pre-test and post-test
score of the students exposed to Classroom Information
System in Analytic Geometry.

• There is no significant difference in the performance of
students exposed to Computer-Aided Instruction and Classroom
Information System.


RESEARCH VARIABLES

• are qualities, properties or characteristics
of person, things or situations that change
or vary.


Characteristics of Variables

• Identify the concepts to be studied

• Variables are measurable

• Variables are usually specific in focus


Different
Classification of
Variables

Different Classification of Variables
1. According to possible number of values
– Dichotomous Variables
• variables that take only two values
– Example:
» Religion (catholic or non-catholic)
» Nature of employment (part-time or full-time)
» Sex/Gender (Male or Female)

– Polytomous Variables
• variables that take more than two values
– Example:
» Nationality (Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Americans, and
Malaysians)


Different Classification of
Variables
2. Independent or Dependent
– Independent Variable

• known as the presumed cause

• it is the antecedent

• it is the variable predicted from


Variables
2. Independent or Dependent
– Dependent Variable

• known as the presumed effect

• it is the consequent

• it is the variable predicted to


SAMPLE:

• An experimenter might compare the effectiveness of
four types of antidepressants.

• The variable is
– "type of antidepressant."

• When a variable is manipulated by an experimenter, it is called an
independent variable.

• The experiment seeks to determine the effect of the independent
variable on relief from depression.

• In this example, relief from depression is called a
– dependent variable.

Conclusion
• In general,

– the independent variable is manipulated
by the experimenter and

– its effects on the dependent variable are
measured.

SITUATION…
• Can blueberries slow down aging? A study
indicates that antioxidants found in blueberries
may slow down the process of aging. In this
study, 19-month old rats (equivalent to 60-year
old humans) were fed either their standard diet
or a diet supplemented by either blueberry,
strawberry, or spinach powder. After eight
weeks, the rats were given memory and motor
tests. Although all supplemented rats showed
improvement, those supplemented with blue
berry powder showed the most notable
improvement.

QUESTION…
1. What is the independent variable?

3. What are the dependent variables?


ANSWER. . .
1. What is the independent variable?

(diet: blueberries or no blueberries)

4. What are the dependent variables?

(memory test and motor skills test)

Different Classification of Variables
3. Quantitative or Qualitative
– Qualitative Variables
- variables that express characteristics or properties
- express a qualitative attribute
- Ex. hair color, eye color, religion, favorite movie, gender, age,
socio-economic status of respondents

– Quantitative Variables
- variables that express amount and those numerical
in nature
– Ex. height, weight, and shoe size.

Sample:
• In the study on the effect of diet
– the independent variable = type of supplement: none,
strawberry, blueberry, and spinach.

• The variable "type of supplement" is a qualitative variable

– the dependent variable "memory test" is a
quantitative variable
• memory performance can be measured on a quantitative
scale.


Variables
4. Continuous or Categorical
– Categorical Variables/Discrete Variables
• qualitative in nature
• variables with no infinite set of values within the category.
• Qualitative variables are always considered categorical variables
• ALL OR NONE (ex. Age, sex, blood type)

– Continuous Variables
• infinite in nature
• can take an ordered set of values within a certain range
• Reflect a rank order


Sample:
• Discrete Variables
– number of children in a household
– Your possible answer may be???
• Answer = 1, 2, 3, 4

• Continuous Variables
– Time
– Possible time? What time is it?
• Answer = 9:00am or 9:00:36am or 9:00:36:37

Other Kinds of Variables
• Extraneous or exogenous variables

– not the direct interest of the researcher and
should be controlled in order that the
hypothesis can be validly tested.


Extraneous or exogenous variables

• are variables other than the independent
variable that may bear any effect on the
behavior of the subject being studied.

• How to control:
– variable is kept the same for all subjects in
the research, or
– they balance the variables in a group.

Sample:
• An experiment, in which a salesperson
sells clothing on a door-to-door basis.

• The independent variable is
– the salesperson

• the dependent variable is
– the clothing sales

• The extraneous variables are
– the salesperson's gender, age, or price.

• Abstract Variables

– These are factors that have different
values which are quantitatively measured
and statistically tested to prove the
hypotheses.


• Active Variables

– the researcher creates
and /or manipulates

– commonly used in
experimental studies.

– Can ONLY be an
independent variable


• Attribute Variables

– pre-existing characteristics of the subjects which the
researcher simply observes and measures.
– It can be an independent and dependent variable
– Cannot be manipulated by the researcher
– Ex. Intelligence, sex, attitude


Definition of Variables
• Conceptual definition
– A universal definition of a term understood by people.

• Operational definition
– The researcher’s own definition of terms as used in
his/her study.
– It is concrete and measurable, based on
observable characteristics of what is being defined
within the context of the study.

Variable Conceptual Operational
Definition Definition (as used
in the study)
A professional An individual who Any individual with
practices a particular four years of College
profession education
Courtesy Civility, politeness The use of polite
words and
expressions when
06/09/12 greeting elders and
Free template from www.brainybetty.com
authorities

1. MAKE A HYPOTHESIS OF YOUR STUDY.

3. After formulating the research hypothesis,
the group should identify the variables in
their study and give its operational and
conceptual definition.

3. Expected output will be submitted and
presented to the class the following meeting.

Chapter 4-RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AND DEFINING VARIABLES

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

La actualidad más candente

La actualidad más candente (20)

Similar a Chapter 4-RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AND DEFINING VARIABLES

Similar a Chapter 4-RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AND DEFINING VARIABLES (20)

Más de Ludy Mae Nalzaro,BSM,BSN,MN

Más de Ludy Mae Nalzaro,BSM,BSN,MN (20)

Último

Último (20)

Chapter 4-RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AND DEFINING VARIABLES