Educational Research

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Educational Research

• Chapter 5

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Hypothesis

• The hypothesis states the expected answer to the
  research question knowing that the
  investigation results will lead to its being
  supported or not supported or retention or
  rejection
• Example
• Research Question What is the effect of
  preschool training on the achievement of
  culturally disadvantaged children in the first
  grade
•  
• Hypothesis Culturally disadvantaged children who
  have had preschool training achieve at a higher
  level in first grade than culturally
  disadvantaged children who have not had preschool
  training.
•  

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Hypothesis cont

• Not all studies have hypotheses
• for example if you have little insight into the
  problem as in survey or descriptive research
  for example if you want to know the opinions or
  attitudes of groups
• qualitative research rarely has a hypothesis in
  the beginning usually is generated as data
  accumulates
•  

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Hypothesis cont

• Purpose of hypothesis
• Brings together information to enable you to make
  a tentative statement about how the variables in
  the study are related
• They stimulate research endeavors that result in
  the accumulation of knowledge
• Provides a relational statement that is directly
  testable
• Provides direction to the research
• Provides a framework for reporting the findings
  and conclusions of the study

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Hypothesis cont

• Deriving a hypothesis
•  
• Hypotheses derived inductively from observations
  of behavior
•  or
•  
• deductively from theory or from findings of
  previous research
•  

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Deriving a Hypothesis cont
(1) Inductive hypothesis the researcher
observes behavior, notices trends or probable
relationships and then hypothesizes an
explanation for this observed behavior.   Example
Children score higher on final measures of
first-grade reading achievement when they are
taught in small groups rather than large
groups   (2) Deductive hypothesis some
hypotheses are derived by deduction from theory  
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Deriving a hypothesis cont
(3) Theory set of interrelated constructs and
propositions that specify relations among
variables to explain and predict phenomena.
From the theory you should be able to predict
certain events that will or will not be observed.
These deduced consequences become the hypotheses
that are subjected to empirical investigation.
Can disprove a theory but cannot ever prove the
theory true because theories are generalizations
that apply to all possible instances of the
phenomena and it is not possible to do this.
But the more support you have the more
confident the theory is valid
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Choosing a Theory

• Good theories are
• Testable
• Falsifiable can gather evidence to contradict
  the theory
• Deals with significant phenomenon or behavior
  that need explanation (e.g., learning,
  motivation)
• Provides the simplest, clearest, most plausible
  explanation for the phenomena
• Internal consistency propositions do not
  contradict one another (e.g., absence makes heart
  grow fonder and out of sight, out of mind

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Deriving a hypothesis cont

• (4) From Theory to Hypothesis
• select a theory in your general area and be sure
  it is testable
• next use deductive reasoning to arrive at the
  logical consequences of the theory these become
  the hypotheses in the study (p. 102 in text)
• example Piagets classic theory on the
  development of logical thinking in children
  suggested stages in mental development for
  example, concrete operations where kids move
  from dependence on perception to use more logic
  using this as a starting point
• hypothesize that the proportion of 9-year-olds
  that will be able to correctly respond to the
  liquid conservation task will be greater than the
  proportion of 5-year- olds

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Characteristics of a Usable Hypothesis

• Must state the expected relationship between
  variables example- There is a positive
  relationship between self-esteem and reading
  achievement in first grade
•  

• Hypothesis must be testable must relate
  variables that can be measured for the above
  hypothesis to be testable you must define the
  variables operationally example define
  self-esteem as scores on the Coopersmith
  Self-esteem Scale and reading achievement as
  scores on the California Achievement Test
• Remember to avoid value statements such as
  counseling is desirable in the elementary school.
•  

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Characteristics of a usable hypothesis cont

• Hypothesis should be consistent with the
  existing body of knowledge do not hypothesize
  the absence of a relationship between age and
  conservation because research supports a
  relationship
• Hypothesis should be stated as simply and
  concisely as possible one relationship per one
  hypothesis relation between new teaching method
  and achievement and self-esteem should be stated
  as two hypotheses, that is (1) new teaching
  method and achievement and (2) new teaching
  method and self-esteem

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Types of Hypotheses

• Research hypotheses the previous hypotheses are
  research hypotheses statements about
  relationships between variables
• Research hypotheses
• (a) directional there is a positive relation
  between self-esteem and reading achievement or
• (b) nondirectional there is a relationship
  between self-esteem and reading achievement

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Types of Hypotheses cont

• Null hypotheses there is no relation between
  the variables in the population after treatment
  there is no difference between the mean scores of
  the experimental and control group
• ______________________________________
• Research hypothesis example Students taught with
  individual instruction will exhibit greater
  mastery of math skills than students taught with
  group instruction.
• Alternate Hypothesis exampleStudents taught with
  individual instruction will exhibit less mastery
  of math skills than students taught with group
  instruction

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Testing the Hypothesis

• State in operational terms the relationship that
  should be observed teachers positive comments
  on papers (e.g., excellent) will result in higher
  reading achievement scores on the CAT
• State the null hypothesis The population mean
  achievement scores of students receiving positive
  comments will be the same as the population mean
  achievement scores for students receiving no
  comments
• Conduct the experiment to test the hypotheses
  one group gets positive comments and the other
  group does not

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Testing the Hypothesis cont

• Gather and analyze the data give a reading
  achievement test to both groups
• Is evidence sufficient to reject the null
  hypothesis use inferential statistics to
  determine if the population means are
  sufficiently different to reject the null
  hypothesis or is the difference likely to be a
  function of chance if not likely to be because
  of chance conclude it results from different
  treatments

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Research Plan

• Problem quantitative clear statement of
  research problem (relationship between 2
  variables) and qualitative is stated in terms of
  the purpose of the study.
• Hypothesis quantitative follows the problem
  and need to use operational definitions of the
  variables and in qualitative do not state until
  data collection, if at all
• Methodology quantitative - population, method
  of acquisition, instruments and in qualitative
  describe setting, population, data sources
• Data analysis