Importance of Hypotheses in Research Design PDF

Importance of Hypotheses in Research Design

A hypothesis refers to a proposed explanation for a phenomenon based on limited evidence. The
hypothesis is a tentative solution to any research problem. Our thoughts and those of former
researchers on the outcomes of the current studies form the research hypotheses[ CITATION Hel88 \
l 1033 ]. Research hypotheses are fundamental tools for any research. Two types of hypotheses
exist; the null and alternative hypotheses.
The null hypothesis provides claims against our thoughts on what the outcome of the research
would be. The null hypothesis aims to show that our thoughts concerning outcome of research do
not hold. When our claims are found to hold based on outcomes of the research, the null
hypothesis is always rejected. However, when our claims are not in agreement with the findings
of the current study, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis provides
claims on what we think would be an outcome of a research.
Researchers normally formulate hypotheses at the beginning of the research problem. At the end
of the research, the formulated hypotheses are rejected or accepted.
Hypotheses are important in every study for many reasons some of which are discussed in the
following sentences and paragraphs.
First, hypotheses provide temporary solutions to any research work. Hypotheses will provide a
guide for researchers on further research as they have tentative solutions beforehand. The
tentative solutions provided could be proved to hold or could be rejected at the end of the study
after analyzing the data for the study and findings interpreted. If the tentative claims are found to
hold, then the null hypotheses shall always be rejected. However, when tentative claims are
found not to hold, null hypotheses shall not be rejected[ CITATION Wyl64 \l 1033 ].