INRS 7311 Learning Unit 2 Research Topic Research Questions and Hypothesis Theme 3 Hypotheses Flashcards
Define a hypothesis 3 marks
*Tentative statement about a relationship between variables . Its either accepted or rejected by the end of the research process . Found before quantitative studies that are explanatory or any of the positivist tradition .
Distinguish between and explain the relationship between laws , theories , hypo theses . 6 marks
- Theories are time tested and evidence proven . They are either inductive or deductive .
- Laws are natural events that repeat themselves in the same circumstances consistently .
- Hypothesis is then an “educated guess” , which transfers over to being a theory when its sufficiently validated .
Explain when a hypothesis is needed 5 marks
*When the answer is YES to the following
/Is the research Quantitative or Mixed method
/Is the research following an experimental design
/will the research predict outcomes or try to find a correlation ?
/Is the research explanatory ?
Differentiate between null and alternative hypothesis 4 marks
- Null hypothesis : A prediction that there is no relationship between the variables or no difference between two or more groups .
- Alternative hypothesis : Researcher predicts a certain outcome , based on prior literature and studies on the chosen topic .
Identify and distinguish between a dependent, independent and mediating variable . 3 marks
- Independent variable =is likely to cause an effect
- Dependent = will be affected by the independent .
- Intervening/mediating variables : Affect the outcome without being accounted for .
Explain when a hypothesis is accepted or rejected . 4 marks .
- Accepted : large amount of peer reviewed evidence that aligns with your hypothesis , then its likely to be accepted
- Rejected = lacking strong backing evidence , rejects alternatives or doesn’t accept null hypothesis as a vali result .
