Research Problem, Variables, Hypotheses

Research problem

A statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the ned for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation

Variable

• The central idea of a research; they are defined as something that the researchers are trying to measure regardless like for instance place, thing, or phenomenon, or simply these are concepts that “vary,” enabling the framing of research questions, the formulation of hypotheses, and the interpretation of results

• Meanwhile in research science, this is defined as factors or conditions that can change during the course of a given experiment

• Anything that may indicate a different numerical or categorical value

Dependent variable

[TYPES OF VARIABLES]

Variables that depend on factors that are measured; these are expected to change in relation to the manipulation of the independent variables

Independent variables

[TYPES OF VARIABLES]

Defined as the foundational structure of research, serving as the factors or conditions that the researchers are trying to manipulate to observe the effects of the dependent variables

Categorical variables

[TYPES OF VARIABLES]

Used to group information into different categories rather than numerical measurements

Continuous variables

[TYPES OF VARIABLES]

Numerical variables that can have many possible values within a certain range

Confounding variable

[TYPES OF VARIABLES]

Outsde factors that can affect both the independent and dependent variable

Hypothesis

A testable, tentative, and reasoned explanation for a problem or observed phenomenon, based on partial evidence rather than proof. It is, in essence, an educated statement of an expected outcome, formulated before data collection begins and written so that it can later be examined empirically. It is grounded in existing knowledge or theory, and it must be capable of being shown wrong, not merely confirmed.

hupo - under
thesis - placing

Etymology of hypothesis

Explicit
Evidence-based
Ex-ante
Explanatory
Empirically testable

5 characteristics of a good hypothesis

Independent variable

[COMPONENTS AND ELEMENTS OF A HYPOTHESIS]

The variable that has the presumed effect on the dependent variable, which in experimental studies is manipulated by the researcher, and in non-experimental studies is assumed to ave occurred naturally before or during the study

Dependent variable

[COMPONENTS AND ELEMENTS OF A HYPOTHESIS]

The variable that varies with a change in the independent variable; it is not manipulated, but observed, and is the variable the researcher is interested in understanding, explaining, or predicting

The proposed relationship

[COMPONENTS AND ELEMENTS OF A HYPOTHESIS]

The specific direction or nature of connection between the IV and DV (e.g., increase, decrease, difference, association, cause-and-effect)

The population or context

[COMPONENTS AND ELEMENTS OF A HYPOTHESIS]

The group or setting under investigation (e.g., “post-surgical patients”)

Null hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

States a negative relationship - that there is no connection between the variables under study

Alternative/Research Hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

States that a relationship or difference does exist, and is adopted in place of the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is rejected by the data

Simple hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

Predicts a relationship between a single independent and single dependent variable

Complex hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

Predicts a relationship involving more than 2 variables

Directional hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

Specifies the expected direction of the relationship in advance (e.g., “higher,” “lower,” “increases”), reflecting a degree of theoretical commitment to a particular outcome

Non-directional hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

States that a relationship exists without specifying its direction - typically used when there is no strong guiding theory, or when new findings contradict prior research

Causal hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

Proposes that the independent variable directly causes change in the dependent variable through manipulation of the variable

Associative hypothesis

[TYPES OF HYPOTHESES]

Defines an interdependency between variables without claiming direct causation