Hypothesis & Methodology – Comprehensive Study Notes

Students should be able to:
- Define “hypothesis” and its role in scientific inquiry.
- Identify types of hypotheses (null $H<em>0$ , alternative $H</em>1$ ).
- Formulate hypotheses for quantitative and qualitative contexts.
- Understand the scientific process: observation, data collection, experimentation, communication.

Involves Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Collection/Interpretation, Conclusions, and Communication, often in an Iterative cycle.

A formal, tentative prediction of a relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Must be clear, concise, declared before research, and testable (predicts consequences).
Serves to pinpoint research objectives and link to the problem/literature.
Valuable even if disproven via falsifiability; not moral/ethical, nor too specific/general.

Null Hypothesis (H₀ or H_N): Represents the status quo or “no difference/relationship/effect”; assumed true until evidence shows otherwise.
Alternative Hypothesis (H₁ or H_A): The statement the test aims to establish, indicating a difference, relationship, or effect (can be directional or non-directional).

Quantitative (Deductive): Starts theory → hypothesis → observation → confirmation. Hypotheses articulate specific, measurable variable relationships.
Qualitative (Inductive): Begins observation → pattern → tentative hypothesis → theory. Often uses research questions instead of formal hypotheses, focusing on meaning, experience, and context.

Favor “what” or “how” wording, seeking to discover, explore, describe, or understand experiences.
Are non-directional, open-ended, and can evolve during the study.

Rooted in Post-positivism (objective reality).
Relies on numeric measurement under standardized conditions to describe, explore associations, test theory, or verify hypotheses.
Major Designs:
1. Experimental: Compares $\ge 2$ conditions, controls factors, permits causal inferences.
2. Correlational: Examines statistical relationships between variables; does NOT establish causation.
3. Descriptive: Describes characteristics (e.g., surveys, case studies).

Rooted in Constructionism (socially constructed reality).
Collects narrative data to achieve in-depth understanding of human experience.
Common Designs:
1. Phenomenological: Investigates essence of lived experiences.
2. Ethnographic: Describes a culture/social group via prolonged observation (researcher immersion).
3. Action Research: Practitioner-focused, solves immediate problems, improves practice iteratively.
4. Case Study: Intensive description/analysis of a single case or series.

Integrates quantitative (QUANT) and qualitative (QUAL) strands (e.g., QUAL → quant, QUANT → qual, concurrent).
Aims to leverage complementary strengths for complex questions.

Quantitative and Qualitative methods exist on a spectrum, with Mixed Methods bridging them. Empirical research seeks evidence from observation.

Burnside’s retirement survey: Descriptive (large-scale survey).
Cheung’s science-teaching comparison: Experimental (manipulates conditions).
Mitchell’s history of residential schools: Ethnographic / Historical-Descriptive (qualitative, cultural/temporal context).

Hypotheses are value-neutral; ethics arise in implementation. Open declaration promotes transparency and replicability.

Well-crafted hypotheses anchor quantitative inquiry, while research questions guide qualitative work flexibly.
Understanding methodology strengths/limitations allows aligning design with objectives and drawing valid conclusions.