The Traditional Model of Science

Theory, operationalization, and observation

A theory is a systematic explanation for the observations that relate to a particular aspect of life
A hypothesis is a specified testable expectation about empirical reality that follows from a more general proposition; more generally, an expectation about the nature of things derived from a theory
Operationalization is the process of developing operational definitions, or specifying the exact operations involved in measuring a variable
Operational definition is a concrete and specific definition of something in terms of the operations by which observations are categorized
X=f(Y)
X is theoretical while x is observable. If X is grades the x is self reported gpa. While Y is social like and y is the number of evening students spend with others engaging in non class activities
Operational level = x=f(y)
Null hypothesis is in connection with hypothesis testing and tests of statistical significance and suggests there is no relationship among the variables under study
If there is a statistical relationship we would reject the null hypothesis
If there isn’t we would fail to reject the null hypothesis

First, specify the topic
Second, specify the range of phenomena we will address
Third, identify and specify major concepts and variables
Fourth, find out what is already known about the relationship among the variables
Last, reason logically from what is already known to what we are examining