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Hypotheses
"I've known countless people who were reservoirs of learning, yet never had a thought." - Wilson Mizner
Hypotheses are intelligent (educated) guesses posited for the purpose of directing one's thinking toward the solution of the Problem Statement. Hypotheses are formulated from the researcher's own background and knowledge of the subject. One hypothesis is written for each subproblem; they give a point of reference for research and help guide the research process. Hypotheses are essentially the answers to the questions that the subproblems pose.
Things to keep in mind when creating hypotheses:
- hypotheses are neither proved nor disproved; they are accepted or rejected according to what the research reveals
- there is no hypothesis for the Problem Statement
- write the hypotheses in the 3rd person perspective; directly answer subproblem with reasoning (use "because")
- a rejected hypothesis is just as good as an accepted one; a rejected hypothesis still generates a conclusion
- a null hypothesis is used as an indicator
- another definition of a hypothesis: tenative propositions set forth as a possible explanation for an occurence or a provisional conjecture to assist in guiding the investigation of a problem
Steps in Creating Hypotheses
1. Take the Subproblems you have already generated. Write an answer for each subproblem (which should have been written in the form of a question). Have reasoning for each answer; use "because."
2. Edit spelling and grammar. Make sure to maintain formal 3rd person. When referring to yourself, use "the researcher."
3. Submit the Hypotheses for teacher and peer review.
4. Rewrite or edit Hypotheses as suggested by review.
5. You have now written your Hypotheses. Be aware of the tendency for hypotheses to create "confirmation bias" in a research project. Many researchers make the mistaking of looking to prove or disprove their hypotheses only, when they should only use hypotheses as a general guide. You can now write your Importance of Study.
Example
This is one of my subproblems, written after analyzing my Problem Statement:
"What are the common themes and content of popular Japanese anime aired on television in the U.S. in 1999-2000?"
This is a hypothesis I wrote in response to that subproblem:
"The common themes and content of popular anime aired on television are about topics which would not be possible to film in real life action (often involving science-fiction, fantasy, outer space, or ficticious animals), because the unusual topics are appealing to children and teens."
This page is created and maintained by Jennifer Tam. Copyright 2001.