Research Design - Hypotheses and Research Questions - What Kind of Hypothesis or Research to Use

5 important questions on Research Design - Hypotheses and Research Questions - What Kind of Hypothesis or Research to Use

When you want to explore for differences or a relationship, would a research hypothesis or research question be appropriate?

Both a research hypothesis and research question

When do you use a directional research question?

You use a directional research question when you have almost enough evidence to pose a hypothesis, but are being safe and posing a research question.

When do you use a nondirectional hypothesis?

A nondirectional hypothesis is still based on previous research, but is generally broader, as you may not have enough information to make a specific prediction of the direction of the relationship/difference. Or your purpose is just to confirm a difference or relationship between variables.

Similarly, a nondirectional research question is more exploratory in nature.
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When do you use a causal hypothesis or research question?

You use a causal hypothesis or research question when you have a significant amount of previous research and evidence to support an argument for a cause-effect relationship between variables. You must take great care to rule out other variables that can influence your proposed relationship.

What are the 5 critical elements that make a good hypothesis? Zie p. 83


  1. The hypothesis must be a declarative sentence (it should be a statement and not a question)
  2. It posits an expected relationship between variables.
  3. A hypothesis is based on literature. This means: a hypothesis furthers previous research.
  4. It should not be too long; it should be short and to the point. Most hypothesis are only 1 sentence
  5. It must be testable. An untestable hypothesis is: “god exists”

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