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NEED AND FUNCTIONS OF HYPOTHESIS

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HYPOTHESIS

  • A hypothesis is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, assertion, or an idea about a phenomenon, relationship, or situation, the reality or truth of which we do not know.

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DEFINITION

  • Black and Champion define a hypothesis as,

“a tentative statement about something, the validity of which is usually unknown”

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CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHESIS

  • A hypothesis should be simple, specific, and conceptually clear. There is no place for ambiguity in the construction of a hypothesis, as ambiguity will make the verification of a hypothesis almost impossible.

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  • It should be ‘undiamensional’ – that is, it should test only one relationship or hunch at a time.
  • To be able to develop a good hypothesis we must be familiar with the subject area. The more insight we have into a problem, the easier it is to construct a hypothesis.

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FUNCTIONS OF HYOTHESIS

A hypothesis is important in terms of bringing clarity to the research problem. Specifically, a hypothesis serves the following functions:

  • A hypothesis provides a study with focus. It tells us what specific aspects of a research problem to investigate.

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  • It tells us what data to collect and what not to collect, thereby providing focus to the study.
  • As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis enhances objectivity.

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  • A hypothesis may enable us to add to the formulation of the theory. It enables us to conclude specifically what is true or what is false.

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THANK YOU