Formulate hypotheses for your thesis

What is a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a conjectured relationship or connection between two or more variables that you examine in your scientific work. It is based on theoretical considerations and provides a preliminary answer to your research question.

A hypothesis differs from a research question in that it is more specific and must be verifiable. Typically, a hypothesis states how one variable (the independent variable) affects another (the dependent variable).

Example of a hypothesis

Hypotheses establish a clear relationship between two factors. Example:

"If students take breaks more regularly, their exam results will improve."

In this example, the independent variable is the frequency of breaks, and the dependent variable is the exam results. The hypothesis describes a relationship that can be verified through empirical research.

Different types of hypotheses

Hypotheses can be divided into different categories, depending on whether they specify a direction or not:

• Non-directional hypothesis:This hypothesis indicates that there is a relationship, but not how exactly it looks. Example: "There is a relationship between the frequency of breaks and the exam results."
• Directional hypothesis:This type of hypothesis indicates whether the relationship is positive or negative. Example: "The more frequently students take breaks, the better their exam results."

Directional hypotheses are often more precise and allow for a more targeted verification.

How do you set up a hypothesis for your thesis?

To formulate a good hypothesis, you start from your research question and base your assumptions on theoretical foundations or observations. Here are some steps to help you with this:

• Derive the hypothesis from your research question.
• Support the hypothesis with findings from the literature.
• Formulate the hypothesis clearly and operationally so that it can be empirically verified.

It is important that the hypothesis is both verifiable and falsifiable so that it can be validated during your investigation or falsified.

Examples of hypothesis formulation

A hypothesis is usually formulated in conditional sentences. Here are some examples of how to formulate hypotheses for your thesis:

• If-Then hypothesis:"If students take regular breaks while learning, then their grades will improve."
• The-More-The-More hypothesis:"The more breaks students take, the better their exam results are."

Hypotheses are always formulated as statements, never as questions, and should be as precise as possible.

How do you test hypotheses?

Once you have formulated your hypotheses, you need to test them through research. You can test them empirically by collecting data, or by reviewing existing literature.

A common method is to formulate a null hypothesis (H0) and an alternative hypothesis (H1). The null hypothesis assumes that there is no connection, while the alternative hypothesis represents the presumed connection. For example:

• H0:"The number of breaks has no influence on the exam results of students."
• H1:"The number of breaks positively influences the exam results of students."

Statistical tests and empirical research help you to verify the hypothesis and either confirm or refute it.

Integrating hypotheses into your thesis

You should clearly integrate your hypotheses within your work. They can be presented in the introduction or in the theoretical framework of your work. In the results and discussion, you will then address whether the hypotheses were confirmed or refuted.