Hypothesis is assumption which is based on reasoning.

Word Hypothesis is a combination of two

words the first one is Hypo (that means under or less than or tentative) and the second one is thesis
(that means General opinion or statement about solution of a problem). So the word Hypothesis means
tentative statement about solution of a problem or the guesses to solve the research problem. Therefore
Hypothesis is a part of research process.

How is hypothesis related to theory? And theory to law?

We deduce from facts and assumptions to a hypothesis. "A hypothesis is a tentative assertion of a
relationship between factors or events that is subject to verification or rejection." In short, a hypothesis is
a testable proposition of the relationship between or among variables.
Hypothesis is a single statement that attempts to explain a single interesting or puzzling phenomenon. In
other words, a hypothesis is a testable proposition on an interesting or puzzling phenomenon. It usually
takes the form of an educated guess or conjecture. Usually the hypothesis is based on facts and
assumptions.
Theory is a whole system of thought (or systematic explanation) that refers to many phenomena and
whose parts are related to one another in deductive, logical form. A research hypothesis is simpler and
more tentative than a theory. That is, any particular hypothesis may represent only a small part of the
theory.
Law: A theory that has been subjected to extensive testing over time and across space, and that has won
virtually universal acceptance, is called a law. For instance, the law of supply and demand refers to the
commonly observed phenomena that, in a free market, the forces of supply and demand generally push
the price toward its equilibrium level, the price at which the quantity supplied and quantity demanded are
equal. Another example is the law of diminishing marginal returns.

A hypothesis can be formulated through a number of sources. They are:

1. General Culture in which a Science Develops:

A cultural pattern influences the thinking process of the people and the hypothesis may be formulated to
test one or more of these ideas. Cultural values serve to direct research interests. The function of culture
has been responsible for developing todays science to a great dimension 1.
2. Scientific Theory:
A major source of hypothesis is scientific theory. A theory binds a large body of facts by positing a
consistent and lawful relationship among a set of general concepts representing those facts. Further
generalizations and corollaries are formed on the basis of the knowledge of theory. These generalizations
or corollaries constitute a part of hypothesis. A hypothesis emerges as a deduction from theory. Hence,
hypotheses become working instruments of theory.
3. Analogies:
Observation of a similarity between two phenomena may be a source of formation of a hypothesis aimed
at testing similarity in any other respect.2 Although analogy is not always considered at the time of
formulation of hypothesis, it is generally satisfactory when it has some structural analogies to other well
established theories. For the systematic simplicity of our knowledge, the analogy of a hypothesis becomes
inversely helpful.
4. Consequences of Personal, Idiosyncratic Experience as the Sources of Hypothesis:
Not only culture, scientific theory and analogies provide the sources of hypothesis, but also the way in
which the individual reacts to each of these is also a factor in the statement of hypotheses. Certain facts
are present, but every one of us is not able to observe them and formulate a hypothesis.

There are no definitive guidelines for the production of a new hypothesis. The history of science is
filled with stories of scientists claiming a flash of inspiration, or a hunch, which then motivated them to
1 For example, in the Western society race is thought to be an important determinant of human
behaviour. Such a proposition can be used to formulate a hypothesis. We may also cite metaphysical
bias and metaphysical ideas of Indian culture to have been responsible for the formulation of certain
types of hypotheses.

2 The theory of ecology is based on the observation of certain plants in certain geographical
conditions. As such, it remains in the domain of Botany. On the basis of that the hypothesis of human
ecology could be conceived.

look for evidence to support or refute the idea. However, in the context of scientific research, the
following stages can be suggested:
1. Preliminary research. First of all, a researcher indicates the subject of the research and states its goal by
asking a question he wants to receive an answer to and which will form a hypothesis. Afterwards in order
to get that answer and develop the hypothesis a research of existing resources is conducted in order to
collect facts which are related to the subject of the study and which should justify the possibility of a
hypothesis existence. So the first stage is mostly related to gathering of the facts on the basis of which a
hypothesis can be formulated.
2. Putting forward a working assumption. On this stage an assumption or a guess is made about the
investigated event. This guess is an answer to the question raised on the preliminary stage. On the one
hand, it is the result of the previous perception; on the other hand, it is the starting point for further
investigation of the event.
3. Developing of a hypothesis. This phase of the process requires careful analysis of the collected facts,
logic data processing and reflection through usage of a range of cognition methods. It is aimed at full
detailed investigation of the essence, reasons, relations of the event and drawing logical consequences.
4. Formulating a hypothesis. The result of the previous stage is the transformation of the initial working
assumption and forming of an original hypothesis.
5. Verification. During this stage hypothesis is tested on practice. As a result the hypothesis is either
confirmed (proved to be true) or refuted (proved to be false). Without this process of verification, the
researcher cannot conclude anything about the validity of the assumption. Thus a hypothesis is an
assertion of a relationship between two or more variables that could be proven to be false. A statement is
not a hypothesis if no conceivable test could show it to be false 3.

Statistical hypothesis testing

3 The statement Plants like sunshine is not a hypothesis; there is no way to test whether plants like
sunshine or not, so it is impossible to prove the statement false. The statement Increased solar
radiation increases the rate of plant growth is a hypothesis; experiments could be done to show the
relationship between solar radiation and plant growth. If solar radiation were shown to be unrelated to
plant growth or to retard plant growth, then the hypothesis would be demonstrated to be false.

When a possible correlation or similar relation between phenomena is investigated, such as whether a
proposed remedy is effective in treating a disease, the hypothesis that a relation exists cannot be examined
the same way one might examine a proposed new law of nature. In such an investigation, if the tested
remedy shows no effect in a few cases, these do not necessarily falsify the hypothesis. Instead, statistical
tests are used to determine how likely it is that the overall effect would be observed if the hypothesized
relation does not exist. If that likelihood is sufficiently small (e.g., less than 1%), the existence of a
relation may be assumed. Otherwise, any observed effect may be due to pure chance.
In statistical hypothesis testing, two hypotheses are compared. These are called the null hypothesis and
the alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the hypothesis that states that there is no relation
between the phenomena whose relation is under investigation, or at least not of the form given by the
alternative hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis, as the name suggests, is the alternative to the null
hypothesis: it states that there is some kind of relation. The alternative hypothesis may take several forms,
depending on the nature of the hypothesized relation; in particular, it can be two-sided (for example: there
is some effect, in a yet unknown direction) or one-sided (the direction of the hypothesized relation,
positive or negative, is fixed in advance).

According to Schick and Vaughn, researchers weighing up alternative hypotheses should take into
consideration:
-

Testability (compare falsifiability checking whether its true)

Scope the apparent application of the hypothesis to multiple cases of phenomena

Fruitfulness the prospect that a hypothesis may explain further phenomena in the future

Conservatism the degree of "fit" with existing recognized knowledge-systems.

Problem in formulation of hypothesis

According to Goode and Hatt these are three major possible difficulties in formulation of good
hypothesis:

1. Absence of knowledge of theoretical framework. Lack of knowledge and clarity of the theoretical

frame work of the area in which the investigator chooses to work.

2. Lack of ability to utilize, make use of the theoretical framework logically.
3. Investigators unawareness about available research techniques. Lack of acquaintance with available
research techniques results in failure of phrasing the hypothesis properly.
4. Vagueness of the statement

Functions and characteristics of a good hypothesis are linked with each other:
The Functions of a Hypothesis include:

A good Hypothesis is one which is incorporates

following characteristics to a large extent:

It transforms research questions into testable

is testable. There should be a way to collect data to

propositions.

support the hypothesis and examine it empirically.

It leads to discovery of additions to knowledge by

is consistent with the previous researches. It should

helping to confirm or disconfirm particular theories

be based on a sound rationale so that it would take

or propositions.

the previous research as a starting point and lead to

new research.

It determines the types of data needed for an

provides definitions for variables in operational and

inquiry and suggests the most appropriate

measurable terms.

instrument for data collection.

is stated briefly and clearly.

It suggests the most appropriate methods and tools

indicates the expected relationship or the difference

for the analysis of data. It provides the framework

between the two variables.

for drawing the conclusion of a research.

provides a reasonable explanation on the

hypothesized outcome of the research regarding the
occurrence of expected behaviors, phenomena, or
events.

Importance of Hypothesis:

1. It provides direction to research. It defines what is relevant and what is irrelevant. Thus it
prevents the review or irrelevant literature and the collection useless or excess data.

2. It sensitizes the investigator to certain aspects of situations which are relevant from the
stand point of the problem in hand. It spells the difference between precision and
haphazardness, between fruitful and fruitless research.
3. It. Is a guide to thinking process and the process of discovery. It is the investigators eye a
sort of guiding light in the world of darkness.
4. It focuses research with out it research would be like a random and aimless wandering.
5. It places clear and specific goals before researchers. These clear and specific goals
provide the investigator with a basis for selecting samples and research procedures to
meet these goals.