Steps of the research report

                                                                                                       

I.Preliminary section

1. Title page
2. Declaration
3. Certificate
4. Acknowledgement
5. Abbreviations used
6. Contents
7. List of Tables
8. List of Figures
9. List of Appendices

II. Main Body of the Report

1. Introduction

a.       Statement of the problem

b.      Significance of the problem

c.       Delimitations of the problem

d.      Definition and explanation of important terms

e.       Objectives of study

f.     The hypothesis of the study

2. Review of the Literature and related studies
3. Methodology

      a    Method of study

                  b    Samples

                  c    Designs and procedures used

                   d    Collection of data

                   e    Tools and techniques of data collection

                   f     Measures adopted for calculation

4. Result and Analysis of data

a.       Analysis and Interpretation of data  

b.      Inferences drawn from the results

5. Summary, Suggestion and Conclusion

a.       Main findings &conclusions

b.      Suggestions

III. Reference section

1.      Bibliography

2.      Appendix

 

                                             Hypothesis

                A hypothesis is a tool of quantitative studies. It is a tentative and formal prediction about the relationship between two or more variables in the population being studied, and the hypothesis translates the research question into a prediction of expected outcomes. A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of the study. This usually involves proposing a possible relationship between two variables: the independent variable (what the researcher changes) and the dependent variable (what the research measures). The research hypothesis is a predictive statement, capable of being tested by scientific methods, that relates an independent variable to some dependent variable.

         A hypothesis is a statement about the relationship between two or more variables that we set out to prove or disprove in our research.

        To be complete the hypothesis must include three components:  

The variables  

The population   

The relationship between the variables

 Hypothesis testing will result in either accepting the hypothesis or in rejecting it. If the researcher had no hypotheses to start with, generalizations established on the basis of data may be stated as hypotheses to be tested by subsequent researches in times to come. Hypothesis testing enables us to make probability statements about the population parameter.

Functions of hypothesis

1. Development of theory
2. Suggest new experiments and observations

Characteristics of Hypothesis

1. It should be clear and precise
2. It should be capable of being tested
3. It should state the relationship between variables if it happens to be a relational hypothesis
4. It should be limited in scope and must be specific.
5. It should be stated as far as possible in the most simple terms so that the same is easily understandable by all concerned.
6. It should be amenable to testing within a reasonable time.

Examples of a hypothesis are:

• Health Education programmes influence the number of people who smoke.
• Newspapers affect people's voting pattern.
• Attendance at lectures influences exam marks.
• Diet influences intelligence.

Basic concepts of testing hypothesis

Null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis

Null hypothesis—no differences

      If we are to compare method A with the method B about its superiority and if we proceed on the assumption that both methods are equally good, then this assumption is termed as null hypothesis (H₀). There is no relationship between the dependent and independent variable.

      The method A is superior or method B is inferior, we are then stating what is termed as an alternative hypothesis (H_a). Firstly many hypotheses are selected then among them select one which is more workable and most efficient.

Statistical hypothesis

A hypothesis which can be verified statistically called statistical hypothesis. The statement would be logical or illogical but if statistic verifies it, it will be statistical hypothesis

     A null hypothesis represents the hypothesis we are trying to reject and alternative hypothesis represents all other possibilities.

One-tailed or two-tailed Hypothesis

A one-tailed directional hypothesis predicts the nature of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

E.g.: Adults will correctly recall more words than children.

A two-tailed non-directional hypothesis predicts that the independent variable will have an effect on the dependent variable, but the direction of the effect is not specified.

E.g.: There will be a difference in how many numbers are correctly recalled by children and adults.

Other types of the hypothesis are

Question form hypothesis – hypothesis in the form of a question

Predictive form hypothesis – hypothesis in the form of a prediction.

Statement form hypothesis- hypothesis in the form of a statement

Testing hypothesis

 There are basically two phases in the testing of hypothesis.

Phase1- We design the test and set up the conditions under which we shall reject the null hypothesis

Phase 11- We use the test based on the sample evidence and draw our conclusion as to whether the null hypothesis can be rejected