From Research Idea to Hypothesis

3.1 Initial Research Question

You have decided to undertake some research for your business, which means the first thing to do is decide on your research idea or topic. To identify your research aim, or topic you should have gone to the literature that relates to your area of interest and identified any gaps that exist. A good quality topic (idea) should relate to theory, you need to be able to concisely define the idea, it should be achievable within your time limit, the data should be easy to collect, and it should be original, a new theory, or new approach (Samuels, 2023).

There are 3 categories of research where each uses different types of research questions and research design (Rose et al., 2024).

1. Descriptive/exploratory research uses ‘what’ questions. For example:

a. What is the attitude of HR employees to the new payroll system?

b. What are consumers saying about our new product on Facebook?

2. Explanatory research uses ‘why’ questions. For example:

a. Why do people get involved in the State Emergency Services (SES)?

b. Why do some company mergers fail?

3. Process research uses ‘how’ questions. For example:

a. How do consumers select an insurance provider online?

3.2 Aims

A research aim is a brief statement of the main goal or purpose of the research project (Thomas & Hodges, 2010). For example, the aim of this study is to investigate motivations associated with volunteering with State Emergency Services (SES).

After you have developed your initial research question (3.1 above) you move to developing your research aim. For example:

• The aim of this study is to explore the impact of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in the waters off Cooktown, Queensland.
• The aim of this study is to explore the impact of procrastination on university students’ assessment scores.

3.3 Objectives or Questions

Research objectives are framed as a statement and provide further detail on the research topic/problem the researcher(s) are investigating. This builds on the theme from the research aim(s). Often this results in two, or three research objectives (Thomas & Hodges, 2010).

Research objectives relating to the above research aims:

Example 1:

• This research examines the effect of rising temperatures on the GBR in the waters off Cooktown over the last 10 years.
• This research assesses changes in cyclone patterns across the Far Northern region of the GBR over the last 10 years.
• This research assesses the impact of changing weather patterns on the bleaching of coral across the Far Northern region of the GBR over the last 10 years.

Example 2:

• This research compares the assessment scores of university students who identify as procrastinators with those who do not.
• This research investigates the relationship between procrastination and assessment scores.
• This study surveys student perceptions of how their level of procrastination affects their assessment scores.

Research question(s):
The key issue(s)/problem(s) that are the focus of the study are stated in the form of a question or questions to assist in answering the research aim. For example:

• How have rising temperatures affected the big potato cod at the Cod Hole on the GBR off Cooktown?
• To what extent has coral bleaching occurred on the reefs off Cooktown over the last 10 years?

3.4 Hypothesis

As you have already undertaken a critical review of the existing literature, you have a grounded view of your topic/problem area. Therefore, your hypothesis is your educated guess as to what your research answer is going to be (Mewburn, 2017). There are a variety of ways to write hypotheses statements as shown in the following sections.

If-Then Statements

A hypothesis can be used to test if there are differences between or among two or more groups in relation to one or more variables (Sekaran & Bougie, 2013). When testing whether or not a relationship exists, you can write the hypothesis as follows:

1. A proposition – Employees who are healthier are going to take less sick leave.
2. If-then statement – If employees are healthier, then they are going to take less sick leave.

Directional and Non-Directional Statements

Directional statements provide the direction of the relationship or difference between two variables.

Non-directional statements (AKA two-tailed) predict there is a relationship or difference between two variables, however, the direction of the relationship is not specified (McLeod, 2023). For example: There is a difference in procrastination levels between project management students and economic students.

The Null and Alternative Hypothesis

When your analysis shows the alternative is correct (reject the null) you say, for example:

• We accept there is a relationship between drinking iced coffee and eating Caramello Koalas, therefore we reject the null.

When your analysis shows the null is true (you retain the null) you say, for example:

• Analysis indicates there is no relationship between drinking iced coffee and eating Caramello Koalas, therefore we retain the null.

P-value  (for another explanation go to: What are p-values??

• The p-value is the probability of the test results being the result of your hypothesis, and not just random luck.
• The p-value assumes that the null is true for the population, and that any difference in the sample is caused by random chance.
• A low p-value indicates your data results are unlikely assuming a true null hypothesis; therefore we reject the null hypothesis.
• A high p-value indicates your data results are likely assuming a true null hypothesis; therefore, we fail to reject the null hypothesis.

How low?

• Criteria for testing the null hypothesis is alpha (α) and is generally set at 0.05 (5%).
• When p < 0.05, you would expect to only find a test statistic as extreme as that calculated by your test only 5% of the time assuming a true null hypothesis, therefore we reject the null hypothesis.
• When p > 0.05, you would expect to find a test statistic as extreme as that calculated by your test more than 5% of the time assuming a true null hypothesis, therefore we retain the null hypothesis.
• However, retaining the null hypothesis does not mean you accept that the null hypothesis is true, it means that the sample data results are insufficient to conclude the effect exists in the population.
• In general, when writing up results the correct terminology is to say we “fail to reject the null hypothesis” (Price et al., 2015).

References

Hitchcock, J. H., & Onwuebuzie, A. J. (2022). The Routledge handbook for advancing integration in mixed methods research. Routledge.

McLeod, S. (2023, December 13). Research hypothesis in psychology: Types and examples. https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-a-hypotheses.html

Mewburn, I. (2017, November 15). Your thesis is a map, not the journey. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2017/11/15/8565/

Price, P. C., Jhangiani, R., & Chiang, I. A. (2015). Research methods in psychology – 2nd Canadian Edition. BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/researchmethods/chapter/understanding-null-hypothesis-testing/

Rose, S., Spinks, N., & Canhoto, A. I. (2024). Management research: Applying the principles of business research methods. Routledge.

Samuels, P. (2023). Proposal writing for business research projects. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003285137

Sekeran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (6th ed.). Wiley.

Thomas, D. R., & Hodges, I. D. (2010). Designing and planning your research project: Core skills for social and health research. SAGE Publications.