STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS/ HYPOTHESIS / OBJECTIVES BY AMUGUNE B.K MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOP MAANZONI, 14 TH OCTOBER 2014

Proposal anatomy Metaphor: research question/ hypothesis is the spine upon which everything in the research depends on Brain- literature review, Discussion Spine- research question/ hypothesis Arms- Rationale Legs- methods, results Without research question/ hypothesis everything crumbles!

research questions/ hypothesis All research questions/ hypothesis should be developed at the beginning and planning stage of study. Directs inquiry in both directions: past- literature review; future-research. Always separated from the main body of text

Hypothesis The hypotheses (plural) are the unproven statements (propositions) that you will test. It is a tentative statement predicting a particular relationship between two or more variables. Addresses specific questions you intend to answer, or problems you will solve.

……. This hypothesis should not be confused with the statistical null / alternative hypothesis. Statistical null / alternative hypothesis is used in hypothesis testing to make an inference about the population of interest on basis of a random sample taken from the population.

Hypothesis or research question? Not all studies will require hypotheses. For example, exploratory or phenomenological research, may not have any hypotheses

………. If you want to know whether or not the study requires a hypothesis, ask yourself these questions: – Are you undertaking a quantitative study? – Does your study take an experimental approach to answer questions? – Are you making a prediction about the phenomenon being studied?

……. If answer to these questions is 'YES', then a hypothesis is needed, but if it is ‘NO' then a research question ( study question) will be required. This is because a hypothesis is a statement that is tested by experiment(s) to confirm or deny the phenomenon.

…… The hypothesis statement needs to be stated explicitly and must be written so that it does not read as a conclusion – for example, – 'The levels of pain experienced at site of vaccination for children undergoing a subcutaneous injection is reduced when the mother is present.'

Hypothesis Hypothesis either one tailed or two tailed One tailed-prediction of specific nature of relationship e.g Male preteens are more exposed to alcohol than female preteens. Two tailed- prediction of relationship without specifying nature of relationship e.g ‘Male and female preteens are differently exposed to alcohol’

Research Questions Gives what one is researching in the question format. These questions will guide the research. It is helpful to prioritize one or two main questions, from which you can then derive a number of secondary research questions.

Good question Important features of the question or problem should be: about one issue; clear and concise; addresses an important, controversial and/or an unresolved issue feasible to undertake within a specified timeframe adequately resourced.

……. Type of variable important when constructing questions / hypothesis e.g nominal independent variable vs – ‘ Do male and female students differ in their use of substances of abuse ? ‘ Ordered ( e.g measured using Likert scale)independent variable - ‘ Is there a relationship between frequency of GBV and HAART adherence among GBV survivors ?’

Hypothesis Many hypotheses initially start as a question which is then 'turned on its head' to become a statement - for example, the hypothesis above may have originally been written as a question, – i.e. 'Are the levels of pain experienced at site of vaccination for children undergoing a subcutaneous injection reduced when the mother is present? ‘

COMPARISON RESEARCH QUESTION Used in exploratory research/ new areas of enquiry may not be so specific due to lack of research on topic of interest Less knowledge/ prior research to draw on in making predictions about possible relationship between variables HYPOTHESIS Formal statement predicting an outcome of the relationship between 2 or more variables Very specific as based on previous empirical research

Examples- Research questions What is the effect of _________on________? What is the effect of ______versus_ on __? What is the relationship between ___ and ___? Does ___ have a significant effect on__? Is there a significant correlation between ___ and ____

Examples- Hypothesis ___ produces a significant increases in ____ __correlates significantly/positively/negatively with_____ As ______ increases/ decreases ____ increases/ decreases

STUDY OBJECTIVES Describes what you will do to determine whether the study hypotheses are true or research questions have been answered

Broad Objective Sometimes, may be referred to as the ‘general objective’ It is linked to the primary research problem and gives the bigger picture, aim or goal of the study. An active statement about how the study is going to answer the specific research question or prove hypothesis

example This study will assess the water wholesomeness of bottled water brands in selected outlets in Nairobi

Specific Objectives Should be presented as concise statements linked to the secondary research problems. describe what you will do to determine whether your hypotheses are true/ accomplished or RQs will be answered by your research activities. These are the achievable, outcome-based specific aims of the research May also be accompanied by secondary objectives

Specific objectives -example To determine bacterial and fungal loads in sampled water brands To assess the levels of heavy metal contaminants in the selected water brands. NOTE - USE OF RIGHT ACTION VERBS CRUCIAL

Secondary objectives To isolate and characterize bacterial and fungal contaminants in sampled water To perform antibiotic susceptibility tests on isolated pathogens

SMART objectives SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ATTAINABLE REALISTIC TIMEBOUND

END …………… THANK YOU