Understanding the Importance of Hypothesis
In this assignment, you will write a paper that analyzes a scenario and explains the purpose of hypotheses and research questions.
Step 1: Read the following scenario.
You are a nurse on 5 West who has concerns about visiting hours in the Critical Care Unit. The unit currently has a visiting-hours policy that allows patients to rest and the staff to provide care in an environment that protects patient privacy and modesty. However, many nurses now feel that family presence improves patient outcomes. You and other nurses on your unit have noted that vital signs are improved and patients are more responsive when family is present. You are considering whether to use a quantitative or qualitative study to research this topic.
Step 2: Consider the following questions:
What is the purpose of hypotheses and research questions?
Why is it important to develop workable hypotheses and research questions in conducting research?
What type of research—qualitative or quantitative—would be most conducive to the scenario in Step 1? Why?
Which would be more appropriate given the scenario in Step 1: the development of a hypothesis or a research question or both? Why?
Step 3: Write a two-page paper.
Write a paper that describes the purpose of hypotheses and research questions. Articulate the importance of developing workable hypotheses and research questions in conducting research. Based on the provided scenario, describe whether a qualitative or quantitative research study would be most appropriate and why. Explain whether, and why, you would develop a hypothesis or a central research question for this scenario.
Construct your paper and cite any sources in APA format.
Importance of Hypothesis
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Hypotheses serve as a guide to formulate a rational prediction of certain events before researching to have an empirical confirmation of the educational guess. These are provisional or speculative theories that are testable by scientific investigation, which are done to understand the relationship between variables (Adhikari, 2020). Moreover, these are generalizations or creative ideas that require validation (Tahir, n.d.). This paper shall elaborate the importance of hypothesis formulation and testing and decide the type of research based on the hypothesis and research question.
A hypothesis has several functions in research. This allows the investigators to formulate a quick answer to issues before finding the truth through empirical investigation. Hence, it permits one to have a starting point. It provides a purpose from which the investigator can find the variables that apply to the study, eradicating the unimportant parts, allowing the researcher to have a realistic approach in solving the problem and collect pieces of evidence that are associated with the subject for future verifications (Tahir, n.d.).
It is crucial to formulate a hypothesis before beginning an investigation due to the following: 1) It acts as an eye for the researcher to generate generalizations.; 2) It emphasizes the essential aspects, preventing the research from being out of track.; 3) It guides the investigator by providing precise objectives.; 4) It functions as a key in correlating many ideas into a conglomerated concept.; 5) It precludes the gathering of irrelevant information, preventing a blind approach (Tahir, n.d.).
A research question and hypothesis work hand-in-hand when it comes to scientific investigations. An excellent research question is required to strategize a methodology that is necessary to conduct research. This process assists the researcher in formulating his hypothesis. A good research question defines and explains the problem statement, elaborates and cultivates the problems within the study, highlights the study's main objectives, directs data gathering and analysis, and arranges the context of the investigation. To fulfill their role in research, the research question and hypothesis must have the following qualities for these to become workable and usable: attractive, ethical, feasible, novel, manageable, relevant, potential value, appropriate, systematic, and publishable. These characteristics make a research question and hypothesis asset...