Composing Hypotheses

Hypotheses must be aligned to research questions, but unlike research questions, will have a “yes or no” answer in that either the null hypothesis will be rejected, or it will fail to be rejected. Hypotheses should be in the following format: H0: No statistically significant difference exists between… H1: A statistically significant difference exists between... Formatting hypotheses correctly is important to establish a strong research design. As an original response, compose null and alternate hypotheses for your proposed research questions. Then, answer the following questions: Did you find it challenging translating your research questions and current design into testable hypotheses? Why or why not? What calculations and values will you look for to determine whether your null hypothesis can or cannot be rejected? What is the confidence interval for your statistical test? Information which includes the research question Planning for Quantitative Research Standardized test scores are crucial in present-day education classrooms and school management. They assess the student’s performance in the core subjects including Science, English, Social Studies, and Mathematics compared to other students in the same grade level and age level. Through analysis of the 2 years archival data, this research looks at the basic factors contributing to the decline in standardized test scores for students in grades 7-12 in the urban school district. Hypothetical Problem: The problem is that standardized test scores in the core subjects have declined among the grade 7-12 students in the urban school district over the two years. The standardized test scores clearly indicate the students' academic performance and subsequent school performance (Finn et al., 2014); hence, monitoring the test's trends is essential. A declining trend in standardized scores may result from issues in the school, students’ perceptions, parents’ involvement, teachers’ actions in classrooms, and other underlying concerns (Banerjee & Lamb, 2016). The researcher collects standardized test score data to identify the consistency of the test score trends, assess the impact of underlying factors, provide data-driven insights, and design interventions to help the overall performance of the grades 7-12 students in the core subjects. The researcher is motivated by external factors such as standardized testing and state education policy, socioeconomic challenges, insufficient resource allocation, ineffective teaching methods, and lack of student motivation to perform this kind of research. Problem Statement: The purpose is to investigate the decline in standardized test scores among grade students in the urban school district over the past two years. Since academic opportunity and financial resources influence academic performance (Hung et al., 2020), the study aims to investigate how resource allocation will influence test score trends. For instance, communities with high resources can create barriers for minority students and may impact their performance in standardized test scores. The scenario analysis will provide valuable insights into areas where resource allocation and reallocation will boost the students' performance in the urban school district. In addition, the research will examine how policy changes affect standardized test scores in the school. In the United States, targeted policies have been enacted to address inequality in educational opportunities (Hung et al., 2020). The findings from the analysis of the scenario archival data will influence policymakers’ adjustments for educational quality and equality in the urban school district. Similarly, structural inequalities, socioeconomic status, race, and gender may influence students' performance in standardized test scores (Hung et al., 2020). Therefore, the quantitative research aims to identify the implications of these socioeconomic challenges. The results from the investigation will guide the development of targeted interventions to address each student's needs. These focused interventions promote equality in the education system and favorable performance in test scores. Research Questions The study will inspect the standardized test scores archival data of students in grades 7-12 in the urban school district to scrutinize the factors aiding the declining test scores. The research questions inspire the researcher to find the main factors influencing the performance in the standardized test scores and grasp how school resources, teaching methods and interventions, socioeconomic status, and educational policy correlate. This research seeks to provide valuable insights by answering these research questions. 1. What are the main factors causing the decline of standardized test scores in core subjects for grades 7-12 students in the urban school district? 2. How do teaching methods, school resources, socioeconomic status, and current policies correlate with standardized test scores in core subjects for urban school grades 7-12 students? The research aims to inform interventions and policy adjustments that promote students' academic performance. The insight gained from the analysis of archival data will contribute to the development of educational research and guide future efforts to boost grade 7-12 students’ performance in the core subjects. The findings from the research will equip stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and policymakers to address the issues facing the performance in core subjects in the district.