UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES

PROJECT REPORT ON HYPOTHESIS

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

MS. ANUPAM BAHRI MAMTA

MR. DEEPAK THAKUR 2071

UILS ,PU LL.M. (2 yr)

CHANDIGARH Ist Semester

1
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Success is a blend of multiple efforts. The final import of this project is also a result of the sheer
hard work and constant support of many people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all
of them.

To begin with, I would like to express my humble gratitude to my teachers, Ms. Anupam Bhari
and Mr. Deepak Thakur for their able guidance and mentoring. The meticulous manner in which
they teaches has paid significantly in the completion of this project.

Secondly, I would like to thank my department, University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab
University, Chandigarh, for providing such an expansive library which provided me all the
relevant material required for this project.

Last but not the least, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my parents and my
friends who have constantly supported and motivated me throughout this project.

MAMTA

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................4
DEFINITION OF HYPOTHESIS...................................................................................................4
NATURE OF HYPOTHESIS..........................................................................................................5
Importance of Hypothesis:...............................................................................................................5
SOURCES OF HYPOTHESIS:.......................................................................................................7
UNDERSTANDING TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS:.........................................................................7
Variable:..........................................................................................................................................8
Independent Variables:....................................................................................................................8
Dependant Variables:.......................................................................................................................9
Research Hypothesis & Types:......................................................................................................10
FORMULATING A HYPOTHESIS:............................................................................................12
Characteristics of A Good Hypothesis:.........................................................................................13
Hypothesis Testing:.......................................................................................................................13
Errors in Testing of Hypothesis:....................................................................................................15
BIBLIOGRAPHY:........................................................................................................................17

3
INTRODUCTION:

Hypothesis is usually considered as an important mechanism in Research. Hypothesis is a

tentative assumption made in order to test its logical or empirical consequences. If we go by the
origin of the word, it is derived from the Greek word- ‘hypotithenai’ meaning ‘to put under’ or to
‘to suppose’. Etymologically hypothesis is made up of two words, “hypo” and “thesis” which
means less than or less certain than a thesis. It is a presumptive statement of a proposition or a
reasonable guess, based upon the available evidence, which the researcher seeks to prove
through his study. A hypothesis will give a plausible explanation that will be tested. A
hypothesis may seem contrary to the real situation. It may prove to be correct or incorrect.
Hypothesis need to be clear and precise and capable of being tested. It is to be limited in scope
and consistent with known or established facts and should be amenable to testing within the
stipulated time. It needs to explain what it claims to explain and should have empirical reference.

DEFINITION OF HYPOTHESIS

“A hypothesis can be defined as a tentative explanation of the research problem, a possible

outcome of the research, or an educated guess about the research outcome”. Goode and Hatt
have defined it as “a proposition which can be put to test to determine its validity”. 1 “Hypothesis
is single tentative guesses, good hunches – assumed for use in devising theory or planning
experiments intended to be given a direct experimental test when possible”. 2 According to
Lundberg, “A hypothesis is a tentative generalization, the validity of which remains to be tested.
In its most elementary stage, the hypothesis may be any hunch, guess, imaginative idea, which
becomes the basis for action or investigation”.

1
Sarantakos, S. 1998 (first published in 1993). Social Research. Macmillan: London
2
Goode, W.J. & P.F. Hatt, 1971.Methods in Social Research, McGraw-Hill.

4
 Hence, a hypothesis is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, assertion or an idea about a phenomenon,
relationship or situation, the reality or truth of which you do not know. A researcher calls these
assumptions/ hunches hypotheses and they become the basis of an enquiry. In most studies the
hypothesis will be based upon your own or someone else’s observation. Hypothesis brings
clarity, specificity and focus to a research problem, but is not essential for a study. You can
conduct a valid investigation without constructing formal hypothesis. The formulation of
hypothesis provides a study with focus. It tells you what specific aspects of a research problem to
investigate. A hypothesis tells you what data to collect and what not to collect, thereby providing
focus to the study. As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis enhances objectivity in
a study. A hypothesis may enable you to add to the formulation of a theory. It enables you to
specifically conclude what is true or what is false. 3 Lundberg observes, quite often a research
hypothesis is a predictive statement, capable of being tested by scientific methods, that relates an
independent variable to some dependent variable.

NATURE OF HYPOTHESIS

The hypothesis is a clear statement of what is intended to be investigated. It should be specified

before research is conducted and openly stated in reporting the results. This allows to:

✓ Identify the research objectives.

✓ Identify the key abstract concepts involved in the research.

✓ Identify its relationship to both the problem statement and the literature review.

✓ A problem cannot be scientifically solved unless it is reduced to hypothesis form.

✓ It is a powerful tool of advancement of knowledge, consistent with existing knowledge and

conducive to further enquiry.

✓ It can be tested – verifiable or falsifiable.

3
Social research : a study in methods of gathering data. Longmans, Green and Co., 1929. Reprinted 1942 and 1953.
2nd ed., Greenwood Press, 1968.

5
✓ Hypotheses are not moral or ethical questions.

✓ It is neither too specific nor to general.

✓ It is a prediction of consequences.

✓ It is considered valuable even if proven false.

Importance of Hypothesis:

Hypothesis though an important part of research may not be required in all types of research.
The research which are based on fact finding (historical or descriptive research) do not need
hypothesis. Hillway also says that “When fact-finding alone is the aim of the study, a hypothesis
is not required”.4 Whenever possible, a hypothesis is recommended for all major studies to
explain observed facts, conditions or behavior and to serve as a guide in the research process.

✓ Hypothesis facilitates the extension of knowledge in an area. They provide tentative

explanations of facts and phenomena, and can be tested and validated. It sensitizes the
investigator to certain aspects of the situations which are relevant from the standpoint of the
problem in hand.

✓ Hypothesis provide the researcher with rational statements, consisting of elements expressed
in a logical order of relationships which seeks to describe or to explain conditions or events, that
have yet not been confirmed by facts. The hypothesis enables the researcher to relate logically
known facts to intelligent guesses about unknown conditions. It is a guide to the thinking process
and the process of discovery.

✓ Hypothesis provides direction to the research. It defines what is relevant and what is
irrelevant. The hypothesis tells the researcher what he needs to do and find out in his study. Thus
it prevents the review of irrelevant literature and provides a basis for selecting the sample and the
research procedure to be used in the study.
4
Hillway, Tyrus. 1964. Introduction to Research, Hughton Muffin, Boston.

6
✓ Hypothesis implies the statistical techniques needed in the analysis of data, and the
relationship between the variables to be tested. It also helps to delimit his study in scope so that it
does not become broad or unwieldy.

✓ Hypothesis provides the basis for reporting the conclusion of the study. It serves as a
framework for drawing conclusions. In other word, we can say that it provides the outline for
setting conclusions in a meaningful way.

✓ So, Hypothesis has a very important place in research although it occupies a very small place
in the body of a thesis.

SOURCES OF HYPOTHESIS:
Sources of Hypothesis: A good hypothesis can only be derived from experience in research.
Though hypothesis should precede the collection of data, but some degree of data collection,
literature review or a pilot study will help in the development and gradual refinement of the
hypothesis. A researcher should have quality of an alert mind to derive a hypothesis and quality
of critical mind of rejecting faulty hypothesis. The following sources can help the researcher in
coming up with a good hypothesis:

✓ Review of literature.

✓ Discussion with the experts in the given field to understand the problem, its origin and
objectives in seeking a solution.

✓ Intuition of the researcher also sometimes helps in forming a good hypothesis.

✓ Previous empirical studies done on the given area.

UNDERSTANDING TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS:

7
Research Problems are too general by themselves to enable us to carryout meaningful analysis.
They need to be specified in a more focused way. Hypotheses are specific statements that relate
to the problem, the answers to which are likely to be yes or no, depending upon what is
uncovered from the research. Examples of Hypothesis can be:

✓ Suicide is related to general level of religiosity/secularization of society.

✓ Alienation and political participation are negatively related.

Such statements specify links between different phenomena, in order to explain different patterns
of behavior that appear to occur. However, such patterns of association do not necessarily
demonstrate that a causal relationship exists. We cannot for an instance say, ‘socio-economic
deprivation causes suicide.’ If that was the case, then all those in Britain defined by various
yardsticks as living in a state of relative poverty would inevitably commit suicide. This is very
unlikely to happen.

Variable:
So, to understand the types of hypothesis, we need to understand the concept of variables first.
The variables are empirical properties that take two or more values or in other words a variable is
any entity that can take on different values. In simple terms, anything that can vary or that is not
constant can be considered a variable. For instance, age can be considered a variable because age
can take different values for different people or for the same person at different times. Similarly,
country can be considered a variable because a person’s country can be assigned a value.

A variable is a concept or abstract idea that can be described in measurable terms. In research,
this term refers to the measurable characteristics, qualities, traits, or attributes of a particular
individual, object or situation being studied. Variables differ in many respects, most notably in
the role they are given in our research and in the type of measures that can be applied to them.

The statement of problem usually provides only general direction for the research study. It does
not include all the specific information. There is some basic terminology that is extremely

8
important in how we communicate specific information about research problems and research in
general. So, weight, height, income are all examples of variables.

In Research, there is a need to make a distinction between various kinds of variables. There are
many classifications given for variables. We will try to understand only the Dependent Variable
and Independent Variable.

Independent Variables:

The variables which are manipulated or controlled or changed. These are also known as
manipulated variables. Researchers often mistake independent variable and assume that it is
independent of any manipulation. It is called independent because variable is isolated from any
other factor. In research, we try to determine whether there is a cause and effect relationship. In
fact, when you are looking for some kind of relationship between variables you are trying to see
if the independent variable causes some kind of change in the other variables, or dependent
variables.

Dependant Variables:

9
 Dependent variables are the outcome variables and are the variables for which we calculate
statistics. The variable which changes on account of independent variable is known as dependent
variable. It is something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score could be a
dependent variable because it could change depending on several factors such as how much you
studied, how much sleep you got the night before you took the test, or even how hungry you
were when you took it. Usually when you are looking for a relationship between two things you
are trying to find out what makes the dependent variable change the way it does.

As we have discussed that a variable is an image, perception or concept that can be measured,
hence capable of taking on different values. The variables that you wish to explain are regarded
as dependant variables or criterion variables. The other variable expected to explain the change
in the dependant variable is referred to as an independent variable or predictor variable. The
dependant variable is the expected outcome of the independent variable and independent variable
produce dependant variables.

Variables can have three types of relationships among them.

✓ A positive relationship is one where an increase in one would lead to increase in the other.

✓ A negative relationship is one where an increase in one variable lead to decrease in the other.

✓ A zero relationship is one which shows no significant relationship between the two variables.

✓ Once we have understood variables, we can discuss the various types of hypothesis.

Research Hypothesis & Types:

10
 The Research Hypothesis could be understood in terms of Simple Research hypothesis and
Complex Research Hypothesis. A simple research hypothesis predicts the relationship between a
single independent variable and a single dependent variable. A Complex hypothesis predicts the
relationship between two or more independent variables and two or more dependent variables. A
research hypothesis must be stated in a testable form for its proper evaluation and it should
indicate a relationship between variables in clear, concise and understandable language.
Research Hypothesis are classified as being directional or non-directional.

✓ Directional Hypothesis: These are usually derived from theory. They may imply that the
researcher is intellectually committed to a particular outcome. They specify the expected
direction of the relationship between variables i.e. the researcher predicts not only the existence
of a relationship but also its nature.

✓ Non-directional Hypothesis: Used when there is little or no theory, or when findings of

previous studies are contradictory. They may imply impartiality. Do not stipulate the direction of
the relationship.

Associative and causal Hypothesis:

✓Associative Hypothesis: Propose relationships between variables - when one variable

changes, the other changes. Do not indicate cause and effect.

✓ Causal Hypothesis: Propose a cause and effect interaction between two or more variables.
The independent variable is manipulated to cause effect on the dependent variable. The
dependent variable is measured to examine the effect created by the independent variable

Statistical Hypothesis:
Statistical Hypothesis: To test whether the data support or refute the research hypothesis, it
needs to be translated into a statistical hypothesis. It is given in statistical terms. In the context of
inferential statistics, it is statement about one or more parameters that are measures of the

11
population under study. Inferential statistics is used for drawing conclusions about population
values. To use inferential statistics, we need to translate the research hypothesis into a testable
form, which is called the null hypothesis. A testable hypothesis contains variables that are
measurable or able to be manipulated. They need to predict a relationship that can be 'supported'
or 'not supported' based on data collection and analysis.

❖Null Hypothesis: These are used when the researcher believes there is no relationship
between two variables or when there is inadequate theoretical or empirical information to state a
research hypothesis. The null hypothesis represents a theory that has been put forward, either
because it is believed to be true or because it is to be used as a basis for argument, but has not
been proved. Has serious outcome if incorrect decision is made. Designated by: Ho or Hn.

Null hypotheses can be:

✓ simple or complex

✓ associative or causal

❖ The Alternative Hypothesis: The alternative hypothesis is a statement of what a hypothesis

test is set up to establish. Designated by: H1 or Ha. It is opposite of Null Hypothesis. It is only
reached if Ha is rejected. Frequently “alternative” is actual desired conclusion of the researcher.

We give special consideration to the null hypothesis. This is due to the fact that the null
hypothesis relates to the statement being tested, whereas the alternative hypothesis relates to the
statement to be accepted if when the null is rejected. The final conclusion, once the test has been
carried out, is always given in terms of the null hypothesis. We either 'reject Ho in favour of Ha'
or 'do not reject Ho'; we never conclude 'reject Ha', or even 'accept Ha'. If we conclude 'do not
reject Ho', this does not necessarily mean that the null hypothesis is true, it only suggests that
there is not sufficient evidence against Ho in favour of Ha; rejecting the null hypothesis then,
suggests that the alternative hypothesis may be true. For example:

12
Ha= the males visited cinema more than females.

Ho= the males and females do not differ in respect of the frequency of seeing cinema. So,

Alternative hypothesis is usually the one which one wishes to prove and the Null hypothesis is
the one which one wishes to disapprove.

FORMULATING A HYPOTHESIS:

There are no precise rules for formulating hypothesis and deducing consequences but there are
some difficulties that arise in formulating the hypothesis. However, there are certain necessary
conditions that are conducive to their formulation. They are:

Richness of background knowledge: In the absence of knowledge concerning a subject matter,

one can make no well founded judgment of relevant hypothesis. Background knowledge is
essential for perceiving relationships among the variables and to determine what findings other
researchers have reported on the problem under study. New knowledge, new discoveries and
new inventions should always form continuity with the already existing corpus of knowledge and
therefore it becomes all the more essential to be well versed with the already existing knowledge

Hypothesis can be formulated correctly by persons who have rich experience and academic
background, but they can never be formulated by those who have poor background knowledge.

Logical and Scientific approach: Formulation of proper hypothesis depends on one’s

experience and logical insight. Hypothesis does not have a clear cut and definite theoretical
background. Partly, it is a matter of lifting upon an idea on some problem and it is not always
possible to have complete information of, and acquaintance with the scientific methods for
formulating hypothesis. This lack of scientific knowledge presents difficulty in formulation of

13
hypothesis. A researcher may begin a study by selecting one of the theories in his own area of
interest and deduce a hypothesis from this theory through logic which is possible only when the
researcher has a proper understanding of the scientific method and has a versatile intellect. At
times, conversations and consultations with colleagues and experts from different fields are also
helpful in formulating important and useful hypothesis.

Characteristics of A Good Hypothesis:

Hulley says a good hypothesis must be based on a good research question. It should be simple,
specific and stated in advance.5 So, a hypothesis could be called as a good hypothesis if it
possesses the following characteristics:

✓ Hypothesis should be simple so that it is easily understood by everyone.

✓ Hypothesis should be clear, specific and precise. If the hypothesis is not clear and precise, the
inferences drawn on its basis cannot be taken as reliable.

✓ Hypothesis should be capable of being tested.

✓ Hypothesis should state relationship between variables.

✓ Hypothesis should be consistent with most known facts. i.e. it must be consistent with a
substantial body of established facts.

✓ The hypothesis must explain the facts that gave rise to the need for explanation. It must
actually explain what it claims to explain.

Hypothesis Testing:

5
Cummings SR, Browner WS, Hulley S.B. Conceiving the research question. In: Designing clinical research.
Hulley SB, Cummings S.R., Browner WS, Grady D, Hearst N, Newman TB, eds. 2001. Lipincott Willians &
Wilkins, Philadelphia.

14
When the purpose of the research is to test a research hypothesis, it is termed as hypothesis
testing research. It can be of experimental design or the non-experimental design. Research in
which the independent variable is manipulated is termed ‘experimental hypothesis-testing
research’ and a research in which an independent variable is not manipulated is called ‘non
experimental hypothesis testing research. As we have discussed the Null hypothesis (Ho) and
Alternative Hypothesis (Ha) earlier so while testing hypothesis we generally proceed on the basis
of Null hypothesis (Ho), keeping the Alternative hypothesis in view. We do so because on the
assumption that Null hypothesis is true, one can assign the probabilities to different possible
sample results, but this cannot be done if we proceed with the Alternative hypothesis. Hence the
use of null Hypothesis is quite frequent. While testing the Hypothesis the following things to be
kept in mind:

✓Level of significance: This is a very important concept in the context of hypothesis testing. It
is always some percentage (usually 5%) which should be chosen with great care, thought and
reason. In case we take the significance level at 5%, then this implies that Ho will be rejected
when the sampling result (i.e observed evidence) has a less than 0.05 probability of occurring if
Ho is true. In other words, the 5% level of significance means that researcher is willing to take as
much as a 5% risk of rejecting the Null hypothesis when it happens to be 11 true. Thus, the
significance level is the maximum value of the probability of rejecting Ho when it is true and is
usually determined in advance before testing the hypothesis.

✓The criteria for rejecting the null hypothesis may differ. Sometimes the Null hypothesis is
rejected only when the quantity of the outcome is so large that the probability of its having
occurred by mere chance is 1 times out of 100. We consider the probability of its having
occurred by chance to be too little and we reject the chance theory of the Null hypothesis and
take the occurrence to be due to genuine tendency. On the other occasions, we may reject the
Null hypothesis even when the quantity of the reported outcome is likely to occur by chance 5
times out of 100. Statistically the former is known as the rejection of Null hypothesis at 0.1 level
and the latter is known as the rejection at 0.5 level. It may be pointed out that if the researcher is
able to reject the Null hypothesis, he cannot directly uphold the declarative hypothesis. If an
outcome is not held to be due to chance, it does not mean that it is due to the very cause and

15
effect relationship asserted in the particular declarative statement. It may be due to something
else which the researcher may have failed to control.

✓ Declaration rule or test of hypothesis: Given a Null hypothesis (Ho) and Alternative
hypothesis (Ha), we make a rule which is known as decision rule according to which we accept
Ho (i.e reject Ha)or reject Ho(i.e accept Ha). For instance, if Ho is, that a certain lot is good
(there are very few defective items in it) against Ha that the lot is not good (there are too many
defective items in it), then we must decide the number of items to be tested and the criterion for
accepting or rejecting the hypothesis. We might test 10 times in the lot and plan our decision
saying that if there are none or only 1 defective item among the 10, we will accept Ho otherwise
we will reject Ho (or accept Ha). This sort of basis is known as decision rule.

✓ Two-tailed and one-tailed test: In the context of hypothesis testing, these two terms are quite
important and must be clearly understood. A two-tailed rejects the Null hypothesis if, say, the
sample mean is significantly higher or lower than the hypothesized value of the mean of the
population.6 Such a test is appropriate when the Null hypothesis is some specified value and the
Alternative hypothesis is a value not equal to the specified value of Null hypothesis. In a two-
tailed test, there are two rejection regions, one on each tail of the curve which can be illustrated
as under:

❖ If the significance level is 5% and the two-tailed test is to be applied, the probability of the
rejection area will be 0.005 (equally divided on both tails of the curve is 0.0025) and that of the
acceptance region will be 0.95.

❖ But there are situations when only one-tailed test is considered appropriate. A one tailed test
would be used when we are to test, say, whether the population mean is either lower than or
higher than some hypothesized value. We should always remember that accepting Ho, on the
basis of sample information does not constitute the proof that Ho, is true. We only mean that
there is no statistical evidence to reject it.

6
https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/hypothesis-research/

16
 Errors in Testing of Hypothesis:

There are basically two types of errors we make in the context of testing of Hypothesis. These
are called as Type-I error and the Type-II error. In type-I error, we may reject Null hypothesis
when Null hypothesis is true. Type-II error is when we accept Null hypothesis when the Null
Hypothesis is not true.

In other words, Type-I error means rejection of hypothesis which should have been accepted and
Type-II error means accepting the hypothesis which should have been rejected. Type-I error is
denoted by alpha known as alpha error, also called the level of significance of test and Type-II
error is denoted by beta known as beta error. Accept Null hypothesis Reject Null hypothesis Null
hypothesis (true) Correct decision Type-I error (alpha error) Null hypothesis (false) Type-II error
(beta error) Correct decision.

Accept Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis

Null Hypothesis (true) Correct decision Type-I error (alpha error)
Null Hypothesis (false) Type-II error ( beta error ) Correct decision

The probability of Type-I error is usually determined in advance and is understood as the level of
significance of testing the hypothesis. If Type-I error is fixed at 5%, it means that there are about
5 chance in 100 that we will reject Null hypothesis when Null hypothesis is true. We can control
Type-I error just by fixing at a lower level. For instance, if we fix it at 1%, we will say that the
maximum probability of committing Type-I error would only be 0.01. But with the fixed sample
size, when we try to reduce Type-I error, the probability of committing Type-II error increases.
Both types of errors cannot be reduced simultaneously. There is trade off between two types of
17
errors which means that the probability of making one type error can only be reduced if we are
willing to increase the probability of making the other type of error. One must set a very high
level for Type-I error in one’s testing technique of a given hypothesis. Hence, in the testing of
hypothesis, one must make all possible efforts to strike an adequate balance between Type-I and
Type-II errors.

CONCLUSION

A hypothesis is an educated guess about something in the world around us. Hypothesis are
theoretical guesses based on limited knowledge; they need to be tested. Thus, hypothesis testing

18
is a decision-making process for evaluating claims about a population. We use various statistical
analysis to test hypothesis and answer research questions. In formal hypothesis testing, we test
the null hypothesis and usually want to reject the null because rejection of the null indirectly
supports the alternative hypothesis to the null, the one we deduce from theory as a tentative
explanation. Thus, a hypothesis test mutually exclusive statements about a population to
determine which statement is best supported by the sample data.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 Legal Research Methodology, Allahabad Law Agency, Faridabad, Fifth Edition, 2012 by
Myneni, S.R.
 Legal Research Methodology, Lexis Nexis Publications, Gurgaion, Haryana, Edition,
2013 by Singh, Rattan.

19
20