What is a Research Hypothesis?

A statement of the expectation or probability of an event that is proposed to be tested through the study is called a Research Hypothesis. It is a suggested explanation for the observed or probable relationship among two or more variables under study. Hypotheses generally begin with a question that forms the research problem for every research project.

A general question such as, “Will people be more economically productive individually if they are provided with basic eye care services?” is apt to be embarked through a research project but it cannot be categorized as a hypothesis. For turning it to be a research hypothesis, operationalizing the terms is important. By operationalization, we mean defining the abstract concepts in a measurable manner. For instance, the term ‘economically productive’ can be measurably defined by using the phrase ‘hours worked per week’ or ‘quantity produced per day’. Depending upon how terms are defined, the results vary widely; so the researcher must critically decide the terms while formulating a hypothesis.