Research Questions, Theories, and Hypotheses

Research Questions

• Empirical research questions ask about actual events and phenomena that have occurred or are occurring
• Empirical research questions are not factual questions that have a simple correct or incorrect answer, hypothetical questions that ask about imagined scenarios, nor normative questions that ask how something should be.

Theory

• A theory is “a reasoned and precise speculation about the answer to a research question” (King, Keohane, and Verba 1994).
• Good theories are clear and specific about how the independent variable causes or affects the dependent variable.
  • Dependent variable: the outcome we are interested in that depends on another variable. What we are trying to explain.
  • Independent variable: The variable causing or affecting the outcome. What we think is explaining the dependent variable.

Hypothesis

• “A hypothesis is a statement of the relationship that you expect to find between the dependent variable and the independent variable” (Powner 2014).
• The most essential components of a good hypothesis are:

• • It must be specific. It clearly identifies the dependent variable and the independent variable.
  • There must be directionality. It must clearly state the direction of the expected relationship between the dependent variable and independent variable. Do the two variables increase together? Do they decrease together? Or do they move in opposite directions?
  • It must be falsifiable. Hypotheses are generalizations that, although we would like to think will always be proved true, must also be written and structured in such a way that evidence could be found that would disconfirm them.
  • It must not be immediately verifiable. That is, it must be a general statement and not a factual statement that can be proved true or false with a limited investigation.

Dig Deeper

• Galderisi, Peter. Understanding Political Science Statistics: Observations and Expectations in Political Analysis. Routledge, 2015.
  • Theories and hypotheses: Chapter 1.
• King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane, and Sidney Verba. Designing social inquiry: Scientific inference in qualitative research. Princeton university press, 1994.
  • Research questions and theories: Chapter 1, section 2 and Chapter 3 section 5.
• Powner, Leanne C. Empirical research and writing: A political science student’s practical guide. CQ Press, 2014.
  • Research questions: Chapter 1.
  • Theories and hypotheses: Chapter 2