hypothesis of action research

Formulation of action hypothesis

• 1 FORMULATION OF ACTION HYPOTHESIS
• 2.1 WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS?
• 3.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD ACTION HYPOTHESIS
• 3.2 DIFFERENT FORMS FOR STATING ACTION HYPOTHESIS
• 3.3 FORMULATION OF AN ACTION HYPOTHESIS
• 3.4 Illustration of an action hypothesis in four different forms

FORMULATION OF ACTION HYPOTHESIS

This section helps you in understanding how to formulate an action hypothesis.

WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS?

You might be wondering what an action hypothesis is?

The processes, an investigator may use to examine a problem in the field of education are similar to the ones we use to attack our day to day problems.

Look at the following example.

A teacher notices that one of her Students in the IV grade does not show progress in learning “addition of two digit numbers”. Careful observation of this child in the classroom may suggest several possible causes for this problem. This in turn will help the teacher think of suitable remedies.

Based on these possible causes the teacher states HYPOTHESES which are the guessed strategies for solving the problem. Then the teacher designs and carries out a programme aimed at testing each hypothesis and checking the child’s progress.

Without ‘guessing’ the possible causes the teacher can not plan any remedy for the problem.

Once the investigator diagnoses the causes of the pinpointed/specific problems, he/she starts thinking about what concrete action, if taken, would bring about the desired change/solution.

Then he/she formulates hypothesis specifying the immediate ‘actions’ that could be taken to solve the problems.

The hypotheses formulated in action research are called ACTION HYPOTHESES

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD ACTION HYPOTHESIS

A good action hypothesis should be

• Logically related to the problem
• Testable in classrooms situations
• Clearly stated without ambiguity
• Directly stated in terms of the expected outcome (should not be a generalized statement)
• Testable within a considerably short time (maximum of three months)

DIFFERENT FORMS FOR STATING ACTION HYPOTHESIS

a) Declarative form: An action hypothesis may be formulated as a statement with a positive relationship between the two factors identified, one being the cause and the other being the effect. This is also called a directional hypothesis.

b) Predictive form: An action hypothesis clearly predicting the expected out come which would emerge after the action plan is implemented. This can be stated using ‘if and then’ statement.

c) Question form: Questions can be raised as action hypotheses as what would be the result of the intended action plan.

d) Null form: A null hypothesis states that no relationship exists between the factors considered in the problems. This form is mostly used when rigorous statistical techniques are to be used.(A thoroughly worked out example for all these forms is given in the next unit.) Thus, an action hypothesis provides clarity and direction to solve a problem. Hence it is considered an important stage in action research.

FORMULATION OF AN ACTION HYPOTHESIS

To form a hypothesis the investigator should

• Have a thorough knowledge about the problem
• Be clear about the desired goal (solution)
• Make a real effort to look at the problem in new ways other than the regular practices (come out form conventional thinking)
• Give importance for imagination and speculation
• Think of many alternative solutions.
• Thoroughly examine the conditions/contexts in which the problem exists and then
• State the hypothesis

Illustration of an action hypothesis in four different forms

Here is an illustration of an Action Hypothesis stated in different forms. Carefully observe the wordings, the format, relationship between the factors in each form of the hypothesis. Predictive form Declarative orDirectional Form QuestionForm Null Form If the III grade students receive a “drill work” in the chapter “Addition of whole numbers their progress will be better in Arithmetic. 1. Replace the word “Drill Work” as ‘Supervised study’ in all the forms. 2. Add after, addition of two digit (carrying) A “Drill work” program in the chapter addition of whole numbers for III grade students will cause/influence better progress in Arithmetic, Or Addition (whole number) drill work in and progress in Arithmetic are (positively) related to each other.OrThere is a (positive) relationship between ‘Drill work’ in Addition (whole Nos.) and progress in Arithmetic. To what extent a “Drill work” program in the chapter Addition (Whole numbers) for III grade students will improve their progress in Arithmetic.OrDoes a drill work program in ‘Addition (Whole Nos.) for III graders improve their progress in Arithmetic? If so, to what extent? A “Drill work” program in the chapter. ‘Addition for III grade students and their progress in Arithmetic are not related to each other.OrThere is no significant relationship between the ‘drill work’ program in the chapter addition and progress (whole No.) in Arithmetic among III grade students.

Activity Sheet on Formulation of action hypothesis

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Emergent Learning

Action Hypotheses

What are action hypotheses.

Action Hypotheses are a form of “if/then” hypothesis that we use in Emergent Learning. While scientific hypotheses propose an explanation of phenomena based on evidence from the past, action hypotheses look ahead to explain what we expect to happen as a result of future action. In both cases, the goal is to articulate something that is testable.

Action Hypotheses explore the thinking about a result we hope to accomplish (the “then”) and what we think it will take to get there (the “if”). This kind of hypothesis is so fundamental to our thinking every day that we couldn’t take action without it. It’s the smallest kernel of how we think. For example:

When and how do we use Hypotheses in Emergent Learning?

When people in an Emergent Learning culture say, “my hypothesis is…”, it is not to demonstrate authority by citing scientific language. Rather, they are communicating in shorthand that “I am making my thinking transparent to you and inviting you to inquire about it or offer an alternative.” It is intended to grow our collective thinking and agency.

EL practitioners learn to listen for hypotheses in conversations and ask questions to make sure we understand the thinking of our colleagues in a team or initiative. We use them to tease out the thinking implicit in Theories of Change. We read for them in narratives and use them to write stronger narratives. We use them to create more powerful connections between learning and evaluation by expressing hypotheses and planning how to test them out in our work over time, so that we track not just results but learn about and refine the thinking that got us there.

Hypotheses also play a starring role in Emergent Learning Tables. The whole aim is to collect all of our experience and data and make meaning of it in order to express our best possible thinking about what it will take to succeed going forward — expressed in the form of one or more Action Hypotheses.

Thinking of strategies or actions as “hypotheses” reminds us that what we thought was “true” or “right” might not be. Using this language invites us to remember that there is usually more than one path to consider and that maybe it’s OK to hold and test more than one hypothesis at a time — as long as we actually circle back and test them!