Hypothesis

Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a tentative (i.e., not final and definite) and testable statement that proposes an explanation of an observable phenomenon.

A hypothesis can predict a possible connection between two variables within a phenomenon or event or it can predict a difference between two groups.

A hypothesis is “tentative” because it is a temporary statement that a researcher makes to test an idea. The researcher expects the statement to be either supported or rejected by the experiment. And even after a hypothesis is supported by one experiment, it does not make the connections between the variables “certain.” Researchers recognize that there are variables in an experiment that they were not aware of and could not account for.

Therefore, a researcher never says that a hypothesis has been proven; instead, it is supported. This is how the scientific process works. A hypothesis can propose a possible connection between two variables within a phenomenon or event or it can predict a difference between two groups.