This paper examines the three primary driving factors of a research study: the purpose, the research question, and the hypothesis. Drawing on sources from medical education and clinical research methodology, the paper defines each concept, illustrates their relationships with concrete examples from healthcare and nursing contexts, and explains how they differ in scope and specificity. The paper also addresses the principle of parsimony, arguing that while studies may contain multiple purposes, questions, and hypotheses, these should remain cohesive and focused. Together, the three elements form a framework that guides both quantitative and qualitative research design.
The paper demonstrates effective use of comparative definition: rather than defining each term in isolation, it continually relates each concept back to the others, showing how purpose, question, and hypothesis differ in generality and formality while serving the same overarching research goal. This technique is especially useful in methodology-focused writing where distinctions between similar terms must be made precise.
The paper opens with a brief orienting paragraph that names the three key concepts. It then devotes one substantive paragraph to defining and exemplifying purpose and research questions together, followed by a separate paragraph on hypotheses and their statistical or operational formulations. A final paragraph addresses parsimony and the value of cohesive, focused research design. References close the paper. The structure is compact and linear, appropriate for a short explanatory essay at the undergraduate or early graduate level.
Several different factors direct research efforts. In either quantitative or qualitative research there is often a purpose (or several purposes), a particular question being asked (or several questions), and one or more hypotheses. These driving factors — purpose, research question(s), and research hypothesis (or hypotheses) — can be quite similar or quite different in any given study, depending on the particular goals of the researchers. In order to explain this, it is best to briefly define each of these three terms.
The purpose (or objective) of any particular research study relates to the reason why the research is being performed (Farrugia, Petrisor, Farrokhyar, & Bhandari, 2010). For example, some research studies attempt to find different or more effective treatment options; some attempt to define specific medical conditions or illnesses in a more practical manner; and some attempt to determine more effective managerial approaches regarding nurses and clinical work.
Research questions often relate to the purpose of the research but may not be as general in nature (Farrugia et al., 2010). For example, one research question might be: "Does providing empathy and support for patients add to standard treatments for hypertension?" Another might be: "Does a clinical interview or a particular brainwave pattern better identify a psychiatric issue?" And still another might be: "Does the nurse–patient ratio affect patient outcomes on a rehabilitation unit?" These three research questions are related to the purposes described above, yet they are not quite the same. Often the purpose of the research is broad (e.g., improving relationships) and the research question more specific (e.g., do weekly meetings foster closer relationships between nurses and nurse managers).
A hypothesis is, in effect, a type of research question or assumption stated in either statistical or operationalized terms. The term operationalize is used in research methods to explain how the variables in a particular study are defined (Creswell, 2013). In other words, a hypothesis is a specific form of research question that describes the relationship or prediction among the variables in the study (Farrugia et al., 2010). Hypotheses can be expressed in statistical terms (e.g., null and alternative hypotheses) or in terms of the study's variables.
Often the research questions and research hypotheses will be very closely related, since a hypothesis is simply a more formal research question stated in terms of the particular variables in the study. However, sometimes this relationship may not be as clear-cut. This is especially true in studies that use animals as subjects, which are often more difficult to generalize to human participants. Nevertheless, the hypothesis should somehow satisfy both the purpose of the research and answer the research question at some level (Cook, Bordage, & Schmidt, 2008).
You’re 69% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.