Revision summary
A hypothesis is a testable relation that directs evidence. It is important for discipline, middle-range theory, and public check. Sources: theory, Census/NFHS puzzles, ethnography, policy. Grounded theory uses working conjectures, not a void. If nothing could refute it, it is not yet a research hypothesis.
Model answer
Introduction
A hypothesis is a testable statement of a relation, often derived from a theory. It is important because it directs what counts as evidence. It is not a guess to decorate a questionnaire.
Body
Importance
- It links Emile Durkheim’s demand for social facts to a checkable claim, as in suicide and integration.
- It disciplines Max Weber’s verstehen so meaning becomes a type that can fail.
- Without it, surveys dump tables. Robert Merton’s middle-range work lives on hypotheses.
- Falsifiability, in a modest sense, separates research from sermon.
Sources
- Theory: Marx on class, Bourdieu on capital, feminist standpoint on care.
- Prior studies and official files: Census cells that puzzle, NFHS gaps.
- Ethnographic hunches after fieldwork, then restated as hypotheses.
- Practical policy questions, which still need a sociological mechanism.
Caution
- Grounded theory may delay a formal hypothesis, yet still works with working conjectures.
- A hypothesis that cannot be observed is not yet a research tool.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD TH[Theory files field] --> HYP[Hypothesis] HYP --> TES[Test in research] TES --> CL[Claim revised]
Conclusion
Hypotheses matter because they make social research a check, not a tour. Sources are theory, prior data, field hunches, and policy puzzles. Durkheim, Weber, and Merton all required a stated relation. Write it so a table or a case can wound it.
Quick related
Students also ask
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What are the problems in observing social facts in Durkheim's views?
Next question in the 2020 paper (Q5). View answer →
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Must every ethnography start with a hypothesis?
It may start with a question. It should end able to state what would count against the reading.
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Is a hypothesis the same as a theory?
Theory is a wider net. A hypothesis is one checkable thread.
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