Name: __________________________________________ Date: _______________

Grade & Section: __________________________________Score: ______________

RESEARCH 2 – GRADE 10 SSC, QUARTER 1, WEEK 3

Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:
1. formulate a hypothesis and null hypothesis;
2. explain the different types of variables; and
3. Recognise different variables in an example experiments.

Subject Matter: Integrated Process Skills: Formulating Hypothesis and Variables

References: https://www.slideshare.net/babylenaritsoner/process-skills-in-science
https://www.slideshare.net/jojo_ramirez44/science-process-skills-1
https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/hypotheses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCgLjDDD4ek&feature=emb_title

POINTS TO REMEMBER
Hypothesis – it is a “scientific guess” wherein you can predict the relationship between two or
more things before testing or conducting an experiment.
- It is a tentative answer to your research question that has not yet been tested.
- It is based on existing theories and knowledge. It must be testable, which means researchers
can support or disprove (null hypothesis) through scientific research methods like experiments,
odservations and statistical analysis of data.
Example:
Daily banana consumption leads to fewer doctor’s visits.
Variables in Hypothesis
In experimental and correlational research, hypotheses propose a relationship between
two or more variables. An independent variable is something the researcher changes or
controls. A dependent variable is something the researcher observes and measures.
Example:
Hypothesis: Daily banana consumption leads to fewer doctor’s visits.
In this example, the independent variable is banana consumption – that assumed cause.
The dependent variable is the frequency of doctor’s visits. – the assumed effect.
Control groups in experiments
Control groups are essential to experimental design. When researchers are interested in the
impact of a new treatment, they randomly divide their study participants into at least two groups:

 The treatment group (also called the experimental group) receives the treatment whose
effect the researcher is interested in.
 The control group receives either no treatment, a standard treatment whose effect is
already known, or a placebo (a fake treatment).

The treatment is any independent variable manipulated by the experimenters, and its
exact form depends on the type of research being performed. In a medical trial, it might be a new

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drug or therapy. In public policy studies, it could be a new social policy that some receive and not
others.
In a well-designed experiment, all variables apart from the treatment should be kept
constant between the two groups. This means researchers can correctly measure the entire effect
of the treatment without interference from confounding variables.
Example of a control group
You are interested in whether college students perform better in school if they are paid for
their performance. To test this, you divide several students into control and treatment groups.

 You pay the students in the treatment group for achieving high grades.
 Students in the control group do not receive any money.
By comparing the average change in their grades over the year, you can find out whether
monetary incentives improve school performance.

Developing a hypothesis
1. Ask a question
Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer. The
question should be focused, specific, and researchable within the constraints of your project.

Example: Do students who attend more lectures get better exam results?

2. Do some preliminary research

Your initial answer to the question should be based on what is already known about the
topic. Look for theories and previous studies to help you form educated assumptions about what
your research will find.

At this stage, you might construct a conceptual framework to identify which variables you will
study and what you think the relationships are between them.

3. Formulate your hypothesis

Now you should have some idea of what you expect to find. Write your initial answer to the
question in a clear, concise sentence.

Example: Attending more lectures leads to better exam results.

4. Refine your hypothesis

You need to make sure your hypothesis is specific and testable. There are various ways of
phrasing a hypothesis, but all the terms you use should have clear definitions, and the
hypothesis should contain:

 The relevant variables

 The specific group being studied
 The predicted outcome of the experiment or analysis

5. Phrase your hypothesis in three ways

To identify the variables, you can write a simple prediction in if…then form. The first part of
the sentence states the independent variable and the second part states the dependent variable.

Example:
If a first-year student starts attending more lectures, then their exam scores will improve.

- In academic research, hypotheses are more commonly phrased in terms of correlations or

effects, where you directly state the predicted relationship between variables.

Example
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 The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive effect on their exam
scores.

- If you are comparing two groups, the hypothesis can state what difference you expect to find
between them.

Example:
First-year students who attended most lectures will have better exam scores than those who
attended few lectures.

6. Write a null hypothesis

If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing, you will also have to write a null
hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the default position that there is no association between the
variables. The null hypothesis is written as H0, while the alternative hypothesis is H1 or Ha.

Example:
H0: The number of lectures attended by first-year students has no effect on their final exam
scores.
Ha: The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive effect on their final
exam scores.

ACTIVITY 1: NAME IT!

Question 1-2: Name the independent variable and the dependent variable and 3 constant
variables in the following scenario.

1. Rachel counted the leaves on each of three plants. Then she put one plant under a blue light
bulb, another plant under a yellow light bulb, and a third plant under a white light bulb. She kept all
three lights on from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. After 2 months, she counted how many leaves each
plant had.

independent variable : ___________________________________________

Dependent variable : ____________________________________________

3 constant variables: ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

2. Anjelique wants to prove the effect of salt addition on plant growth. In her experimental set up,
she added 10% salt solution, 20% salt solution and 0% salt solution to each three plant’s water.
She monitored and observed the plant height and wilting. The room temperature and light for the
plant’s room are kept in and the volume of water given to each plant.

Independent variable : ___________________________________________

Dependent variable : ____________________________________________

3 constant variables: ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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Question 3-5: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

3. If I release 10 spiders into a room and measure how long it takes people to get out of the room,
what is the independent variable?

a. The spiders
b. The people
c. The amount of time it takes the people to leave the room
d. The room

4. A researcher wants to figure out if uncomfortable seats in a classroom will increase the
research participant's attention to the lesson and decrease their fidgeting. Why are attention level
and fidgeting the dependent variable?
a. Because it is the variable that the researcher changes to see how the other variables will
respond.
b. Because it is the variable that the researcher is manipulating.
c. Because it is the variable the researcher is primarily interested in.
d. It isn't; the dependent variable is the uncomfortableness of the seats.

5. Which of the following best describes control variables?

a. They provide the researcher with control over the independent variable.
b. They are kept the same over multiple trials.
c. They increase the variability of the experiment.
d. They increase the participants' control over the experiment.

ACTIVITY 2: YOU COMPLETE ME

Complete the table below by writing your hypothesis and null hypothesis.

Research question Hypothesis (Ha) Null hypothesis (H0)

1. What are the health

benefits of eating an
apple a day?

2. Which airlines have the

most delays?

3. Can flexible work

arrangements improve
job satisfaction?

4. How effective is high

school sex education at
reducing teen
pregnancies?
5. What effect does daily
use of social media have
on the attention span of
under-16s?

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Name: __________________________________________ Date: _______________
Grade & Section: __________________________________Score: ______________

RESEARCH 2 – GRADE 10 SSC, QUARTER 1, WEEK 4

Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:
1. Understand the 8 essential parts of an experimental design ;
2. Apply he 8 essential parts of an experimental design;
3. Use the four question strategy to come up with a cohesive experimental design;
and
4. State the importance of experimental design.

Subject Matter: Designing an Experiment

References: http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/images/sec6.designexperiment.pdf

POINTS TO REMEMBER
An experimental design diagram is a convenient way of laying out the essential parts of an
experiment. Students should always do this before they begin an experiment to make sure that
they have remembered each part. The “diagram” is not really a diagram, but more of a visual
layout of the parts of the experiment on a page.
The 8 Essential Parts of an Experimental Design
1. Title for experiment written as “the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable”
2. Hypothesis in the form of an “if-then” statement
3. Independent variable
4. Different levels of the independent variable
5. Level of the independent variable that will serve as the control for the experiment
6. Number of repeated trials for each level of the independent variable
7. Dependent variables, including how they will be measured
8. Constants

The Four-Question Strategy

The four-question strategy is a clever activity to help researchers explore the possible
variations of a general topic before attempting to state a specific problem, hypothesis, variables,
constants, and control.

The four-question strategy involves the following four questions.

 Question 1 – What materials are readily available for conducting experiments on general
topic of interest?
 Question 2 – What action is observed when studying (general topic of interest)?
 Question 3 – What are all the ways that I can change the set of materials that would change
the action?
 Question 4 — In what ways can I measure or describe the response to the change?

A specific experiment follows from the answers to the four-question strategy. One of the
answers to Question 3, “How can I change the set of materials?” will be the independent variable
in the experiment. All the other answers to Question 3, other things that could be changed to
make an effect, will need to be controlled when the experiment is carried out. They will be the
constants in the experiment. The answer for Question 4 will become the dependent variable of the
experiment. The following example of the four-question strategy shows how the four questions
might be answered using the general topic of plants.

• What materials are readily available for conducting experiments on plants?

Soil, Plants, Fertilizer, Water, Light/Heat, Containers

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• How do plants act?
Plants grow

• How can I change the set of plant materials to affect the action?
Plants: Spacing, Kind, Age, Size Water: Amount, Scheduling, Method of application, Source,
Composition, pH Containers: Location of holes, Number of holes, Shape, Material, Size, Color
(Possible changes in Soil, Fertilizer, and Light/Heat would also be listed.)

• How can I measure or describe the response of plants to the change?

Count the number of leaves. Measure the length of the longest stem
Count the number of flowers. Determine the rate of growth.
Weigh the fruit produced. Measure the diameter of the stem.

ACTIVITY 1: 4 BY 4

Apply the four question strategy to your own SIP. Look for the answers to this prompt:

1. Lists of simple and available materials

2. questions to be investigated

NOTE: Use 1 whole sheet of paper for your answer and follow this format:

Name: ___________________________________
Grade and Section: ________________________
SIP Title: _________________________________
Group Number: ____________________________

ACTIVITY 2: MY
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Create your experimental design

diagram containing the 8 essential
parts of an experimental design.
Refer to your SIP for the details
needed. Write your answer in A4
size bond paper (Written or Printed
is accepted) Please see sample.

Guide Question:

1. What is the importance of

Experimental design in doing
your Science Investigatory
Project? Explain your answer in
2-3 sentences only.

http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/images/sec6.designexperiment.pdf
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