Suppose a researcher wants to study the effectiveness of a new reading program for students who have not acquired the necessary reading skills by the time they reach the 8th grade. A randomly selected group of 50 students from a local junior high with poor reading skills will undergo a special reading program. Another group of 50 randomly selected students with poor reading skills will undergo regular reading classes. A month later, the reading skills of all 100 students are assessed to determine whether the program was successful.

Question

Suppose a researcher wants to study the effectiveness of a new reading program for students who have not acquired the necessary reading skills by the time they reach the 8th grade. A randomly selected group of 50 students from a local junior high with poor reading skills will undergo a special reading program. Another group of 50 randomly selected students with poor reading skills will undergo regular reading classes. A month later, the reading skills of all 100 students are assessed to determine whether the program was successful.
What is the research hypothesis in this example?

Ms. Sue · Answer

The hypothesis is that the special reading program will improve the students' reading skills.

PsyDAG · Answer

The hypothesis is a little more specific than indicated by Ms.Sue — that the special reading program will improve the student reading skills more than the regular program.

Ho (null hypothesis): mean change of special group = mean change of regular group

H1 (alternate hypothesis): mean change of special group > (is greater than) mean change of regular group

I hope this helps a little more.