Null Hypothesis

Definition

A statement that there is no effect or no relationship between variables.

Example

A researcher is examining the impact of two distinct teaching methods on student comprehension. The researcher develops a hypothesis that one method will have a greater impact than the other. The null hypothesis would be "Teaching method has no impact on student comprehension."

If the research demonstrates that teaching method does have an impact on comprehension, the researcher can state "The null hypothesis is rejected."

Why It Matters

The null hypothesis is important because it sets the baseline for comparison. It helps researchers test whether their results are due to chance or actually support a real effect. Without it, we wouldn’t have a clear way to know if our findings are meaningful or just random noise.

Related Terms

• hypothesis
• theory
• research question