4 One-tailed vs two-tailed test
To gain a deeper understanding of how to conduct a hypothesis test, this section will delve into the concepts of one-tailed and two-tailed tests. These tests are vital tools in statistical hypothesis testing, and the decision of which test to employ depends on the research question and hypothesis under examination. It is crucial to give careful thought to the suitable type of test to ensure that the hypothesis is thoroughly tested and precise conclusions are derived from the data. This section will elaborate on this topic in greater detail.
To commence, complete the following activity pertaining to the formulation of null and alternative hypotheses. This exercise may be somewhat challenging, but it serves as an excellent introduction to upcoming discussions – don’t be concerned if you find it difficult!
Activity 3 Hypotheses setting
Read the following statements and then develop a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis.
‘It is believed that OU students need to set aside no longer than, on average, 15 hours to study an entire session of an OU course. However, a researcher believes that OU students spend longer studying an entire session of an OU course.’
Discussion
H0: OU students spend, on average, no more than 15 hours studying an entire session of OU course.
Ha: OU students spend, on average, more than 15 hours studying an entire session of OU course.
They can also be written as:
H0: µ ≤ 15 hours studies
Ha: µ > 15 hours studies
µ is a symbol for a population mean. Remember, H0 and Ha are always opposites.
Did you identify any differences between the hypotheses you developed in Activity 1 and Activity 3? The set of hypotheses in Activity 1 has an equal (=) or not equal (≠) supposition (sign) in the statement. However, in Activity 3, the set of hypotheses has less than or equal to (≤) and greater than (>) supposition (sign) in the statement. This creates different conditions that lead to acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis.