Which statement differentiates a research question from a hypothesis?

Which statement differentiates a research question from a hypothesis?

• A. A research question states what is being investigated; a hypothesis makes a testable prediction about relationships.
• B. A research question is always numerical; a hypothesis is descriptive.
• C. A research question is about data collection methods; a hypothesis is about ethics.
• D. A hypothesis is about population size; a research question is about data collection instruments.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that research questions and hypotheses play different roles in a study. A research question states what is being investigated and defines the phenomena or variables of interest, guiding what data will be collected and how analyses will be approached without asserting a specific outcome. A hypothesis, in contrast, is a precise, testable statement that predicts a relationship or difference between variables and can be supported or refuted by data. This distinction is why the described statement is best: it captures that the research question sets up what is being explored, while the hypothesis makes a testable prediction about relationships. The other descriptions don’t fit because research questions aren’t required to be numerical or descriptive only, hypotheses aren’t about ethics or methods per se, and the core difference isn’t about population size or instruments but about open inquiry versus testable prediction.

The main idea is that research questions and hypotheses play different roles in a study. A research question states what is being investigated and defines the phenomena or variables of interest, guiding what data will be collected and how analyses will be approached without asserting a specific outcome. A hypothesis, in contrast, is a precise, testable statement that predicts a relationship or difference between variables and can be supported or refuted by data. This distinction is why the described statement is best: it captures that the research question sets up what is being explored, while the hypothesis makes a testable prediction about relationships. The other descriptions don’t fit because research questions aren’t required to be numerical or descriptive only, hypotheses aren’t about ethics or methods per se, and the core difference isn’t about population size or instruments but about open inquiry versus testable prediction.