The aim sets the overall thrust of the study.

Objectives set out what you want to achieve through the study. They should be SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time bound.

The way the aims and objectives are worded determines the way your research is classified - i.e. - descriptive, correlational, explanatory, exploratory.

In correlational research the main variables need to be stated.

In experimental research the intention is to test a hypothesis - the wording should indicate the direction of the relationship being tested.

In addition you need to establish a set of rules to define the meaning of words/ concepts - develop operational definitions for the variable(s) to be studied to avoid ambiguity and confusion. These may vary from dictionary definitions as well as day to day meanings. A concept that is capable of taking on different values is called a variable. Concepts are highly subjective as their understanding varies from person to person. It is only through making concepts and procedures explicit that you can validly explain, verify and test.

Hypotheses bring clarity, specificity and focus to a research problem, but are not essential for a study. A 'hunch' often forms the basis if a hypothesis. A hypothesis has certain characteristics:

• Tentative proposition
• Its validity is unknown
• It specifies a relationship between 2 or more variables.

Conventionally a null hypothesis (no difference) is formed as an alternative hypothesis and the result either confirms the hypothesis or the null hypothesis.