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4.identifying Research Variables

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Sarab Ahmad Abdelsalam Alsawadheh
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15 views17 pages

4.identifying Research Variables

Uploaded by

Sarab Ahmad Abdelsalam Alsawadheh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN


UNIVERSITY
NATIONAL CENTER FOR TUBERCULOSIS AND LUNG
DISEASE

EKA KOKHREIDZE
PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGER/RESEARCHER
[email protected]
AGENDA
✔ What variables and concepts are and how they are different
✔ How to turn concepts into operational variables
✔ Types of variables from the viewpoint of:
✔ Causation
✔ The study design
✔ The unit of measurement
✔ Types of measurement scales:
✔ The nominal or classificatory scale
✔ The ordinal or ranking scale
✔ The interval scale
✔ The ratio scale
WHAT IS VARIABLE?

Concept
Quantitative research

Hypothesis
WHAT IS VARIABLE?
In Research, Variables refer to characteristics or attributes that can
be measured, manipulated, or controlled.
They are the factors that researchers observe or manipulate to
understand the relationship between them and the outcomes of
interest.

e.g. Age, gender, country of birth, call grades, eye color..

It can take a different values!


• Age can take different values
• Sex - only female or male

Variable is something that varies!


DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CONCEPT AND VARIABLE
Concept is subjective: mental images, perceptions.
Variable subjective/objective units of measurement.

Concept Variables
Effectiveness Gender
Satisfaction Attitude
Impact Age
Excellent Income
Self-achiever Weight
Etc. Height
Etc.
Subjective impression Measurable
CONVERTING CONCEPTS INTO
VARIABLES
Concept? Consider operationalizing!

Concept Indicator Variable

Effectiveness 1.% reduction in -number of % of anxiety


patients’ anxiety
-less than....
2.reduction of visits to the doc.
TYPES OF VARIABLES

⮚Causal relationship
⮚Study design
⮚Unit of measurement
Causal relationship

1. Change variable = independent variable


2. Outcome variable = dependent variable
3. Effect or influence = extraneous variable
4. Connecting or linking variable = intervening variables
Causal relationship
Independent variable - the cause supposed to be responsible for
bringing about change(s) in a phenomenon or situation
Dependent variable - the outcome or change(s) brought about by
introduction of an independent variable
Extraneous variable – factors, which may affect changes in the
dependent variable. They may not be measured in the study and
may increase or decrease the magnitude or strength of the
relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Intervening variable - links the independent and dependent
variables. Relationship between an independent and a dependent
variable cannot be established without the intervention of another
variable.
EXAMPLES

Living area
2. STUDY DESIGN
Active variables - can be manipulated, changed or controlled.
Attribute variables - cannot be manipulated, changed or
controlled, and that reflect the characteristics of the study
population.

Example:
Researcher can not manipulate with age, gender or race, but can
control interventional experiment, can change a dosage of drug..
3. MEASUREMENT
Qualitative Quantitative
Categorical variables Continuous variables
Nominal or ordinal scale measurements Interval or ratio scale

1. Constant variable 1. Age (year, month, day),


one category – water. Weight (kg, mg).
2. Dichotomous variable 2. Fahrenheit, BMI..
two categories – male, female.
3. Polytomous variable
more then two categories –
Very weak, weak, average, good, very good.
TYPES OF MEASUREMENT
SCALES
Nominal scale - the sequence in which subgroups are listed
makes no difference, there is no relationship among subgroups.
e.g. hear color – black, blond, Braun..
Ordinal scale – subcategories are arranged in order of the
magnitude of the characteristics.
e.g. hear color – very dark, dark, light, very light..
Interval scale - has all the properties of an ordinal scale, and it
has a unit of measurement with an arbitrary starting and
terminating point
e.g. Fahrenheit, BMI..
Ratio scale - an absolute scale, a starting point fixed at zero. It
has all the properties of nominal, ordinal and interval scales
e.g. height, weight, age..
SCALES: NOMINAL, ORDINAL, INTERVAL AND
RATIO.
Classification Study design
⮚Causal ⮚Active
relationship
⮚Attribute
⮚Study design
⮚Measurements
scale
Causality Measurement
⮚Independent ⮚Categorical and
⮚Dependent continuous
⮚Extraneous ⮚Qualitative and
⮚Intervening quantitative
What is an the effect of diet on
blood sugar levels?

1. Indicate concept
2. Dependent and independent variables
3. Indicator
4. Extraneous and intervening variables
5. Active and attribute variable
6. Categorical or continuous variables
7. Scale of measurements
THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION

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