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PR2 Lesson 5

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29 views3 pages

PR2 Lesson 5

Uploaded by

zelfanselpa0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Kinds of Variables and Their Uses

A variable is a characteristic of an individual or organization that can be observed and measure,


and it can vary among people or organizations being studied (Creswell, 2002). It comes from the
root word “vary” or simply “can change”.

Bernard (1994) defines variables as something that can take more than one value, and values can
be words or numbers. The most common variables in social research are are age, sex, gender,
education, income, marital status, and education.

Other experts define a variable as any entity that can take on different values. Simply stated,
anything that can vary can be considered a variable. An attribute, on the other hand, is a specific
value on a variable.

For instance:

• the variable sex has two attributes: male and female.


• The variable income has an attribute of 5,000 per month, 10,000 per month, 15,000 per
month, and so on.
• Remember!
Variables should have at least 2 attributes otherwise it is constant.

• Four Types of Variable


• NOMINAL VARIABLE – represent categories that cannot be ordered in any particular
way.

Examples: - Biological Sex (Male/Female) - Race


- Political Affiliation – Eye Color
- Blood Type - Political Party
- Zip code - Religion

• ORDINAL VARIABLE – represent categories that can be ordered from greatest to


smallest.
Examples:
- Grade level - Socioeconomic status
- Satisfaction rating - Rank

• INTERVAL VARIABLE – have values that lie along an evenly dispersed range of
numbers.
Examples:
- Employee’s net worth - Body Temperature
- pH level - SAT Score (200-500)
• RATIO VARIABLE – have variables that lie along the evenly dispersed range of
numbers when there is an absolute zero. It possesses the properties of the interval variable and
has a clear definition of zero.
Examples:
- does amount - reaction rate, flaw rate
- concentration - pulse rate
- weight - length
- distance

KINDS OF VARIABLES

1. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES – those that probably cause, influence, or affect


outcomes. They are invariably called treatment, manipulated, antecedent, or predictor
variables.

Examples:

A study on the relationship of parental support and academic performance of Senior High School
students in Narra National High School. PARENTAL SUPPORT is the independent variable
because it influenced the outcome or the performance of the students.

2. DEPENDENT VARIABLES – those that depend on the independent variables; they are
the outcomes or results on the influence of the independent variable.
3. INTERVENING VARIABLE OR MEDIATING VARIABLE – “stand between” the
independent and dependent variables, and they show the effects of the independent
variable on the dependent variable.
4. CONTROL VARIABLE – special types of independent variables that are measured in a
study because they potentially influence the dependent variable . Researchers use
statistical procedures (e.g. analysis of covariance) to control these variables. They may be
demographic or personal variables that need to be “controlled” so that the true influence
of the independent variable on the dependent can be determined. In an experiment, it is
the variable that is held constant.

Examples:

In a study, “Determining the Effects of Exposure to Different Colored Lights on the Growth of
the Plant”, the control variables are the type of plant, the amount of soil, and the amount of water
given to the plants. These variables are controlled so that the plant growth can be attributed with
certainty to exposure to different colored lights.

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