Research Variable

• Every day, you make observations. You say that the

weather is fine, the morning is cool, the soup is hot, the
drink is refreshing, the uniform fits right, and the like. All
these remarks are informal, casually made, or unplanned.
On the other hand, scientific observations are systematic
and carefully planned. Before any actual observation is
made, you decide what subject is to be observed, how it
will be observed, and when it will be observed.
 What are Variables?

• The decision on what to observe

depends on the problem being
investigated. Let us say the researcher
wants to find the effects of light and
temperature on the growth of
tomatoes.
• Here, he/she has to decide what specific observations
must be made. Does he/she want to observe the number
of leaves per plant, the length of stem, the number of
flowers per plant, or the yield in terms of number of
fruits per plant? What aspects of light and temperature
does he/she want to vary?
• In order to answer these, the researcher has to
make measurements about light and temperature.
For light, one can measure intensity, wavelength,
frequency, and color. For temperature, it can be
qualitative like hot or cold, or specific values in
Celsius degrees.
• There are many variables to watch and observe.
This requires that in the research design of the
study, all relevant factors must be specified. The
researcher must be knowledgeable and keen to
the details of all the variables included in the
study.
• In doing observation, one has to identify the
variables that appear to be important in
explaining observed effects or behavior. A
variable is a property or quantity that can
take on different values.
• In The Effect of Light and Temperature on the Growth
of Tomatoes, the following are the variables: (1) growth
of tomatoes measured in terms of number of leaves per
plant, length of stem, number of flowers per plant, and
yield per plant; (2) intensity, wavelength, frequency, and
color of light; and (3) temperature in degrees Celsius.
What are the types of Variables?

Variables are categorized according

to the role they play in research.
They may be independent or
dependent, continuous or discrete
or extraneous.
• If a variable is manipulated such that its
values are chosen and set by the
researcher, it is called an independent
variable. Its value is independent of the
behavior of the subject.
• In The Effect of Light and Temperature on the Growth
of Tomatoes, light and temperature are the independent
variables. The researcher might assign the subjects
(which, in this case, are tomatoes) to three intensity
levels of light (low, medium, and high) and to two
specific temperatures, 20°C and 35°C.
The three intensity levels of light and the two temperature levels
would constitute the experimental treatments to which the subjects
must be exposed. In the course of the experiment, while the subjects
are exposed to these treatments, changes in their behavior or
characteristics are observed and recorded. In the case of the tomatoes
in the example, changes in the length of the stem and the number of
leaves per plant may be observed as a result of the manipulation of
the level of light intensity and level of temperature.
Example, changes in the length of the stem and the number
of leaves per plant may be observed as a result of the
manipulation of the level of light intensity and level of
temperature. These variables can be of two types:
quantitative and qualitative. A quantitative variable can
take values corresponding to the points on a real line scale.
Otherwise, the variable is qualitative.
The behavior or change in characteristic of the subjects that is recorded
during experimentation is a variable. It is referred to as the dependent
variable. If there is an existing relationship between the two variables, then
the value of the dependent variable will depend to some extent on the
change done on the level of the independent variable. The value of the
dependent variable depends on the response of the subjects towards the
changes or manipulation done by the experimenter on the independent
variable.
In an experiment, a group of subjects that is
exposed to a certain treatment is called the
experimental group. A group of subjects that is not
exposed to the treatment is called the control
group.
The same conditions hold for the two groups. The recorded
behavior or changes in characteristics of each of the two
groups in response to the treatment they received or did not
receive during experimentation are compared to evaluate
the effect of the independent variable. The number of
experimental and control groups depends on the nature and
the design of the experiment.
 Extraneous Variables
When you do an experimental research, there may be variables
which affect the behavior or characteristics of the experimental
subjects that you are investigating even though you are not
concerned with these variables in the present study. These
variables are called extraneous variables. Extraneous variables
have to be controlled in order to eliminate their effect in the
subjects' behavior or characteristics.
In the example, the amount of water used to water
the tomato plants must be controlled. All the
subjects must receive the same amount of water at
the same time they are watered to eliminate chance
differences in behavior or characteristics across
different treatments.
There are two methods of controlling an
extraneous variable. One is to hold it constant. If it
cannot be held constant, the researcher can
randomize or distribute randomly its effect across
treatments.
 Continuous versus Discrete
Variables
In designing an experimental study, the researcher
has to specify the measurements that have to be
done in the course of the experimentation. He/She
has to know what kind of values the independent
and dependent variables will have.
There are two types of variable based on the values
of the measurement. Variables may either be
continuous or discrete (discontinuous).
Continuous variables are those that take
fractional values. Examples of this are length
and weight.
Example:
Height of students in a classroom
Height can take any value, such as 150.5
cm, 151.2 cm, or 150.75 cm. The range of
heights is continuous and not restricted
to specific discrete values.
Discrete or discontinuous variables are those
that assume fixed or exact amounts and have
no values in between whole exact numbers or
in between fixed points in a continuum.
The number of flowers per plant, the levels of
intensity of light (low, medium, and high) and
two temperature levels (25.0°C and 35.0°C)
are examples of discrete variables.
 Levels of Measurement of
Variables
The types of measurement of the variable will become the
basis in choosing the analytical procedure to be done on
the data. Levels of measurement are categorized into four
scales: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. It is essential
to know the level of measurement of each variable since it
has an implication for the statistics that must be applied in
analyzing the gathered data.
It is essential to know the level of
measurement of each variable since it has an
implication for the statistics that must be
applied in analyzing the gathered data.
 Nominal Scale

• The nominal scale is the lowest level of measurement.

It simply defines groups of the subjects. When the
values of the variables differ by category, the scale of
the measurement is nominal.
• The values are given different names hence, the
term nominal. Examples of these are temperature
levels (25.0°C and 35.0°C) and tomato variety
(cherry and native). Saying that one level or variety
is superior or higher than the others makes no sense
because they are just names for differentiation.
• Other examples are classifying people according
to sex (male, female), grouping people according
to type of drinks they take (softdrink, hard drinks,
beer, water), and grouping women according to
color of the hair (red, black, brown, blonde)
Survey Question: What is your favorite type of fruit?
Options:
• Apple
• Banana
• Orange
• Grape
• the responses are nominal because the fruit categories
are simply labels without any inherent ranking or
numerical significance.
 Ordinal Scale

• The ordinal scale is the next level of

measurement. The values of the variable in this
scale are not only given different names but they
are also arranged according to the amount or
quantity of the attribute or characteristic of the
subjects.
• Let us take for example the levels of intensity - low,
medium, and high. These suggest that they are
ranked from lowest to highest. However, the
difference in property or attribute between low and
medium may not be the same as the difference
between medium and high. You can just surmise
that medium is higher than low and high is higher
than medium.
• Survey Question: How satisfied are you with the online learning
platform you used?
Response Options (Ranked):
1.Very Dissatisfied
2.Dissatisfied
3.Neutral
4.Satisfied
5.Very Satisfied
Your data, therefore, is ordinal when your
subjects are placed into categories which can
be ranked or ordered in an ascending or
descending arrangement.
 Interval Scale

In the interval scale, equal differences between the

values of the measurements obtained for the
subjects would mean equal differences in the
amount of property or attributes the subjects
possess. In other words, the spacing between the
values along the scale of measurement is known.
 Ratio Scale

The ratio scale of measurement is similar to the

interval scale in terms of the known spacing
between the values along the scale. However, the
zero point in this scale indicates absence of the
property or attribute being measured.
A Ratio Scale is the highest level of measurement in data. It has
the following characteristics:
1.True Zero Point: Zero means "none" or "nothing exists" (e.g., 0
weight means no weight).
2.Equal Intervals: The difference between values is consistent
(e.g., 2 cm and 3 cm have the same difference as 10 cm and 11
cm).
3.Ratios Are Meaningful: You can compare values using
multiplication or division (e.g., 20 kg is twice as heavy as 10 kg).
Simple Example:
• Height: A person who is 0 cm tall has no height. Someone
who is 180 cm tall is twice as tall as someone who is 90
cm.
• Weight: A weight of 0 kg means no weight. A 20 kg object
is four times as heavy as a 5 kg object.
QUESTIONS?