It is something that can take more than one

value, and values can be words or numbers.

The values of variables under study are the
research data.

Variables
and their
types
defined
Types of Variables
Agenda
• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable
• Intervening/Mediating Variable
• Organismic Variable
• Control/Constant Variable
• Interval variable
• Ratio variable
• Nominal/Categorical variable
• Ordinal variable
• Dummy variables
• Preference variable
• Multiple response variable
• Extraneous Variable
Dependent Variable

▷Variable affected by the independent

variable
▷It responds to the independent variable.
Independent Variable

• Variable that is presumed to influence

other variable
• It is the presumed cause, whereas the
dependent variable is the presumed
effect.
Example 1
“How stress affects
You are interested in
mental state of human beings?”
Independent variable ----- Stress
Dependent variable ---- mental state of human
beings
You can directly manipulate stress levels in your
human subjects and measure how those stress levels
change mental state.
Example 2

Promotion affects employees’

motivation

Independent variable ----- Promotion

Dependent variable ----Employees

motivation
Other Names for Dependent and
Independent Variables

Dependent Variable Independent

Variable
Explained Explanatory

Predictand Predictor

Regressand Regressor

Response Stimulus

Outcome Covariate

Controlled Control
Intervening/Mediating Variable

It is a variable whose existence is inferred

but it cannot be measured.
Example 1
Determining the effect of video clips on learning
ability of the SHS students of SNHS

The association between video clips and learning ability

needs to be explained.

Other variables intervene

Such as anxiety, fatigue, motivation, improper diet, etc.

 Intervening/Mediating Variable
(Contd.)

It is caused by the independent variable and is

itself a cause of the dependent variable.
Example 2
Higher education typically leads to
higher income

• Higher education----(independent variable)

• Higher income----(dependent variable)
• Better occupation---- intervening variable

It is causally affected by education and itself affects

income.
Organismic Variable

Any characteristic of the research

participant/individual under study that can
be used for classification

Such as personal characteristics of gender,

height, weight, age, etc. in behavioral sciences.
Control/Constant variable
▷It is variable that is NOT allowed to be
changed unpredictably during an
experiment.

▷As they are ideally expected to remain the

same, they are also called constant
variables.
Example

An example of a constant variable is the

voltage from a power supply.

If you are examining “How electricity

affects experimental subjects” you
should keep the voltage constant,
otherwise the energy supplied will change
as the voltage will be changed.
Interval Variable
• Interval variables have a numerical value

• These have order and equal intervals.

• They allow not only to rank order the items that are
measured but also to quantify and compare the
magnitudes of differences between them.
Example
Suppose you have a variable such as monthly income
that is measured in rupees, and we have three people
who make

• Rs. 10,000
• Rs. 15,000 and
• Rs. 20,000
Ratio Variable

A ratio variable is similar to an interval variable with

one difference: the ratio makes sense.
Example
• Let’s say respondents were being surveyed about their
stress levels on a scale of 0-10.

• A respondent with a stress level of 10 should have twice

the stress experienced as a respondent who selected a
stress level of 5.

Age, height, and weight are also good examples of ratio

variables. Someone who is 6’.0” tall is twice as tall as
someone who is 3’.0” tall.
Nominal/Categorical Variable

▷ They can be measured only in terms of whether the

individual items belong to certain distinct categories
▷ We cannot quantify or even rank/order the categories:
▷ Nominal data has no order
▷ One cannot perform arithmetic (+, -, /, *) or logical
operations (>, <, =) on the nominal data.
Example

Gender: 1. Male
(Dichotomous Variable) 2. Female

Marital Status: 1. Unmarried

2. Married
3. Divorcee
4. Widower
Ordinal Variable
▷ An ordinal variable is a nominal variable, but its
different states are ordered in a meaningful
sequence.
▷ Ordinal data has order but the intervals between
scale points may be uneven.
▷ Because of lack of equal distances, arithmetic
operations are impossible, but logical operations
can be performed on the ordinal data.
▷ A typical example of an ordinal variable is the
socio-economic status of families.
We know 'upper middle' is higher than 'middle'
but we cannot say 'how much higher'.
Example
A questionnaire on the time involvement of scientists in
the 'perception and identification of research problems'.
The respondents were asked to indicate their involvement
by selecting one of the following codes:

1 = Very low
2 = Low
3 = Medium
4 = Great
5 = Very great

Here, the variable 'Time Involvement' is an ordinal

variable with 5 states.
Dummy Variable

A qualitative variable can be transformed into

quantitative variable(s), called dummy variable.
Example
Description Variable Code
f- female
Gender gender
m-male
D-Gender
Dummy Variable Female---1
otherwise 0
1-Clerical
Job Category JOBCAT 2-Coustodian
3-Manager
D1-Job D2-Job
Category Category
Dummy Variable
Clerical---1 Custodian---1
otherwise 0 otherwise 0
Preference Variable
Preference variables are specific discrete variables whose values are
either in a decreasing or increasing order.

Example:

In a survey, a respondent may be asked to indicate the importance of

the following FIVE sources of information in his research and
development work, by using the code [1] for the most important
source and [5] for the least important source.
Multiple Response Variable

Multiple response variables are those which

can assume more than one value
Example
A typical example is a survey questionnaire about the use of
computers in research.
The respondents were asked to indicate the purpose(s) for which they
use computers in their research work. The respondents could score
more than one category.
1.Statistical analysis
2.Lab automation/process control
3.Data base management, storage and retrieval
4.Modeling and simulation
5.Scientific and engineering calculations
6.Computer aided design (CAD)
Extraneous Variable

Extraneous variables are undesirable variables that

influence the relationship between the variables that
an experimenter/researcher is examining.
Example
An educational psychologist has developed a new learning
strategy and is interested in examining the effectiveness of this
strategy.
The experimenter randomly assigns students into two groups. All of
the students study text materials on a biology topic for thirty minutes.
One group uses the new strategy and the other uses a strategy of
their choice.

Then all students complete a test over the materials.

Extraneous variable ------ pre-knowledge of the biology topic

 •Students’ Locus of Control
ACTIVITY THREE and their Academic

Which goes Performance

• Elderlys’ Rights and Well-
where? being Dimensions: Their
Relationship
Independent Dependent • Linking Internal
Communication Strategies of
Top Level Management to
Middle Level Managers’
Performance
• Technological, Pedagogical,
and Content Knowledge of In-
Service Millennial Teachers: A
Survey
Indentify the variables at the• right
Predictors of theon the
based
Performance in the Licensure
color-coded columns.
Examination for Teachers
 ACTIVITY FOUR • Daily Allowance ($20, $30, $40)

Which goes • Availability of Internet

Connection (Fast, Average,

where? •
Slow)
Time (AM, Noon, PM)
Nominal Interval Ratio Ordinal • Temperature (High, Moderate,
Low)
• Test Score
• Position in Student Government
• Cellphone Brand
• Height
• Cellphone number
• Class rank in the honor roll
Classify the variables at the right based on their
“level of measurement” to the three others in the
 Quantitive Research
Its IMPORTANCE
ACROSS FIELDS

Various fields that employ quantitative research

 English More reliable and objective  Looks at relationships between
 Can use statistics to generalise a
 Mathematics variables and can establish
finding cause and effect in highly
 Science controlled circumstances
Often reduces and restructures a
 Filipino complex problem to a limited  Assumes sample is
number of variables representative of the population
 Social Science  Subjectivity of researcher in

Less detailed than qualitative data
 STEM Education
which may miss a desired methodology is recognized less
response from the participant Assumptions in statistical
 Accountancy, Business & Management methods
 Tests theories or hypotheses
 Why is quantitative research important
across fields?
▷Research is conducted to find solutions to pressing
problems/issues that are affecting the society. It is
one way of coming up with tentative solutions to
problems. Through research, we can improve our
way of life as it is simply to find answers to questions
or solutions in daily life. In natural and social
sciences, quantitative research is the systematic,
empirical investigation of observable phenomena via
statistical and mathematical techniques.
 Different fields where quantitative research
is considered important.

▷Quantitative Research and Anthropology. Many discoveries in this

field like human behavior in the society, racial conflicts and human
evolution have given enormous contributions to the improvement
of human life.
▷Quantitative Research and Communication. Researchers are often
interested in how an understanding of a particular communication
phenomena might be generalized to a larger population. Example:
What communicative behaviors are used to respond to co-workers
displaying emotional stress?
▷Quantitative Research and Medicine. This tends to be
predominantly observational research based on surveys or
correlational studies. > Experimental research designs may enhance
the quality of medical education.
▷Quantitative Research and Behavioral Science. The output of this
research focuses on how human behavior relates with another
people and also the individual differences that may affect human.
▷Quantitative Research in Education and Psychology. Many
educational principles in understanding human behavior are the
offshoot of this research
▷Quantitative Research in Technical, Vocational & Livelihood. The
output of this research focuses on how technical, vocational, and
livelihood programs improve the technical know-how of the people
affecting the development and progress of the society
 Directions: Below are sample topics for quantitative research by area of
discipline. Read each item and identify the area of discipline. Write the letter
that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. The role of women in Philippine society
2. Allergy and immunology
3. Emotional profile of Badjao foster children
A. - Anthropology
4. Privacy in social networking
B. - Communication
5. Development of critical thinking
C. - Medicine
6. Academic performance among working students
D. - Behavioral Science
7. Family issues
E. - Education & Psychology
8. Fashion trends
F. - Social Science
9. Respiratory problem
G. - Technical, Vocational &
10.The influence of language in culture
Livelihood
11.Skills in Dressmaking
12.Production of Cookies
13.Preservation of Fish
14.Putting up of Fish Pond
15.Electrical Consumption