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Variables in Research

This document discusses variables in research. It defines variables as simplified portions of complex phenomena that are studied. Variables must be measurable by counting or using a scale. Examples of variables related to climate change, crime rates, student performance, fish kills, and crop growth are provided. Independent variables may influence dependent variables. Understanding variables is crucial for developing a research proposal and analyzing data, as variables allow statistical analysis of relationships and differences.

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Joice Ann Polinar
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222 views

Variables in Research

This document discusses variables in research. It defines variables as simplified portions of complex phenomena that are studied. Variables must be measurable by counting or using a scale. Examples of variables related to climate change, crime rates, student performance, fish kills, and crop growth are provided. Independent variables may influence dependent variables. Understanding variables is crucial for developing a research proposal and analyzing data, as variables allow statistical analysis of relationships and differences.

Uploaded by

Joice Ann Polinar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF VARIABLES IN RESEARCH?

OCTOBER 22, 2012 REGONIEL, PATRICK A. 111 COMMENTS

In the course of writing your thesis, one of the first terms that you encounter is the word variable.
Failure to understand the meaning and the usefulness of variables in your study will prevent you
from doing good research. What then are variables and how do you use variables in your study? I
explain the concept below with lots of examples on variables commonly used in research.

You may find it difficult to understand just what variables are in the context of research especially
those that deal with quantitative data analysis. This initial difficulty about variables becomes much
more confusing when you encounter the phrases “dependent variable” and “independent
variable” as you go deeper in studying this important concept of research as well as statistics.

Understanding what variables mean is crucial in writing your thesis proposal because you will
need these in constructing your conceptual framework and in analyzing the data that you have
gathered. Therefore, it is a must that you should be able to grasp thoroughly the meaning of
variables and ways on how to measure them. Yes, the variables should be measurable so that you
will be able to use your data for statistical analysis.

I will strengthen your understanding by providing examples of phenomena and their


corresponding variables below.

Definition of Variables and Examples

Variables are those simplified portions of the complex phenomena that you intend to study. The
word variable is derived from the root word “vary”, meaning, changing in amount, volume,
number, form, nature or type. These variables should be measurable, i.e., they can be counted or
subjected to a scale.

The following examples of phenomena from a global to a local perspective. The corresponding list
of variables is given to provide a clear illustration of how complex phenomena can be broken
down into manageable pieces for better understanding and to subject the phenomena to research.

Phenomenon: climate change


Examples of variables related to climate change:

sea level
temperature
the amount of carbon emission
the amount of rainfall
Phenomenon: Crime and violence in the streets
Examples of variables related to crime and violence:

number of robberies
number of attempted murders
number of prisoners
number of crime victims
number of laws enforcers
number of convictions
number of car napping incidents
Phenomenon: poor performance of students in college entrance exams
Examples of variables related to poor academic performance:

entrance exam score


number of hours devoted to studying
student-teacher ratio
number of students in the class
educational attainment of teachers
teaching style
the distance of school from home
number of hours devoted by parents in providing tutorial support
Phenomenon: Fishkill
Examples of variables related to fish kill:

dissolved oxygen
water salinity
temperature
age of fish
presence or absence of parasites
presence or absence of heavy metal
stocking density
Phenomenon: Poor crop growth
Examples of variables related to poor crop growth:

the amount of nitrogen in the soil


the amount of phosphorous in the soil
the amount of potassium in the ground
the amount of rainfall
frequency of weeding
type of soil
temperature
Arid land
Poor crop growth in the arid soil of a hill in an island.
Notice in the above examples of variables that all of them can be counted or measured using a
scale. The expected values derived from these variables will, therefore, be in terms of numbers,
amount, category or type. Quantified variables allow statistical analysis. Variable correlations or
differences are then determined.
Difference Between Independent and Dependent Variables

Which of the above examples of variables are the independent and the dependent variables? The
independent variables are just those variables that may influence or affect the other variable, i.e.,
the dependent variable.

For example, in the first phenomenon of climate change, temperature (independent variable) may
influence sea level (dependent variable). Increased temperature will cause expansion of water in
the sea. Thus, sea level rise on a global scale may occur. In the second phenomenon, i.e., crime
and violence in the streets, the independent variable may be the number of law enforcers and the
dependent variable is the number of robberies.

I will leave to you the other variables so you can figure out how this works.

How will you know that one variable may cause the other to behave in a certain way? Finding the
relationship between variables require a thorough review of the literature. Through a review of the
relevant and reliable literature, you will be able to find out which variables influence the other
variable. You do not just simply guess relationships between variables. The whole process is the
essence of research.

At this point, I believe that the concept of the variable is now clear to you. Share this information
to your peers who may have difficulty in understanding what the variables are in research.

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