Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research

Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020

MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

I. A. Learning Objectives:
1. Recall the concept of variable
2. Explore the different types and uses of variables, and how they may be used in
research
3. Distinguish between a dependent and an independent variable.

B. Student’s Weekly Learning Goals:

1. Define the word VARIABLE and give examples.

2. Read the Lesson Content “The Use of Variables”
3. Categorize the following variables according to their kind.
4. For each of the following situations:
a. Identify the independent variable/s
b. Name the dependent variable
5. Explain or give the importance of having a variable/s in writing the title of your study.

1. Define the word VARIABLE and give at least 5 examples.

2. Lesson Content

The main objective of research is to solve problems and improve the well-being of
society and humanity. Doing research is an exhaustive endeavor that requires careful or diligent
search, purposeful inquiry, investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and
interpretation of facts , revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts or practical
application of such new or revised theories or laws, it can also be the collection of information
about a particular subject. (Webster, 1985).
Research cannot be possible without taking into account measurable factors that are subject to
change due to certain conditions or situations. Anything that can change in research due to
circumstances is called a variable.

Definition of a Variable
A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category which can
be measured
(Kalof, Dan & Dietz, 2008).

Variables in Research
Many variables exist in research; however, it is extremely difficult to account for all of
them because what can be considered as a variable in one study may not necessarily be a variable
in another study.
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

Essential to doing research is the identification of the variables to be used in the investigation.
Variable is the characteristics of a data set. A variable is something that can change, such as
gender, which can be either male or female; age which can be 10,15, 25, 37 or 40 years old.
These two sample variables are typically the focus of a study. Related to variables are
characteristics which are sub-values of a variable, such as “male” and “female” based on the
variable gender. The attributes of the variable are the possible observations or the data to be
processed. A variable usually contains at least two values.

To further illustrate, in a study of high school student’s preference for toothpaste, the
brand of toothpaste is the variable. The different brands A, B, and C are the attributes. For each
respondent, the responses could be brand A, brand B, or brand C. If the study is on the effect of
using technology in teaching a Speech subject, effect is the variable. Responses could be limited
to 1 , for “very effective”, 2 for “moderately effective”, 3 for “not so effective”, and 4 for
“ineffective”. The variable effect will thus take the attributes of 1,2,3 or 4 for every respondent.

Characteristic of a Variable
It is important to note that variables may have the following characteristics:
 They have a prescriptive period /duration when they start and stop.
 They may have a pattern such as daily, weekly and monthly
 They are detailed though the summary is thorough and profound
 There may be dormancy which is the time gap between measuring dependent and
independent variable, because some things do not take effect right way

Types of Variables

All researches have at least two types of variables: independent and dependent. The
independent variable (IV), the input variable, is the probable cause of an event. It is
independent of everything that transpires during the experiment because once it is selected, it
does not easily change. It is the variable that is controlled by the researcher since he may
manipulate to determine if it will effect change in the dependent variable. It is like steering wheel
of a vehicle that the researcher drives.
On the other hand, the dependent variable (DV), or outcome variable, is the outcome of the
study. It is affected by the independent variable. It changes as a result of the modifications made
on the independent variable. It is something that depends on other factors.

For example, for a study on factors affecting Filipino’s attitude towards health food, the
dependent variable is Filipino’s attitude towards health food since it is the subject of the study.
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

The possible factors that affect the attitude may be gender, age, economic status to name a few.
These are the independent variables.
In a study to determine the effect of work experience, and gender and age on work performance,
performance ratings would be our dependent variable because it is dependent on certain factors.
The independent variables are work experience, gender and age. Work experience may be
measured in number of years in the job, gender may be male versus female, and age may be
older versus younger employees.

To further illustrate, if a study would like to establish the effect of certain factors on test
scores of students, the dependent variable is test score. The independent variables may be the
amount of study time allotted by the student, the amount of sleep during the previous night, and
the disposition of the student while taking the test. Usually when looking for a relationship
between two things, the researcher finds out what makes the dependent variable change the way
it does.

There are also extraneous variables which could provide alternative explanations or cast
suspicion on the conclusions. Note that in an experiment there may be additional variables
outside the manipulated independent variable and the measured dependent variables. It is up to
the researcher to put up measures to control these factors in the research process.

The Relationship between Dependent and Independent Variables

The relationship between independent variable and dependent variables is that

independent variables cause a change in the dependent variable. It is not possible for a dependent
variable to cause a change in an independent variable.

For example, time spent practicing/ rehearsing causes a change in performance rating and
it is not possible that performance ratings could cause a change in time spent practicing.
Therefore, time spent practicing must be the independent variable and performance rating must
be the dependent variable because the sentence doesn’t make sense the other way around.

The other relationship can be traced from its terms independent and dependent referring
to the relationship between these two types of variables. The terms have meaning only with
respect to each other. In the case of dependent variable, its value or behavior is considered
dependent, to an extent, upon the value of the independent variable but not the other way around.

The other relationship can be traced can be traced from its terms independent and
dependent referring to the relationship between these two types of variables. The terms have
meaning only with respect to each other. In the case of the dependent variable, its value or
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

behavior is considered dependent, to an extent, upon the value of the independent variable but
not the other way around. That is why it is considered “dependent”. The independent variable, on
the other hand, is truly independent from the dependent variable. Its value does not change
according to the value of the dependent variable. In many researches, the major task for
researchers is to be able to determine the relationship between the independent and dependent
variables, such that if the independent variable is changed, then the researcher will be able to
accurately predict how the dependent variable will change.

Kinds of Variables

1. Variables according to the number of categories

a. Categorical variables- represent unordered categories, groups, or classes
Examples: multiple intelligence, learning styles, civil status
b. Dichotomous variables- represent only two categories
Examples: sex (male or female), side (left and right), diabetes (type 1 and 2 diabetes)
c. Polychotomous variables- have more than two categories
Examples: educational attainment, economic status
d. Continuous variables- take on any of a range of value
Examples: weight, height, speed, blood glucose level

2. Variables used in an experiment

a. Independent variables- the reasons behind the changes in the dependent variables, also called
the “reason variable”
b. Dependent variables- the variables that are affected by the cause

3. Variables according to nature

a. Concrete variables- variables that can be perceived through the senses
Examples: height, skin, color, taste
b. Abstract variables- variables of quality
Examples: knowledge level, perception level, recovery rate

4. Variables according to the number being studied

a. Univariate study- one variable is being studied
b. Bivariate study- two variables are being studied
c. Polyvariate study- more than 2 variables are being studied
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

The Importance between Dependent and Independent Variables

The importance of dependent and independent variables is that they guide the researchers to
pursue their studies with maximum curiosity. Dependent and independent variables are important
because they drive the research process. As defined earlier, a variable as opposed to a constant is
simply anything that can vary and that many researchers consistently look at the relationship
between these two variables. While the variation of an independent variable will influence the
variation of dependent variable, both variables give the study a focus. Dependent and
independent variables are also important because they determine the causes and effects in
research. Although not all independent and dependent variables are causal related variables, the
notion of cause and effect can help clarify the idea of “independence” in the independent
variable and “dependence” in the dependent variable.

References:

Cristobal, A., Cristobal, M. (2016). Practical Research 1.C &E Publishing, Inc.

Uy, C., Cabauatan R., De Castro, B., Grajo, J., (2016). Practical Research 2. C &E Publishing,
Inc.

3. Direction: Categorize the following variables according to their kind. Follow the legend
below and write your answers on the space provided.
NC- Variables according to the number of categories
E - Variables according to experiment
N - Variables according to nature
NS- Variables according to the number being studied
_______________1. Bivariate study _______________6. Concrete variables
_______________2. Abstract variables _______________7. Polychotomous variables
_______________3. Continuous variables _______________8. Univariate variables
_______________4. Categorical variables _______________9. Dependent variables
_______________5. Independent variables _______________10. Dichotomous variables

4. For each of the following situations:

a. Identify the independent variable/s
b. Name the dependent variable
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

1. A study on the effect of gender on the academic performance of students.

a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

2. A study on the relation of length of study period and the grades of the students.
a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

3. A study on high school student’s choice of types of movies.

a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

4. A study on customer’s satisfaction based on the quality of food offered in a restaurant.

a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________

5. A study on whether the choice of type of footwear differs between genders.

a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________

6. A study on the extent to which work efficiency affects employee retention.

a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________

7. A study on the relation between age and internet search engine preference
a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________

8. A study on the time required for mice to respond to different decibels of sound.
a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

9. A study on the relationship between average family income and food expenditure
a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

10. A study on the relation between study habits and performance of grade 10 students
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

a.______________________________________________________________________
b.______________________________________________________________________

5. Explain or give the importance of having variables in writing the title of your study.
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Instruction: Once accomplished of the learning goals 3, 4 and 5, please take a photo of the pages and send it to your section
representative, and he/she will be the one to send the file to my email ad..
Subject: Practical Research 2 Topic: The Use of Variables in Research
Quarter: 1 Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2020
MODULE 4 Page 1 of 8

NAME: _________________________________________ Grade & Section: _____________

IV. LEARNING GAINS

When can we consider if a variable is dependent and independent? Illustrate your answer by
giving concrete examples.
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Instruction: Once accomplished, please detach this page for the inclusion in your monthly portfolio.