Practical Research 2

Quarter 1

Applying Quality Standards

 LESSON 3: KINDS OF VARIABLES and THEIR USES

THE VARIABLES IN RESEARCH

The term ‘variable’ has been mentioned several times so that it is

necessary to define it here. In research, a variable refers to a “characteristics
that has two or more mutually exclusive values or properties” (Sevilla and
Other, 1988). Sex, for instance, has two properties which are maleness and
femaleness. The ages of different persons have different values; so with their
size, height, weight and income. The phenomenon of variety is what makes
life interesting; it is one of the motivating factors of the research undertaking.
The root word of the word variable is “vary” or simply “can change”. These
variables are among the fundamental concepts of research, alongside with
measurement, validity, reliability, cause and effect; and theory. Bernard
(1994) defines a variable as something that can take more than one value,
and values can be words or numbers.
A variable specifically refers to characteristics, or attribute of an
individual or an organization that can be measured or observed and that
varies among the people or organization being studied (Creswell, 2002).

TYPES OF VARIABLES (ALLEN, TITSWORTH, HUNT, 2009)

1. CONTINUOUS VARIABLES – A variable that can take infinite number on

the value that can occur within the population. Its values can be divided
into fractions. Examples of this type of variable include age, height, and
temperature. Continuous variables can be further categorized as:

a. INTERVAL VARIABLES – It have values that lie along an evenly

dispersed range of numbers. It is a measurement where the
difference between two values does have meaning. Examples of
interval data include temperature, a person’s net worth (how much
money you have when you subtract your debt from your assets), etc.
In temperature, this may illustrate as the difference between a
temperature of 60 degrees and 50 degrees is the same as difference
between 30 degrees and 20 degrees. The interval between values
makes sense and can be interpreted.
b. RATIO VARIABLES – It have values that lie along an evenly
dispersed range of numbers when there is absolute zero. It possesses
the properties of interval variable and has a clear definition of zero,
indication that there is none of that variable. Examples of which are
height, weight, and distance. Most scores stemming from response to
survey items are ratio-level values because they typically cannot go
below zero. Temperature measured in degrees Celsius and degrees

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 Fahrenheit is not a ratio variable because 0 under these
temperatures scales does not mean no temperature at all.

2. DISCRETE VARIABLES – This is also known as categorical or

classificatory variable. This is any variable that has limited number of
distinct values and which cannot be divided into fractions like sex, blood
group, and number of children in family. Discrete variable may also
categorized into:

a. NOMINAL VARIABLE – It represent categories that cannot be

ordered in any particular way. It is a variable with no quantitative
value. It has two or more categories but does not imply ordering of
cases. Common examples of this variable include eye color, business
type, religion, biological sex, political affiliation, basketball fan
affiliation, etc. A sub-type of nominal scale with only two categories
just like sex is known as dichotomous.
b. ORDINAL VARIABLE – It represent categories that can be ordered
from greatest to smallest. This variable has two or more categories
which can be ranked. Examples of ordinal variable include education
level, income brackets, etc. An illustration of this is, if you asked
people if they liked listening to music while studying and they could
answer either “NOT VERY MUCH”, “MUCH”, “VERY MUCH” then you
have an ordinal variable. While you can rank them, we cannot place a
value to them. In this type, distances between attributes do not have
any meaning. For example, you used educational attainment as a
variable on survey, you might code elementary school graduates = 1,
high graduates = 2, college undergraduate = 3, and college graduate
= 4. In this measure, higher number means greater education. Even
though we can rank these from lowest to highest, the spacing
between the values may not be the same across the levels of the
variables. The distance between 3 and 4 is not the
same with the distance between 1 and 2.

KINDS OF VARIABLES

Several experts have lumped together the following as the major kinds of
variables:

1. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES – Those that probably cause, influence, or

affect outcomes. They are invariably called treatment, manipulated,
antecedent or predictor variables. This is the cause variable or the one

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 responsible for the conditions that act on something else to bring about
changes.

EXAMPLE: A study is on the relationship of study habits and academic

performance of UTNHS senior high school students. STUDY HABITS 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 of the influence of the
independent variable. That is why it is also called outcome variable.

EXAMPLE: A study is on the relationship of study habits and academic

performance of UTNHS senior high school students. ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE is the dependent variable because it is depending on the
study habits of the students; if the students change their study habit the
academic performance also change.

3. INTERVENING OR MEDLING VARIABLES – Variables that “stand

between” the independent and dependent variables, and they show the
effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

EXAMPLE: Consider the given below. Even if farm production is good, if

the attitude towards payment is negative, loan repayment would be low,
whereas, if the attitude towards repayment is positive or favorable, loan
repayment would be high.

FARM ATTITUDE
PRODUCTION LOAN
TOWARDS
REPAYMENT
REPAYMENT

DV IV DV

4. CONTROL VARIABLES – A special types of independent variables that

are measured in the 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
variable can be determined.

5. CONFOUNDING VARIABLES – Variables that are not actually

measured or observed in a study. They exist but their influence cannot
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 be directly detected in a study. Researchers comment on the influence
of confounding variables after the study has been completed, because
these variables may have operated to explain the relationship between
the independent variables and dependent variable, but they were not or
could not be easily assessed.

Reference
Mariano, J.M. (2020). Practical research 2: Quantitative research, Lesson 3,
Week 3: Nature and inquiry of research. Kinds of variables and their uses
[Module]. Retrieved from
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11E5jP19QZ9pVpp_NvH1d1ea_3cN_
km5r?fbclid=Iw AR04QGciu8sHRKB8msWuP-
a3Ju3KLoJrwo4VEa4XGjMFBwPihma8fNv5em4

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 Name:_________________________________________

Grade/Section:_________________________________

Activity
Answer the questions below following the instruction given in each
test.

Identification. Identify the variables and the constant in each title of

study presented below.
Determine the independent and dependent variable; then determine whether
discrete or continuous variable.

Research Title: A study on the relationship of study habits and

academic performance of BSU college students.

CONSTANT VARIABLES

INDEPENDENT DISCRETE/ DEPENDENT DISCRETE/

CONTINOUS CONTINOUS

Score/ Rating:____________