VARIABLES

VARIABLES
 The word variable is derived from the root word “vary”.

 variable is a characteristic, or a quantity of a phenomenon that

can be measured or classified

Jack, R. F., Norman, W., & Helen, H. H. (2016). How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education. New
York: McGraw- Hill.
TYPES OF VARIABLES
INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE

DEPENDENT
VARIABLE

INTERVENING
VARIABLE

CONSTANT
VARIABLE

EXTRANEOUS
VARIABLE

MODERATOR
VARIABLE
 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
 Are those that the researcher has control over.

 Sometimes called as an experimental or predictor variable.

For example:
The effectiveness of using Digital Storytelling to improve
narrative writing skill.

The effectiveness of using Digital Storytelling to improve

narrative writing skill.

Variables. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from

http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsen/ResearchMethods/RM_2_14.html
Dependent Variable

 A dependent variable is what you measure in the

experiment and what is affected during the experiment.

 It is called dependent because it "depends" on the

independent variable.

 In a scientific experiment, you cannot have a dependent

variable without an independent variable.
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
 Caused by the changes by the independent
variable.

 The dependent variable is the variable a

researcher is interested in.

 Outcome variable.

 Respond to the independent variable.

 The changes to the dependent variable are what

the researcher is trying to measure with all their
fancy techniques.

For example:

The effectiveness of using Digital Storytelling to

improve narrative writing skill
RECALLING!
PLEASE IDENTIFY INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT
VARIABLES
 The impact of a drug on cancer.
 How many days people can eat soup until they
get sick.
 The higher the temperature of water, the faster
an egg will boil.

Answers:

Independent Dependent
a drug cancer
b days taken getting sick
c Temperature of water Time to cook an egg
Variables. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from
http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsen/ResearchMethods/RM_2_14.html
OTHER NAMES FOR DEPENDENT AND
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

Dependent Variable Independent

Variable
Explained Explanatory

Predict Predictor

Regress Regressor

Response Stimulus

Outcome Covariate

Controlled Control
 INTERVENING VARIABLES
 Known as Mediating variables.
 A control variable that follows an independent variable but precedes
the dependent variable in a causal sequence.
 It is a variable whose existence is inferred but it cannot be measured.
 They are not real variables.
 They are interpretations of observed facts, not facts themselves. But
they create the illusion of being facts.
For example,
The effectiveness of using Digital Storytelling to improve narrative
writing skill.

The effectiveness lack of to improve

of using Digital technology narrative writing
Storytelling access skill

Statistics How To. (2014). Retrieved March 8, 2017 from http://www.statisticshowto.com/intervening-

variable/
How does it works?
 explain relationships between variables.

 it is not proven that the indirect variable is directly

causing the dependent variable to behave as it does.

 When this occurs, researchers then hypothesize what

other variables could be influencing the relationship, or
how a variable might "intervene" between the two.
Constant Variables
 Defined as a characteristics or condition that is the same for all
individuals in the research.

 If all respondents in a research have the same age, the

characteristic “age” is a constant.

 the variables that are not measured in a particular study must

be held constant, neutralized/balanced, or eliminated, so they
will not have a biasing effect on the other variables.

 Variables that have been controlled in this way are called

control/constant variables.
Variables. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from
http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsen/ResearchMethods/RM_2_14.html
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
 Extraneous Variables are undesirable variables that
influence the relationship between the variables that an
experimenter is examining.

 These variables influence the outcome of a research, though

they are not the variables that are actually of interest.

 Extraneous variables are dangerous. They may damage a

study's validity.

 A major goal in research design is to decrease or control the

influence of extraneous variables as much as possible.

 If they cannot be controlled, extraneous variables must at

least be taken into consideration when interpreting results.
 Example:
 The principal of a high school compares the final examination scores of
two history classes taught by teachers who use different methods (not
realizing that they are also different in many other ways because of
extraneous variables)

 The classes differ in:

-Size of class
- Gender of students
- Gender of teacher
- Age of teacher
- Time of day class meets
- Days of week class meets
- Length of class

Hall, R. (1998). Extraneous and Confounding Variables and Systematic vs Non-Systematic Error.
Retrieved March 5, 2017, from https://web.mst.edu/~psyworld/extraneous.htm.
MODERATOR VARIABLES
 secondary independent variable.

 to determine if it affects or modifies the basic relationship between

primary independent variable and the dependent variable.

x y

independent variable Z dependent variable

moderator
 INDEPENDENT VS MODERATOR
VARIABLES

 The essential difference between independent

and moderator variables lies in how the
researcher views each in the study.

 For independent variables, the concern is with

their direct relationship to the dependent
variable, whereas for moderator variables, the
concern is with their effect on that relationship.

variables and measurement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/guesta861fa/variables-

and-measurement-scales