rESEARCH VARIABLES (INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT).pptx

Research variables are characteristics or attributes that can be measured or changed in a study. They're the building blocks of any research design, as they allow you to explore relationships and test hypotheses. Think of a variable as anything that can vary or take on different values. 🧠

1. VARIABLES PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

2. Variables variables are the elements, traits, or conditions that can change or vary within a study. They are the factors that researchers observe, measure, or manipulate to understand relationships, test hypotheses, or explore phenomena.

3. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) DISCRETE VARIABLES Definition: Variables that can take on a countable number of distinct values . Characteristics: Usually whole numbers (integers). Cannot be subdivided meaningfully (you can't have 2.5 children, for example). Often the result of counting . Examples: Number of students in a class (e.g., 25) Number of cars owned Number of siblings Test scores (if only whole numbers are used)

4. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) CONTINUOUS VARIABLES Definition: Variables that can take on any value within a given range , including fractions and decimals . Characteristics: Can be measured (not just counted). Have infinite possible values within a range. Values can be subdivided infinitely (in theory). Examples: Height (e.g., 170.5 cm) Weight (e.g., 62.3 kg) Time (e.g., 2.75 hours) Temperature (e.g., 36.6°C)

5. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) NOMINAL VARIABLES (CATEGORICAL, NO ORDER) Definition: Variables that represent categories with no inherent order . Unit of Measurement: Names or labels. Examples: Gender (male, female, other) Marital status (single, married, divorced) Blood type (A, B, AB, O)

6. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) ORDINAL VARIABLES (CATEGORICAL, ORDERED) Definition: Variables with categories that have a logical order , but the differences between levels aren’t equal . Unit of Measurement: Rankings or ordered labels. Examples: Education level (high school, bachelor’s, master’s, PhD) Satisfaction rating (very dissatisfied to very satisfied) Socioeconomic status (low, middle, high)

7. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) INTERVAL VARIABLES (NUMERIC, EQUAL INTERVALS, NO TRUE ZERO) Definition: Variables measured on a scale with equal intervals but no absolute zero . Unit of Measurement: Continuous numbers with meaningful differences. Examples: Temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit IQ scores Dates (e.g., years like 1990, 2000)

8. Types of Variables by Unit of Measurement (Levels of Measurement) RATIO VARIABLES (NUMERIC, EQUAL INTERVALS, TRUE ZERO) Definition: Variables with all the properties of interval variables plus a true zero point, meaning zero means absence. Unit of Measurement: Continuous numbers with a true zero. Examples: Height (cm, inches) Weight (kg, pounds) Age (years) Income ($)

9. Instructions: Read each question carefully and identify the correct type or classification of the variable being described. Write the correct answer A variable measured using categories like "red", "blue", and "green" without any order. A variable representing education levels: "High School", "Bachelor’s", "Master’s", "PhD". A variable like temperature in Celsius that has equal intervals but no true zero. A variable such as weight in kilograms, where zero means none and differences are meaningful.

10. Instructions: Read each question carefully and identify the correct type or classification of the variable being described. Write the correct answer The number of children in a household. The height of students measured in centimeters. The time it takes to complete a test (in minutes and seconds). The number of cars parked in a parking lot. Number of different species in the forest