Learning Outcomes

ICTE 1043
Statistical Analysis with Software Application
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
Week 1
1. Discuss the different types of variables
2. Classify variables into levels of measurement.

Variable Qualities of Variables

❑ a characteristic or an attribute that can assume different values. ❑ Exhaustive

– Should include all possible answerable responses
Dichotomous Variable
 A variable that can have only two values ❑ Mutually exclusive
– No respondent should be able to have two attributes simultaneously
e.g. Employed vs. Unemployed
- it is possible to be both if looking for a second job while employed
Types of Variables Qualitative Variables

❑ Variables that do not assume numeric values

Variable
❑ Variable whose observations vary in kind but not in degree
e.g. Sex
Qualitative/ Quantitative/
categorical variable numerical variable Religion
Marital status
Discrete Continuous

Quantitative Variables Discrete Variable

❑ Variables which assume numeric values ❑ Quantitative variables whose observations can assume only a
countable number of values
❑ Variable whose observations vary in magnitude
❑ Values are obtained by counting
e.g. Age
e.g. No. of children in the family
No. of children
No. of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines
Income
No. of dates in the past month
Continuous Variable Independent and Dependent Variables

❑ Quantitative variables whose observations can assume any one of the ❑ Independent Variable
countless number of values.
- Cause or determine or influence the dependent variable(s)
❑ Values are obtained by measuring
e.g. Height ❑ Dependent Variable
- Presumed outcome of the influence of the independent variable(s)
Weight
Time

Direct relationship between Independent and Dependent variables Intervening Variable

❑ Sometimes referred to as test or control variables.

❑ Used to test whether the observed relations between the independent
and dependent variables are spurious
Independent Cause or Determine Dependent
Variables or Influence Variables ❑ Serve either to increase or decrease the effect the independent
variable has on the dependent variable
 INTERVENING VARIABLE Scales of Measurement

Intervening Measurement refers to the procedure of attributing qualities or quantities to specific

Variables characteristics of objects, persons or events. Measurement is a key process in quantitative
research and evaluation. If the measurement procedures are inadequate its usefulness will
be limited (Polgar & Thomas, 2008)

Levels of Measurement
❑ Nominal
❑ Ordinal
❑ Interval
Independent Dependent ❑ Ratio
Variables Variables

Nominal Level Ordinal Level

❑ A measurement level in which numbers are used as labels or names ❑ A measurement level in which values reflect only rank order
rather than to reflect quantitative information
e.g. Educational attainment 1 = Elementary
e.g. Sex 1 = Male
2 = High School
2 = Female
3 = College
Service quality rating
- Marital status
Opinion on an issue (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree,
- Religion Strongly disagree)
- Type of car used
Interval Level Ratio Level

❑ A measurement level with an arbitrary zero point in which ❑ The highest level of measurement that has all the characteristics of the
numerically equal intervals at different locations on the scale reflect interval scale plus a true zero point ALL MATHEMATICAL OPERATIONS

the same quantitative difference ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION ONLY

e.g. Income
e.g. Temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit No. of children
IQ level Weekly mobile data load spending

Standardized exam score

Properties held by each level of measurement

Property
Level of
measurement Equal True zero
Categories Ranks
intervals point
Nominal Yes No No No

Ordinal Yes Yes No No

Interval Yes Yes Yes No

Ratio Yes Yes Yes Yes

Levels of Measurement Guidelines

❑ It is usually best to gather data at highest level of measurement

possible because one can perform more mathematical operations and
gain greater precision of measurement

❑ Interval and ratio variables can be changed to become ordinal or

nominal variables but not vice versa