VARIABLE:

“Variable” is a term frequently used in research projects. Variable, to put in layman statement
is something that can change and or can have more than one value. ''A variable, as the
name implies is that,” something that varies”. It may be weight, height, anxiety levels,
income, and body temperature and so on. Each of these properties varies from one person to
another and also has different values along a continuum. It could be demographic, physical or
social and include religion, income, occupation, temperature, humidity, language, food,
fashion, etc. Some variables can be quite concrete and clear, such as gender, birth order, types
of blood group etc while others can be considerably more abstract and vague.
“Variable is a property that takes on different values''. It is also a logical grouping of
attributes. Attributes are characteristics or qualities that describe an object. For example if
gender is a variable then male and female are the attributes. If residence is the variable
then urban, semi urban, rural become the attributes. So attributes here describe the residence
of an individual.
Variables are an essential part of quantitative research. Variables are characteristics, or a
quantity of a phenomenon that is the focus of a research project. Variables can be measured
or categorized, and their values vary across unit, or across time. Gender, hair color, shoe
size, income levels, disease status – all of these are examples of variables. However,
variables can also measure abstract concepts – for example, self-esteem, well-being, sense
of religiosity, intelligence, etc. Some variables are more complex, and may be studied
through different dimensions of a particular item or phenomenon. For example, in a study
on socioeconomic status we may use “income” as our variable or we may use ownership of
a permanent housing structure or amount of savings. Another example is a study on
academic achievement of 5th graders. Here, we could use “annual exam grade” as the
variable denoting academic achievement or “average test grade” (the average of all exams
and tests conducted during the year) or “literacy level” to denote academic achievement.
Thus, different researchers studying the same topic may choose different variables, depending on
the focus of their research. Different researchers may also use different ways of measuring the
same concept. A variable by definition must vary, that is the different participants or units in the
study must demonstrate differences in terms of that variable. Gender may be a variable in one
study and, therefore, in this study, you would expect to see people of different genders. But if a
study was looking only at married women, then all people in the study would be women and so,
gender of the woman would not be a variable in that study. Quantitative research places great
emphasis on variables because the main goal of quantitative research is to examine the
relationship between two or more variables. Therefore, once the researcher identifies a research
topic, the next step is to identify the key variables in the study. Identifying the most appropriate
variables is important for multiple reasons:
 Variables provide focus to the study. So if you pick the wrong ones, the findings of the
study may go in a direction that was not expected by you.
 It is also important to focus on the methods and tools for measuring the selected
variables. Picking the wrong ones may also take the findings into an unintended
direction.
 Variables are also useful when you are searching for other studies (for example in
journal articles) that are similar to yours. Thus, the variables can serve as search
terms. Researchers may also find it useful to pretest their choice of variables to make sure
they provide the expected results.

Variables can be defined in terms of measurable factors through a process of

operationalization. It will convert difficult concepts into easily understandable concepts
which then can be measured, empirically. “It is essential to define the term as variables so
that they can be quantified and measured. That is, the variable have to be able to work for you
to operate, or becomes operational”. There are different types of variables and having their
influence differently in a study viz. Independent & dependent variables, Active and attribute
variables, Continuous, discrete and categorical variable, Extraneous variables and Demographic
variables.

TYPES OF VARIABLES

INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT VARIABLE

The independent variable is the antecedent while the dependent variable is the consequent. If
the independent variable is an active variable then we manipulate the values of the variable to
study its affect on another variable. In the above example, we alter anxiety level to see if
responsiveness to pain reduction medication is enhanced. Anxiety level is the active independent
variable.
Dependent variable is the variable that is affected by the independent variable. Responsiveness
to pain reduction medication is the dependent variable in the above example. The dependent
variable is dependent on the independent variable.

ACTIVE AND ATTRIBUTE VARIABLES

Variables are often characteristics of research subjects, such as their age, health beliefs, or
weight etc. ''Variables which cannot be manipulated are attribute variables and the variables
that the researcher creates are the active variables’’. Active variables can also be
independent variables. E.g. effectiveness of communication board is in meeting the needs of
the incubated patients. Communication board is an 'active independent variable' as it can be
modified according to the needs of the patients or according to the requirement in the study and
it is researcher's concept. It is also the cause i.e. independent variable. .
Attribute variable is a variable where we do not alter the variable during the study. It can
also be the independent variable, but it has limitations. Some attribute variables are age,
gender, blood group, color of eyes, etc. We might want to study the effect of age on weight. We
cannot change a person's age, but we can study people of different ages and weights. “An
active variable in one study could be an attribute variable in another study''.

CONTINOUS, DISCRETE AND CATEGORIAL VARIABLES

Sometimes variables take on a wide range of values on a continuum. ''A continuous variable
can assume 1 an infinite number of values between two points''. If we consider the
continuous variable weight: between 1 and 2 Kg, the number of values is limitless: 1.005, 1.7,
1.33333, and so on. Continuous measures in actual use are contained in a range each individual
obtains a score within the 1 range. On the other hand, a discrete variable is one that has a
finite number of values between any two points, representing discrete quantities.
Categorical variables, belongs to a kind of measurement called nominal. In nominal
measurements there are two or more subsets of the set objects being measured. “They have a
simple requirement that all the members of the subset are considered the same and all are
assigned the same name (nominal) and the same numeral”. That is, they can be measured only in
terms of whether the individual items belong to certain distinct categories, but we cannot
quantify or even rank order the categories. The variable gender, for example, has only two values
(male and female). Variables that take on only a handful of discrete non quantitative values are
categorical variables

“When categorical variables take on only two values, they are sometimes referred to as
dichotomous variable”. Some examples of dichotomous variables and multiple variables are:
Variables Examples
Dichotomous Variables Gender: Male and female
Type of property: Commercial and residential
Pregnant and non pregnant
Alive and dead
HIV positive and HIV negative
Education: Literate and illiterate

Trichotomous Variables Residence: Urban, semi urban and rural

Religion: Hindu, muslim, and Christianity.

Multiple Variables Blood groups: A,B,AB and O

EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
It happens sometimes that after completion of the study we wonder that the actual result is not
what we expected. In spite of taking all the possible measures the outcome is unexpected. It is
because of extraneous variables. Variables that may affect research outcomes but have not
been adequately considered in the study are termed as extraneous variables. Extraneous
variables exist in all studies and can affect the measurement of study variables and the
relationship among these variables. “Extraneous variables that are not recognized until the
study is in process, or are recognized before the study is initiated but cannot be controlled,
are referred to as confounding variables”. Certain external variables may influence the
relationship between the research variables, even though researcher cannot see it. These
variables are called intervening variables. For example, girl's knowledge and practices helps
in maintaining menstrual hygiene. Here, motivation, mother and friends, mass media, are some
intervening variables which may also help in maintaining menstrual hygiene. Thus, if these two
factors are not controlled it would be impossible to know what the underlying cause really is.
The effectiveness of an experimental variable is examined by comparing with other
variable, known as controlled variable.

DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES:
“Demographic variables are characteristics or attributes of subjects that are collected to
describe the sample”. They are also called sample characteristics. It means these variables
describe study sample and determine if samples are representative of the population of interest.
Although demographic variables cannot be manipulated, researchers can explain relationships
between demographic variables and dependent variables. Some common demographic variables
are age, gender, occupation, marital status, income etc.

MEASURING VARIABLES
In order to do an analysis, the variables have to be quantified; this means measuring giving
values and scale. Sometimes identification of variables and determining how to measure them
looks quite simple, but due to vaguely defined variables measuring can be difficult too. There are
four levels of measurements on a continuum of discrete and continuous: nominal-scale, ordinal-
scale, interval scale and ratio-scale. Nominal scale is used when the variables can be categorized
but cannot be ranked. E.g. gender, marital status, race, diagnosis, blood group etc. Ordinal scale
is one were the variables are categorized that can be ranked. Eg. Levels of pain mild, moderate or
severe. Interval scale measures equal numerical distances between the intervals. It can be
categorized, as well as ranked. Eg. difference between 70 degree and 80 degree will be same as
the difference between 30 degree and 40 degree. So the interval is of 10 degree in both the
categories. Ratio scale measures variables which can be categorized, ranked, have equal intervals
and can represent a continuum of values.
“Variable is a property that taken on different value”, Kerlinger It is any
feature or aspect of an event, function or process that, by its presence and
nature, affects some other event or process, which is being studied.
(i) Continuous Variable: It is that which can assume any numerical value
within a specific range.
(ii) Discrete Variable: A variable for which the individual values fall on the
scale only with distinct gaps is called a discrete variable.
(iii) Dependent Variable or Criterion variable: If one variable depends or is a
consequence of other, it is termed as dependent variable. Criterion variable is
the basis on which the effectiveness of the experimental variable is studied.
(iv) Independent Variable or Experimental Variable: The variable that is
antecedent to the dependent variable is termed as an independent variable.
The variable whose effect is going to be known is known as experimental
variable.
(v) Controlled Variable: The effectiveness of an experimental variable is
examined by comparing with other variable, known as controlled variable.
(vi) Confounding Variable: Those aspects of study or sample, that might
influence the dependent variable (outcome measures) ,and whose effect may
be confused with the effects of the independent variable. They are of two
types; Intervening and extraneous variable. (vii) Intervening Variable: There
are a number of abstract variables in educational/social experiments, which
intervene the effect of experimental or criterion variable. For controlling
intervening variable appropriate research design should be used. Intervening
variables are hard if not impossible, to observe because they usually have to
do with an individual’s feelings like boredom, stress, fatigue, excitement etc.
Extraneous variable on the other hand, are more readily observed or
measured and thus are more easily controlled. (viii) Extraneous Variable:
Independent variables that are not related to the purpose of the study, but
may affect the dependent variable are termed as extraneous variables.
Suppose the researcher wants to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship
between children’s gain in social studies achievement and their self-concept.
Here self-concept is independent variable and achievement in social study is
dependent variable. Intelligence may as well affect the social studies
achievement; but since it is not related to the purpose of the study undertaken
by the researcher, it will be termed as extraneous variable. Whatever effect is
noticed on dependent variable as a result of extraneous variable(s) is
technically described as an ‘experimental error.’ A study must always be so
designed that the effect upon the dependent variable is attributed entirely to
the independent variables and not to some extraneous variable(s).When the
dependent variable is not free from the influence of extraneous variable(s), the
relationship between the dependent and independent variable is said to be
confounded by an extraneous variable(s). Extraneous variable can be
controlled by removing the variable causing distraction. It may be eliminated
by selecting cases with uniform characteristics and through randomization.
(ix) Organismic Variable: There are some variables which cannot be
manipulated. They are accepted by the researcher as they are. They are levels
of intelligence, sex, class levels, and the like. The researcher can classify the
subjects by sex but he cannot modify to suit his research condition. If a
researcher attempts to compare boys and girls on some learning task, any
differences might be attributed to sex differences but not necessarily so. The
differences between boys and girls could be due to differences in intelligence,
training, motivation or a myriad of other conditions present in all human
beings and not necessarily to biological differences between sex. Those
variables which cannot be manipulated and cannot themselves point out
causal relations are called organismic variables.
Types of Variables
We use two types of variables in research studies, and you have learned about these in a previous
module. The two types of variables are Independent and Dependent variables. Independent
variables are variables that influence or predict change on Dependent variables. In conducting
research studies, researchers observe how the Dependent variables change as the Independent
variable changes. In an experimental study, the researcher controls or manipulates the
Independent variable to see how this affects (or not) changes in the dependent variable(s). In a
study which looks at causal effects, the Independent variable is a presumed cause whereas the
dependent variable is the presumed effect. For instance, in a study which involves a new blood
pressure medication, the new medication or the old medication would be the Independent
variable while the differences in blood pressure before and after receiving medication would be
the Dependent variable.

Scales of Measurement of Variables

Now that we have understood the issues involved with measuring variables, we can proceed to
understand the different levels of variable measurement. Researchers must be clear about these
levels of measurement because this determines the kind of statistical analysis that can be
conducted. This in turn can influence the conclusions of the study especially when we attempt to
describe the relationships between variables in the study. Variables are measured at four levels.
Nominal variables: Nominal variables are the most basic level of measurement. These are
variables that have two or more mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. However, these
categories cannot be ordered. An example of this type of variable would be the states of India.
Thus, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra are all states of India, but they do not
have an intrinsic ranking order. You would have to apply some rule in order to rank them (for
example, ranking by alphabetical order or in terms of land area or in terms of infant mortality or
in terms of number of seats in parliament) – there are no inherent ranks to the states. Similarly,
“gender” is also a nominal variable – male/female/ third gender are the three categories within
this variable, but they cannot be ranked – they can only be compared.
Ordinal variables: Ordinal variables are also variables that have two or more categories,
but they are different from nominal variables because they can be ranked, and ranks are
used to determine the differences between the categories. However, while we can rank them,
they do not carry a numerical value. They can only measure how one value is greater or lesser
than another value. An example may be asking someone how often he or she watch movies on
television – their response options are Very often, Frequently, Sometimes or Never. From his
or her responses, we will know that someone who responds “frequently” watches movie more
often than someone who responds “sometimes.” However, none of these responses has a
numerical value, so we cannot assess what is the numerical distance between “frequently” and
“sometimes.” Another example would be if we were to ask someone if they approve of the Right
to Education Act. They may respond “Yes,” “No,” “Very much in agreement with it,” or
“Completely disagree with it.” These response options form the different categories of the
variable “Opinion on Right to Education Act” which is an ordinal variable.
Interval variables: Interval variables are variables that have a numerical value, and are
measured on a continuum. They have an equal interval between items/values. They also
have a numerical value. The most common example of this type of variable is the temperature
when measured in Celsius or Fahrenheit. We know that temperature is measured on a
continuum on thermometer. Therefore, we know that the difference between 10 to 20 degrees
Celsius is the same interval value (10 degrees) as 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. Test scores on an
IQ test is another example of an interval variable.
Ratio variables: Ratio variables are also measured on a continuum and have a numerical value.
The difference between ratio variables and interval variables is that in ratio variables,
there is an “absolute zero”. Zero on the measurement scale indicates that there is no value of
that variable or that the property being measured is completely absent at the zero level. Thus, we
cannot say SW/RMS/Paper 5/Module 9/Quadrant 1 5 Neeta Goel temperature in Celsius or
Fahrenheit are Ratio variables, because 0 (zero) degrees on both these scales does NOT mean
there is no temperature. In fact, zero degrees Celsius actually indicates the freezing point on the
Celsius scale. However, for those of you familiar with the Kelvin scale of measuring
temperature, zero Kelvin does actually indicate there is no temperature, and therefore the Kelvin
scale can be regarded as a Ratio variable. Other examples of ratio variables include height,
weight, currency, mass, etc. The term “ratio”, (which means a comparison of two quantities)
implies that you can use the ratio of measurements. Nominal and Ordinal variables are often
referred to as Categorical variables or Qualitative variables since they contain two or more
categories. Interval and Ratio variables are known as Continuous or Quantitative variables
because they numerical values. A research study often includes different combinations of these
variables. For example, if your study looks at school dropout-ism, you may collect nominal
variables (names of the districts where the study is being conducted; gender of school dropouts),
interval variables (grades of children who dropped out – A= 90-100 marks, B=80-89 marks, etc)
and ratio variables (percentage of children who dropped out in each class). In conclusion,
variables are important because they help to measure concepts in a study. Because quantitative
studies focus on measuring and explaining variables, choosing the right variables is important.
The first step is to identify the correct variables to measure a property. Equally important is the
conceptual definition, which explains how a variable will be defined and measured within the
context of a particular study. Variables are measured on different scales, where at one end they
can only be categorized or ranked, and at the other end they can be analyzed statistically.
A variable is a measurable representation of an abstract construct. As
abstract entities, constructs are not directly measurable, and hence, we look
for proxy measures called variables. For instance, a person’s intelligence is
often measured as his or her IQ (intelligence quotient) score, which is an index
generated from an analytical and pattern-matching test administered to
people. In this case, intelligence is a construct, and IQ score is a variable that
measures the intelligence construct. Whether IQ scores truly measures one’s
intelligence is anyone’s guess (though many believe that they do), and
depending on whether how well it measures intelligence, the IQ score may be
a good or a poor measure of the intelligence construct. As shown in Figure 2.1,
scientific research proceeds along two planes: a theoretical plane and an
empirical plane. Constructs are conceptualized at the theoretical (abstract)
plane, while variables are operationalized and measured at the empirical
(observational) plane. Thinking like a researcher implies the ability to move
back and forth between these two planes.

Depending on their intended use, variables may be classified as independent,

dependent, moderating, mediating, or control variables. Variables that
explain other variables are called independent variables, those that are
explained by other variables are dependent variables, those that are explained
by independent variables while also explaining dependent variables are
mediating variables (or intermediate variables), and those that influence the
relationship between independent and dependent variables are called
moderating variables. As an example, if we state that higher intelligence
causes improved learning among students, then intelligence is an independent
variable and learning is a dependent variable. There may be other extraneous
variables that are not pertinent to explaining a given dependent variable, but
may have some impact on the dependent variable. These variables must be
controlled for in a scientific study, and are therefore called control variables.