CONSTRUCTS AND VARIABLES IN

RESEARCH

• Research is based on investigations of constructs

that stem from an interest or problem.

• CONSTRUCTS – mental abstractions derived from

the combination of concepts, or your mental
representation of the world around you
 CONCEPT VS. CONSTRUCT
• CONCEPT: age, sex, height, weight, attitude,
pollution, education
• CONSTRUCT:
• Age – young or old
• Sex – male and female
• Height – small, average, tall
• Weight- light, heavy
• Attitude – good, bad
• Pollution – land , air, water
• Education – grade school, high school, college
 CONCEPT VS. CONSTRUCT
• CONSTRUCT – more comprehensible and
meaningful because they help to clearly express
the events, experiences, things, phenomena, and
people you are interested
• BOTH are just ideas that are subjected to vary.
- they are often studied to establish their
existence and consistency for better
understanding and explanation.
In the process of research, concepts and constructs
are called variables.
 VARIABLES
• Are constructs that can be understood
differently because of their differences in values
• Ex. Height is a variable because there are
different descriptions of height: small, average,
tall
 VARIABLES
• Are constructs that can be understood
differently because of their differences in values
• Can be observed directly (those that can be
easily gauzed by the senses e.g. size, brightness,
odor and taste) or indirectly (those that can be
determined only by using tools or instruments.)
• Must be measured to be able to generate data
for analysis and to be used as additional
knowledge.
KEY NOTES
• Research involves the investigation of
constructs and ideas that constitute one’s
area of interest, or an important issue that
needs to be resolved using appropriate
methods that fit the purpose of the study.
The knowledge to be derived from this
investigation comes from measurement
and analysis of data.
What Have I Learned so Far?
• Explain the association among
concepts, constructs, and variables.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
• Are manipulated variables that cause a change in
another variable
• These are treatments or conditions that produce
a varied response or effect
• Ex. Title: Peace-loving Learning Environment
Reduces Test Anxiety Level of Grade School
Students”
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
• Are those that are affected by independent
variables
• Are responses or effects that result from the
treatment or conditions employed
• Ex. Title: Peace-loving Learning
Environment Reduces Test Anxiety Level of
Grade School Students”
Confounding or Extraneous Variables
• Are variables usually indicated in an experimental research
• Are not included in the study but in one way or another
causes effect on the dependent variable
• These are variables that are minimized to lessen their
impact on the expected response
• Ex. Title: Peace-loving Learning Environment Reduces Test
Anxiety Level of Grade School Students”
• Family background (not included in the variables
under the study but each grade school student who will
take part in the study has a family background that may
likely affect the impact of the peace-loving learning
environment variable
 Categorical variables
• Those that are characterize and describe the
quality of data
• Often classified into mutually exclusive categories
and extensive categories
Exclusive categories – comprises those that take on
specific values
- they do not follow a sequence; they just
want to describe the data into the given options;
thus they are called nominal variables.
Ex. CIVIL STATUS – single, married, widowed,
or annulled
Extensive categories – characterize data using a
definite range
- consider logical order or rank
- description of data follows a sequence; they
consider logical order or rank and are
therefore called ordinal variables
Ex. SIZE – small, medium, or large
Continuous variables
• Are variables in which values are based on a
given interval or continuum
• Rely on numbers for description
• Ex. NORMAL TEMPERATURE –ranges from 36˚C
to 37 ˚C (description of normal
temperature is only within the given interval)
• Ex. INCOME – just say the amount; it does not
follow an interval, but it falls along a continuum
Quantitative variables
• Are those variables that give details regarding
the number or level of something
• These variables count the frequency of
responses or effect
• EX. POPULARITY CONTEST – the contestant who
will get the highest number of votes as the
most well-like will be declared the winner
Qualitative variables
• Those variables that represent kinds or types of
objects
• Are synonymous with categorical variables
• Are often categorized into names, labels, or
groups
• Ex. Responses such as yes or no; few, many, and
too much; agree or disagree
 Variables and Their Level of
Measurement
• LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT – the association of
the values that are linked to a variable
• Why do we study levels of measurement?
1. Proper interpretation of data related to
the variable
2. Decisions about the proper statistical
analysis to be used
FOUR LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT
NOMINAL SCALES – concerned with the names
and categories of responses
- do not intend to quantify the data
- Ex. Qualitative and categorical variables
(nationality and hair color)
ORDINAL SCALES - used for data that intends to
be ranked
- is expressed through sequential and
numerical order and therefore allows a
comparison of degree
- Ex. First, second, third; good, better, best
FOUR LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT
INTERVAL SCALES – use equal units of
measurement and intervals to know the
distance between them more than the sequence
- does not use zero as its base point
Ex. Temperature, attitude, IQ
RATIO SCALES – the highest level of measurement
- uses zero as its base point
- permits the comparison of both differences in
scores and the relative magnitude of scores
Ex. Height, weight, age
 Kinds of Variables
1. Independent variables
2. Dependent variables
3. Confounding or extraneous variables
4. Categorical variables
5. Continuous variables
6. Quantitative variables
7. Qualitative variables
What Have I learned So Far?
1. Classify these constructs into
their respective variable types: 1. Independent
a. Dropout rate variables
b. Religion 2. Dependent variables
c. Political party identification 3. Confounding or
extraneous variables
d. Grade point average
4. Categorical variables
e. Teaching method
5. Continuous variables
f. Behavior
6. Quantitative
g. Learning style
variables
h. Air-conditioned room
7. Qualitative variables
i. Rate of cognitive processing
j. Ethnicity
What Have I learned So Far?
2. Identify the level of measurement used
for the following variables:
a. Level of anxiety
b. Test scores in English
c. Annual income
d. Job satisfaction rating
e. Civil status