Republic of the Philippines

PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32
Republic of the Philippines
PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32

1st Semester
S. Y. 2020 – 2021

Grade: : 12
Subject Title : PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Topic : KINDS OF VARIABLES AND THEIR USES (PRE-TEST)
Most Essential : DIFFERENTIATES KINDS OF VARIABLES AND THEIR
Learning USES
Competency
___________________________________________________________________

IDENTIFICATION. Identify what is being asked in each number. Write your answer
after the statement. Choose your answer from the box below.

1. It refers to the characteristics that have two or more mutually exclusive values
or properties.
2. Variables that represent categories that cannot be ordered in any particular
way.
3. Special kind of independent variables that are measured in a study because
they potentially influence the dependent variable.
4. Variables that have values that lie along an evenly dispersed range of
numbers when there is an absolute zero, as opposed to net worth, which can
have a negative debt-to-income ratio-level variable.
5. Kind of variable that are not actually measured or observed in a study. They
exist but their influence cannot be directly detected in a study.
6. It “stands between” the independent and dependent variables, and they show
the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
7. Variables that represent categories that can be ordered from greatest to
smallest.
8. Kind of variable that probably cause, influence, or effect outcomes. They are
variably called treatment, manipulated, antecedent or predictor variables.
9. Variables that depend on independent variables; they are the outcomes or
results of the influence of the independent variable.
10. Variables that have values that lie along an evenly dispersed range of
numbers.
___________________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTION. Determine if what type of variable are the following. Write I if the
variable is Interval, N if Nominal, R if Ratio or O if Ordinal.

1. Military title
Answer: _______
2. Temperature in degree Celsius
Answer: _______
3. Birthplace
Answer: _______
4. Year level
Answer: _______
5. Favorite type of music
Answer: _______
6. Clothing such as hat, shirt, shoes
Answer: _______
7. A score in 5-item quiz in Math
Answer: _______
8. Feeling for today
Answer: _______
9. Means of transportation
Answer: _______
10. How internet is used at home
Answer: _______
11. Freshman, sophomore
Answer: _______
12. Person’s net worth
Answer: _______
13. Male or female
Answer: _______
14. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Answer: _______
15. Political affiliation
Answer: _______
Republic of the Philippines
PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32
Republic of the Philippines
PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32

1st Semester
S. Y. 2020 – 2021

Grade: : 12
Subject Title : PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Topic : KINDS OF VARIABLES AND THEIR USES
Most Essential : DIFFERENTIATES KINDS OF VARIABLES AND THEIR
Learning USES
Competency
___________________________________________________________________

THE VARIABLES IN RESEARCH

 The term ‘variable’ has been mentioned several times so that it is necessary
to define it here. In research, a variable refers to a “characteristics that has
two or more mutually exclusive values or properties” (Sevilla and Other,
1988). Sex, for instance, has two properties which are maleness and
femaleness. The ages of different persons have different values; so with their
size, height, weight and income.
 The phenomenon of variety is what makes life interesting; it is one of the
motivating factors of the research undertaking. The root word of the word
variable is “vary” or simply “can change”. These variables are among the
fundamental concepts of research, alongside with measurement, validity,
reliability, cause and effect; and theory.
 Bernard (1994) defines a variable as something that can take more than one
value, and values can be words or numbers.
 A variable specifically refers to characteristics, or attribute of an individual or
an organization that can be measured or observed and that varies among the
people or organization being studied (Creswell, 2002).
___________________________________________________________________

TYPES OF VARIABLES (ALLEN, TITSWORTH, HUNT, 2009)

1. CONTINUOUS VARIABLES – A variable that can take infinite number on the

value that can occur within the population. Its values can be divided into
fractions. Examples of this type of variable include age, height, and
temperature. Continuous variables can be further categorized as:
a. INTERVAL VARIABLES – have values that lie along an evenly
dispersed range of numbers. It is a measurement where the difference
between two values does have meaning. Examples of interval data
include temperature, a person’s net worth (how much money you have
when you subtract your debt from your assets), etc. In temperature,
this may illustrate as the difference between a temperature of 60
degrees and 50 degrees is the same as difference between 30 degrees
and 20 degrees. The interval between values makes sense and can be
interpreted.
b. RATIO VARIABLES – have values that lie along an evenly dispersed
range of numbers when there is absolute zero. It possesses the
properties of interval variable and has a clear definition of zero,
indication that there is none of that variable. Examples of which are
height, weight, and distance. Most scores stemming from response to
survey items are ratio-level values because they typically cannot go
below zero. Temperature measured in degrees Celsius and degrees
Fahrenheit is not a ratio variable because 0 under these temperature
scales does not mean no temperature at all.

2. DISCRETE VARIABLES – This is also known as categorical or classificatory

variable. This is any variable that has limited number of distinct values and
which cannot be divided into fractions like sex, blood group, and number of
children in family. Discrete variable may also categorized into:
a. NOMINAL VARIABLE – It represent categories that cannot be ordered
in any particular way. It is a variable with no quantitative value. It has
two or more categories but does not imply ordering of cases. Common
examples of this variable include eye color, business type, religion,
biological sex, political affiliation, basketball fan affiliation, etc. A sub-
type of nominal scale with only two categories just like sex is known as
dichotomous.
b. ORDINAL VARIABLE – It represents categories that can be ordered
from greatest to smallest. This variable has two or more categories
which can be ranked. Examples of ordinal variable include education
level, income brackets, etc. An illustration of this is, if you ask people if
they like listening to music while studying and they could answer either
“NOT VERY MUCH”, “MUCH”, “VERY MUCH”, then you have an
ordinal variable. While you can rank them, we cannot place a value to
them. In this type, distances between attributes do not have any
meaning. For example, you used educational attainment as a variable
on survey, you might code elementary school graduates = 1, high
graduates = 2, college undergraduate = 3, and college graduate = 4. In
this measure, higher number means greater education. Even though
we can rank these from lowest to highest, the spacing between the
values may not be the same across the levels of the variables. The
distance between 3 and 4 is not the same with the distance between 1
and 2.
___________________________________________________________________

KINDS OF VARIABLES

Several experts have lumped together the following as the major kinds of variables:

1. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES – Those that probably cause, influence, or

affect outcomes. They are invariably called treatment, manipulated,
antecedent or predictor variables. This is the cause variable or the one
responsible for the conditions that act on something else to bring about
changes.
a. EXAMPLE: A study on the relationship of study habits and academic
performance of UTNHS senior high school students. STUDY HABITS
is the independent variable because it influenced the outcome or the
performance of the students.

2. DEPENDENT VARIABLES – those that depend on the independent

variables; they are the outcomes or results of the influence of the independent
variable. That is why it is also called outcome variable.
a. EXAMPLE: A study on the relationship of study habits and academic
performance of UTNHS senior high school students. ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE is the dependent variable because it is depending on
the study habits of the students; if the students change their study habit
the academic performance also change.

3. INTERVENING OR MEDLING VARIABLES – variables that “stand between”

the independent and dependent variables, and they show the effects of the
independent variable on the dependent variable.
a. EXAMPLE: Even if farm production is good, if the attitude towards
payment is negative, loan repayment would be low, whereas, if the
attitude towards repayment is positive or favorable, loan repayment
would be high.

4. CONTROL VARIABLES – a special type of independent variables that are

measured in the study because they potentially influence the dependent
variable. Researchers use statistical procedures (e.g. analysis of covariance)
to control these variables. They may be demographic or personal variables
that need to be “controlled” so that the true influence of the independent
variable on the dependent variable can be determined.

5. CONFOUNDING VARIABLES – Variables that are not actually measured or

observed in a study. They exist but their influence cannot be directly detected
in a study. Researchers comment on the influence of confounding variables
after the study has been completed, because these variables may have
operated to explain the relationship between the independent variables and
dependent variable, but they were not or could not be easily assessed.

___________________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY: Identify the variables and the constant in each research title you have on
the lesson Characteristics of Quantitative Research. Determine the independent and
dependent variable; then determine whether discrete or continuous variable.

Example: A study on the relationship of study habits and academic performance of

BSU college students.