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Practical Re search 2
Quarter 1 - Module 2
Research Variables

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Practical Research 2 – Grade 12
Quarter 1 - Module 2: Research Variables

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Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

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Practical Research 2 - Grade 12
Quarter 1 – Module 2
Research Variables

I. Introduction Source:https://www.google.com/search?q=research+variables+ima
ges&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj5gofZ8MzqAhXZzYsBHU1XBwAQ2-

Variable refers to the quantity that changes its value, which can be measured. It has
two types - discrete variable (the one that has a certain number of values) and continuous
variable (the one that can take any value between a given range). Data can be understood
as the quantitative information about a specific characteristic in which the qualitative
characteristic is transformed into quantitative one, by providing numerical data of that
characteristic, thus, the quantitative characteristic is known as a variable.

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II. Objectives
At the end of the lesson you are expected to:
• differentiate kinds of variables and their uses (CS_RS12-Ia-c-3);
• illustrate the similarities and differences of variables (CS_RS12-Ia-c-3); and
• design a research used in daily life (CS_RS12-Id-e-1)

III. Vocabulary List

• By and large – this phrase means “in general” or “on the whole”.
• Categorical – involving, according with, or considered with respect to specific
categories
• Continuous – marked by uninterrupted extension in space, time, or sequence.
• Continuous Variable – a variable can take on any value between its minimum value
and its maximum value
• Continuum – a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or
progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees.
• Controlled Variable – an element that is not changed throughout an experiment,
because its unchanging state allows the relationship between the other variables
being tested to be better understood.

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• Discrete – consisting of distinct or unconnected elements
• Discrete Variable – A type of variable, also called a categorical or nominal variable,
which has a finite number of possible values that do not have an inherent order.
• Diametrically opposite – this phrase means “completely different”.
• Distinct – Recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type.
• Finite – this term means limited in size or extent.
• Infinite – limitless or endless in space, extent, or size
• Interval – space between two things or a gap:
• Isolated Point – a point in a set such that the neighborhood of the point is devoid of
any other points belonging to the set.
• Mutually Exclusive –a statistical term describing two or more events that cannot
coincide. It is commonly used to describe a situation where the occurrence of one
outcome supersedes the other.
• Mutually Inclusive – applies to things that must be together or occur together which
can be natural law, design or imposition.
• Overlapping – covering something partly by going over its edge, or covering part of
the same space.
• Qualitative Data – data that are non-numeric, such as colors, images and
descriptions.
• Quantitative Data – numeric data, are much easier to analyze than qualitative data,
which are descriptive and open to interpretation.
• Random – in statistical sample selection in which all possible samples have equal
probability of selection.
• Range – the difference between the least and greatest values of an attribute or of the
variable of a frequency distribution.
• Socio-economic Status – state the position of an individual on a social-economic
scale that measures such factors as education, income, type of occupation, place of
residence, and, in some populations, heritage and religion
• Statistical Variable – a variable having discrete values that differ through random
causes and when arranged in order form a statistical distribution or array
• Variable – something that changes or that can be changed : something that varies.
mathematics : a quantity that can have any one of a set of values or a symbol that
represents such a quantity.

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 IV. Pre-Test

Direction: MULTIPLE CHOICE In each item, choose the letter of the correct answer.
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper which will serve as your answer
sheet. Be sure not to write anything on this learning module.

1. Research Question: Does heating a cup of water allow it to dissolve more sugar? What is
the dependent variable (DV)?

A. water temperature B. amount of dissolved sugar

C. heating a cup of water D. dissolving sugar

2. The changes that occur in an experiment that are directly caused by the researchers are
called

A. Independent Variable B. Dependent Variable

C. Controlled Variable D. Continuous Variable

3. Which of these is NOT continuous data?

A. A person's height each year

B. The volume of water in a swimming pool each day

C. Cars finished in a factory each day

D. A person's weight on each birthday

4. Which of these is NOT discrete data? Source:https://images.search.yahoo.co

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B. How many students are absent from school each day

C. How many widgets a business sell each day

D. The number of people who drive through a red light each hour during rush hour

5. By recording the number and type of questions asked by students you can measure their
confusion with new subjects.' Which of the following is the independent variable in this
situation?

A. Number and type of questions C. Confusion

B. Students D. New subjects

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 V. Learning Activities

Kinds of Variables and Their Uses

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research. It is a measurable characteristic that changes
in value. It may vary from one group to another group, one person to another, or even with
the same person overtime. A variable is anything that may assume varied numerical or
categorical values. For instance, sex is a variable. It maybe male or female, but it won’t be
applicable as a variable if the research setting is an exclusive school or the girls or a school
for the boys only. Socio-economic status is another example of a variable. It may range from
zero to billion pesos. Another example of a variable is educational attainment which may be
from did not attend school to post-doctorate degree. Taking into consideration the examples
and situations given, to describe and to explain variables is one of the important aspects in
research. Understanding the kinds of variables is necessary for all kinds of research as you
may need to measure, manipulate and/or control the variables you are investigating.

1. Discrete and Continuous Variables

1.1 Discrete Variable

A discrete variable is a type of statistical variable that can assume only fixed
number of distinct values and lacks an inherent order. This is also known as a
categorical variable, because it has separate, invisible categories. However no values
can exist in-between two categories, i.e. it does not attain all the values within the limits
of the variable. Hence if you are able to count the set of items, then the variable is said to
be discrete.

Examples of Discrete Variable

1. Number of printing mistakes in a book
2. Number of road accidents in Metro Manila
3. Classroom attendance
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❖ You can count the data. It is usually units count ed in whole numbers.
❖ The values cannot be divided into smaller pieces a nd add additional meaning.

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 ❖ You cannot measure the data. By nature, discrete data cannot be measured at all.
For example, you can measure your weight with the help of a scale. So, your weight
is not a discrete data.
❖ It has a limited number of possible values e.g. days of the month.
❖ Discrete data is graphically displayed by a bar graph.

1.2 Continuous Variable

Continuous variable, as the name suggest is a random variable that assumes all the
possible values in a continuum. Simply put, it can take any value within the given range. So,
if a variable can take an infinite and uncountable set of values, then the variable is referred
as a continuous variable. A continuous variable is one that is defined over an interval of
values, meaning that it can suppose any values in between the minimum and maximum
value. It can be understood as the function for the interval and for each function, the range
for the variable may vary.

Examples of Continuous Variable

1. Height of a person
2. Age of a person

Continuous data key characteristics:

❖ In general, continuous variables are not counted.
❖ The values can be subdivided into smaller and smaller
pieces and they have additional meaning.
❖ The continuous data is measurable.
❖ It has an infinite number of possible values within an interval.
❖ Continuous data is graphically displayed by histograms.
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Key Differences Between Discrete and Continuous Variable

The difference between discrete and continuous variable can be drawn clearly on the
following grounds:
❖ The statistical variable that assumes a finite set of data and a countable number of
values, then it is called as a discrete variable. As against this, the quantitative

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 variable which takes on an infinite set of data and a uncountable number of values is
known as a continuous variable.
❖ For non-overlapping or otherwise known as mutually inclusive classification, wherein
the both the class limit are included, is applicable for the discrete variable. On the
contrary, for overlapping or say mutually exclusive classification, wherein the upper
class-limit is excluded, is applicable for a continuous variable.
❖ In discrete variable, the range of specified number is complete, which is not in the
case of a continuous variable.
❖ Discrete variables are the variables, wherein the values can be obtained by counting.
On the other hand, Continuous variables are the random variables that measure
something.
❖ Discrete variable assumes independent values whereas continuous variable
assumes any value in a given range or continuum.
❖ A discrete variable can be graphically represented by isolated points. Unlike, a
continuous variable which can be indicated on the graph with the help of connected
points.

Table 1: Comparison Chart Between Discrete and Continuous Variables

BASIS FOR COMPARISON DISCRETE VARIABLE CONTINUOUS VARIABLE
The variable which The variable which
Meaning assumes a finite number of assumes an infinite number
isolated values. of different values.
Range of specified number Complete Incomplete
Values Values are obtained by Values are obtained by
counting. measuring.
Classification Non-overlapping Overlapping
Assumes Distinct or separate values. Any value between the two
values.
Represented by Isolated Connected points
points

By and large, both discrete and continuous variable can be qualitative and
quantitative. However, these two statistical terms are diametrically opposite to one another in
the sense that the discrete variable is the variable with the well-defined number of permitted
values whereas a continuous variable is a variable that can contain all the possible values
between two numbers.

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Activity: Identify whether the given information is discrete or continuous variable. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper which will serve as your answer sheet. Be sure not to
write anything on this learning module.
1. Person’s weight/age/height
2. Profit earned by the company
3. Travel time from Manila to Cebu
4. Grade level of students
5. Number of siblings of an individual Source:https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/
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2. Independent and Dependent Variables

A variable is not only something that you measure, but
also something that you can manipulate and control for. Both
the independent variable and dependent variable are examined
in an experiment using the scientific method, so it's important to
know what they are and how to use them. An independent variable (sometimes called an
experimental or predictor variable) is a variable that is being manipulated in an experiment in
order to observe the effect this has on a dependent variable (sometimes called an outcome
variable), If you are having a hard time identifying which variable is the independent variable
and which is the dependent variable, remember the dependent variable is the one affected
by a change in the independent variable. If you write out the variables in a sentence that
shows cause and effect, the independent variable causes the effect on the dependent
variable. If you have the variables in the wrong order, the sentence won't make sense.
Independent variable causes an effect on the dependent variable.

Example: How long you sleep (independent variable) affects your test score (dependent
variable). This makes sense
Example: Your test score affects how long you sleep
This doesn't really make sense (unless you can't sleep because you are worried
you failed a test, but that would be a different experiment).

The independent variable is the condition that you change in an experiment. It is the
variable you control. It is called independent because its value does not depend on and is
not affected by the state of any other variable in the experiment. Sometimes you may hear
this variable called the "controlled variable" because it is the one that is changed. Do not
confuse it with a "control variable," which is a variable that is purposely held constant so that
it can't affect the outcome of the experiment. An independent variable is a variable that the
experimenter (or nature) manipulates in order to perform the experiment. A researcher will
use this information to help understand the outcome of their experiment.

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1 Think of an independent variable as a cause that produces an effect.

A variable is a category or characteristic that’s measured in an equation or

experiment. An independent variable stands alone and isn’t affected by other variables. In a
scientific experiment, a researcher changes an independent variable to see how it affects
other variables.
• For example, if a researcher wants to see how well different doses of a
medication work, the dose is the independent variable.
• Suppose you want to see if studying more improves your test scores. The
amount of time you spend studying is the independent variable

2 Treat the dependent variable as an outcome.

A dependent variable is an effect or result, and it always depends on another factor.

The goal of an experiment or study is to explain or predict the dependent variables caused
by the independent variable.
• Say a researcher is testing an allergy medication. Allergy relief after
taking the dose is the dependent variable, or the outcome caused by
taking the medicine.

3 Remember that a dependent variable can’t change an independent variable.

When distinguishing between variables, ask yourself if it makes sense to say one
leads to the other. Since a dependent variable is an outcome, it can’t cause or change the
independent variable.
• For instance, “Studying longer leads to a higher test score” makes sense, but
“A higher test score leads to studying longer” is nonsense.

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 Reference List

Bevans, R. (2019). Understanding Types of Variables. Retrieved from

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/types-of-variables/ Retrieved on June 17, 2020.

Faltado, R. E. & Pogoy, A.M. (2016). Nature and Inquiry of Research. Practical Research 2
(Quantitative Research for SHS). Quezon City, Lorimar Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-621-
8035-10-2.(1-6)

Helmenstine, A. (2020). What Are Independent and Dependent Variables? Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/independent-and-dependent-variable-examples-606828
Retrieved on June 17, 2020

Prieto, N. G., Naval, V.C. & Carey T. G. (2017). Nature of Inquiry and Research. Practical
Research 2 For Senior High School. Quezon City. Lorimar Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-521-
8035-17.1. (1-8)

Surbhi, S (2017). Difference Between Discrete and Continuous Variable. Retrieved from
https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-discrete-and-continuous-variable.html
Retrieved on June 22, 2020.

Trochim, W.M. (2017). “Establishing Cause and Effect.” Research Methods Knowledge
Base, 10/20/2006. Web 1/24/2017. Retrieved from
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/stats_tutorial/section2/mod4_variables.html Retrieved
on June 17, 2020.

Trochim, W.M. (2017). “Bias, Confounding and Effect Modification” Stat 507, Epidemiological
Research Methods, Penn State Eberly College of Science, 2017 Web 1/24/17. Retrieved
from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/stats_tutorial/section2/mod4_variables.html
Retrieved on June 17, 2020.

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https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/Science/Independent_and_Dependent_Vari
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