When you state a research problem it is essential to correctly identify the study variable and define it operationally.

1. IDENTIFICATION OF VARIABLES

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
• By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Identify what are research variables;
2. Describe the differences between concepts and
variables;
3. Classify the types of variable
4. Brief about operational definitions
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3. Introduction
Variables are qualities, properties, or
characteristics of person, things, or
situations that change or vary.
Variable is also known as a concept that can
be measured
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4. Definitions
Chinn & Kramer stated that ‘variables are
concepts at different level of abstraction that are
concisely defined to promote their measurement
or manipulation within study’.
Kerlinger, 1986 says that a variable is a property
that takes on different values and a concept that
can be measured by any one of the four types of
measurement.
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5. The difference between concept and variable
As a researcher, you should know that
measurement is the keyword that
distinguishes between concept and variable.
A concept cannot be measured while a
variable can be subjected to measurement by
units of measurement, whether subjective or
objective.
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6. Types of Variables
Independent Vs Dependent Variable
Research variable
Demographic variable
Extraneous variable
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7. Types of Variables
Independent Variable
It is a stimulus or activity that is manipulated
or varied by the researcher to create the
effect on the dependent variable.
Dependent Variable
It is the outcome or response due to the effect
of the independent variable, which
researcher wants to predict or explain.
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8. Types of Variables
For example:
“Effectiveness of planned teaching on the
knowledge of staff nurses working in
psychiatric unit regarding Physical
Restraints for psychiatric patient in selected
hospital of J&K”.
• In this study planned teaching is an
independent variable & knowledge is the
dependent variable
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9. Types of Variables
Research variable
In descriptive, exploratory, comparative, &
qualitative research studies, variable are
observed or measured in natural setting as they
exist, without manipulating or imposing the
effect of intervention or treatment.
Here no independent variable is manipulated &
no cause-effect relationship is examined; these
variable are considered as research variable.
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10. Types of Variables
Research variable
Therefore, research variables can be defined as
qualities, attributes, properties or
characteristics which are observed or
measured in a natural setting without
manipulating & establishing cause-&-effect
relationship.
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11. Types of Variables
For example
“An exploratory study on factors contributing
to sleep disturbance among patients
admitted in selected intensive care unit of
AIIMS, New Delhi‟.
In this research study, “factors contributing to
sleep disturbance” is a research variable,
which is observed in natural setting without
manipulating it.
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12. Types of Variables
Demographic variable
In most of the research studies, researchers
make the attempt to study the sample
characteristics & present them in research
findings. Sometimes researchers even try to
establish relations of the demographic
variables with the research variables.
These characteristics & attributes of the study
subjects are considered as demographic
variables.
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13. Types of Variables
Demographic variable
Common demographic variables are age,
gender, educational status, religion, social
class, marital status, habitat, occupation,
income, & medical diagnosis etc.
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14. Types of Variables
Extraneous variable
Extraneous variables are the factors which are
not the part of the study but may affect the
measurement of the study variables.
These variables are usually recognized &
controlled by researchers in quasiexperimental
& experimental studies.
Generally, specific research design & sample
inclusion & exclusion criteria are used to
control the influence of extraneous variables.14

15. Types of Variables
For example:
‘A study is conducted to assess the effect of two
different pin site care protocols on prevention
of pin site infection among patients with
external skeletal fixation’.
In this study, pin site care protocols are
independent variable, pin site infection is the
dependent variable .
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16. Operational Definitions
In research study, each variable or concept must
be operationally defined. An operational
definition of variable provides the theoretical
or conceptual meaning of variable under
study.
This definition of the variables may be derived
from conceptual or theoretical framework on
which study is based or may be stated in a
form in which variables are expected to be
studied in present study.
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17. Operational Definitions
The specific way in which a variable is
measured in a particular study is called
the operational definition.
It is critical to operationally define a variable in
order to lend credibility to the methodology
and to ensure the reproducibility of the results.
Another study may measure the same variable
differently. The operational definition also
helps to control the variable by making the
measurement constant.
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18. Operational Definitions
For example:
“Effectiveness of planned teaching on the
knowledge of staff nurses working in
psychiatric unit regarding Physical Restraints
for psychiatric patient in selected hospital of
J&K”.
In this problem statement there are five
variables, effectiveness, planned teaching,
knowledge, nurse & physical restraint, which
need to operationally defined.
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