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Variables and ESP Applied in Context

The document discusses different types of variables that are relevant in ESP (English for Specific Purposes) research. It defines variables as things that can differ or change, and explains that variables are central to research studies. The main types of variables discussed are independent variables, which are manipulated by researchers; dependent variables, which depend on independent variables; moderator variables, which influence the relationship between independent and dependent variables; and control variables, which are kept constant. Independent and dependent variables are distinguished by their relationship - independent variables cause changes in dependent variables. The document provides examples of research studies and how independent, dependent, moderator and control variables are applied.

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JOHN HAMILTON SEPULVEDA ALZATE
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106 views9 pages

Variables and ESP Applied in Context

The document discusses different types of variables that are relevant in ESP (English for Specific Purposes) research. It defines variables as things that can differ or change, and explains that variables are central to research studies. The main types of variables discussed are independent variables, which are manipulated by researchers; dependent variables, which depend on independent variables; moderator variables, which influence the relationship between independent and dependent variables; and control variables, which are kept constant. Independent and dependent variables are distinguished by their relationship - independent variables cause changes in dependent variables. The document provides examples of research studies and how independent, dependent, moderator and control variables are applied.

Uploaded by

JOHN HAMILTON SEPULVEDA ALZATE
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Variables and ESP applied in context

What’s a variable? What kinds of variables are really relevant in ESP


research? These are questions we make every day, but the real
question is: Can I identify or applying a variable in my research
context?

To begin with, it’s necessary some definitions of variables:

“A variable is something that may vary, or differ”

“A variable is essentially what we can observe or quantify of the human


characteristics or abilities involved”

“The results of a study cannot be logical if the variables are defined


poorly or erroneously, the variables are, after all, the focus and center
of any study”.

1Brown, James D. (2004)

“A variable is something that can be changed, such as a characteristic


or value. Variables are generally used in psychology experiments to
determine if changes to one thing result in changes to another”

2Kendra Cherry

1
Brown, James D. (2004). Understanding Research in Second Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.

2
http://psychology.about.com/od/researchmethods/f/variable.htm
“A variable is something that can change, such as 'gender' and are
typically the focus of a study”3

Taking into account Brown’s definitions, he explains: A person’s


proficiency in Spanish as a foreign language may differ over time as
the person learns more and more Spanish. Some of the many
variables that differ both over time and among individuals include
language proficiency, motivation, self – esteem, and health. A few that
typically vary only among individuals are sex, nationality, first language
background, intelligence, and language ability.

“Most statistical research in our field is concerned with identifying the


variables that are important to language learning and discovering how
these variables affect the teaching of languages”.

Brown, James D. (2004)

Even though a variable definition is important, it’s indispensable to


know the five different classifications of variables within statistical
language studies: dependent, independent moderator, control, and
intervening variables. These five types of variables are distinguished
primarily by the relationships that the researcher hypothesizes to exist
among them. Hence, a variable that functions as a dependent variable
in one study may be an independent variable in another.

3
http://changingminds.org/explanations/research/measurement/variables.htm
Brown defines a dependent variable as:

“A dependent variable cannot be identified in isolation”

“This is the central variable, on which other variables will act if there is
any relationship”

“A dependent variable is observed to determine what effect, if any, the


other types of variables may have on it”

Brown, James D. (2004)

Other important definitions:

“A dependent variable is a variable dependent on another variable”

4
Lekulana Kolobe

“The dependent variable is what changes when the independent


variable changes - the dependent variable depends on the outcome of
the independent variable”5

“The dependent variable is simply that, a variable that is dependent on


an independent variable”6

The dependent variable is the outcome. In an experiment, it may be


what was caused or what changed as a result of the study.

4
http://cnx.org/content/m13448/latest/

5
http://www.cool-science-projects.com/independent-and-dependent-variables.html

6
http://statistics.laerd.com/spss-articles/types-of-variable
An independent variable is one that is selected and systematically
manipulated by the researcher to determine whether, or the degree to
which, it has any effect on the dependent variable. As with dependent
variables, the researcher may include more than one independent
variable in a given study.

“Independent variables are variables selected by the researcher to


determine their effect on or relationship with the dependent variable”

Brown, James D. (2004)

“The independent variable is said to cause an apparent change in, or


simply affect, the dependent variable”

7Lekulana Kolobe

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 on a dependent variable,
sometimes called an outcome variable.

An independent variable is the variable you have control over, what


you can choose and manipulate. It is usually what you think will affect
the dependent variable. In some cases, you may not be able to
manipulate the independent variable. It may be something that is
already there and is fixed, something you would like to evaluate with
respect to how it affects something else, the dependent variable like
color, kind, time.

7
http://cnx.org/content/m13448/latest/
Example: You are interested in how stress affects heart rate in
humans. Your independent variable would be the stress and the
dependent variable would be the heart rate. You can directly
manipulate stress levels in your human subjects and measure how
8
those stress levels change heart rate.

"In a research study, the independent variable defines a principal focus


of research interest. It is the consequent variable that is presumably
affected by one or more independent variables that are either
manipulated by the researcher or observed by the researcher and
regarded as antecedent conditions that determine the value of the
dependent variable.9

Another example:

The wages of an employee depend on the time worked. Time is the


independent variable that varies among employees, and the wages are
calculated directly from the total time worked. Thus wages are
dependent on time worked.

In a call centre, the number of customers serviced per hour, depends


on the number of agents, and average service time per customer. In
this case number of customers is a dependent variable, entirely

8
http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/po/independentvar.htm

9
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research/Variables/variablenotes.htm
dependent on the other two independent variables namely agents, and
average service time.10

Independent and dependent variables are related to one another. The


dependent variable is what changes when the independent variable
changes - the dependent variable depends on the outcome of the
independent variable.11

In summary independent and dependent variables are:

 Independent Variables are changes that occur in an experiment


that are directly caused by the experimenter
 Dependent Variables are changes that occur due to independent
variables.
 A Controlled Variable is anything else that could influence the
dependent variables.

Nevertheless, the independent and dependent variables are not the


only variables present in many experiments. In some cases,
extraneous variables may also play a role. This type of variable is one
that may have an impact on the relationship between the independent
and dependent variables. These are:

10
Taken from Wikipedia 2006

11
http://www.cool-science-projects.com/independent-and-dependent-variables.html
 A moderator variable is a special type of independent variable
that the investigator has chosen to determine how, if at all, the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables is
affected, or modified, by the moderator variable.

The essential difference between independent and moderator variables


lies in how the researcher views each in the study. For independent
variables, the concern is with their direct relationship to the dependent
variable, whereas for moderator variables, the concern is with their
effect on that relationship.

 Control variables are those that the investigator has chosen to


keep constant, neutralize, or otherwise eliminate so that they will
not have an effect on the study.
 Intervening variables are abstract, theoretical labels applied to
the relationship or process that links the independent and
dependent variables. They are constructs that may explain the
relationship between independent and dependent variables but
are not directly observable themselves.

It’s important taking into account that the way the variables are
assigned and the way they interrelate are mostly in the hands of the
researcher.

A study is initially designed to determine the effect of the independent


variable on the dependent variable. The intervening variable serves to
label the relationship or process that links the independent and
dependent variables but is not itself observable. In addition, the
researcher may wish to consider a special kind of independent
variable, called a moderator variable, to determine what change, if any,
it causes in the central relationship between the independent and
dependent variables.
References

 Brown, James D. (2004). Understanding Research in Second


Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Web sites

 http://psychology.about.com/od/researchmethods/f/variable.htm

 http://changingminds.org/explanations/research/measurement/va
riables.htm

 http://cnx.org/content/m13448/latest/

 http://www.cool-science-projects.com/independent-and-
dependent-variables.html

 http://statistics.laerd.com/spss-articles/types-of-variable

 http://cnx.org/content/m13448/latest/

 http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/po/independentvar.htm

 http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research/Variables/variableno
tes.htm

 www.wikipedia .com

 http://www.cool-science-projects.com/independent-and-
dependent-variables.html

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