Role of knowledge of variables

The knowledge of different types of variable and also the way they can be measured plays a significant role in research. Variables become important in resulting into specificity and clarity to the conceptualisation of a research problem, leading to establishing hypotheses, leading to construction of research instrument. Variables affect the way data could be analysed, statistical tools that could be applied to the data, interpretations that could be made, the way data could be presented and finally what conclusions could be drawn. The way a variable could be measured at the data collection stage determines to a larger extent whether a study would be majorly ‘qualitative’ or ‘quantitative’ in nature.

For a beginner it becomes important to understand the various ways by which a variable could be measured and implications arising from it for the study. There are three perspectives that mutually not exclusive through which a variable could be classified:

• Causal relationship
  
• Design of the study
  
• Unit of measurement
  

Any concept that could be measured on scales like nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio is called a variable. Measurement scales leads to subjective responses, and also responses that could be measured with great precision for purposes of categorisation. The choice that a researcher could have on measuring a variable on a scale used for measurement depends upon the objective of the study and also the way the researchers want to convey their findings to the readers.