Paper Example on Identifying Research Variables

Introduction

A variable is defined as anything that has a quantity or quality that varies. Dependent variables in research refer to a variable that depends on other factors being measured. Dependent variables are expected to change as a result of a manipulation of the independent variable or variables experimentally (Marion, 2004). A dependent variable is the presumed effect. Independent variable, on the other hand, refers to a variable that is stable and unaffected by the other variables being measured in a study (Trochim, 2006). It refers to a condition systematically manipulated by the investigator in a study.

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After conducting a search on the ProQuest database for peer-reviewed research literature I choose the following three pieces of literature:

A Comparative Study on Teacher Leadership in Special Education Classroom Between China and Malaysia

This research study sought to identify effective leadership styles in managing classroom among special education teachers. The researcher conducted a cross-cultural comparative study between China and Malaysia. The quantitative method was used to collect data from the participating schools. The researcher access the perception of leadership practice of special education teachers and its implementation in creating energy in the classroom, securing environment, building capacity, extending the vision, meeting and minimizing crisis in class as well as seeking and charting improvement dimensions. The number of respondents who participated in the study was 749. This number included 369 special education teachers from Malaysia and 380 teachers from China. Results from the study revealed that the special education teachers from the two countries all practiced all six dimensions of teacher leadership at a high level in both countries. However, the results showed a significant difference between the level of agreement and the level of implementing the teacher leadership practice in both China and Malaysia. The results of the study indicate that special education teachers practice, implement, access and maintain a high level of teacher leadership in classroom management.

Variables

Independent variables: Teacher leadership style

Teacher leadership style is the independent variable in the study in the sense that despite the level of agreement and the level of implementing, the standards for leadership style remain constant. There are six levels of teacher leadership style; creating energy in the classroom, building capacity, securing the environment, extending the vision, meeting and minimizing crisis and lastly seeking and charting improvement.

Dependent variables: agreement and implementation

The levels of agreement and implementation of the teacher leadership practice depend on the country i.e. special education teachers in China and those in Malaysia. These variables are continuous.

Nurses’ Preparedness and Perceived Competence in Managing Disasters

This is a descriptive analysis of rural nurses' perceived readiness to manage disaster situations. The researcher conducted this study on nurses based at hospitals from rural communities in Texas during the summer of 2011. The researchers choose a questionnaire as the data collection method. The questionnaire used in the study was the 58-item disaster readiness questionnaire. The questionnaires were emailed to the nurses at the hospital through various hospital intranet sites. The number of those nurses that replied and accepted to participate in the study was 620 nurses. The results of the study revealed that most of the nurses working in rural hospitals were not confident in their abilities to respond to major disaster events. According to the results, even the qualified nurses lacked experience in disaster readiness as they had not been involved in such situations or training exercises. The researchers found out that healthcare climate i.e. job satisfaction derived from working as a nurse did not determine nurses disaster preparedness. However, results indicated that motivation of the nurses significantly influenced preparedness and thus would be used as a predictor of perceived nurse competence to manage disasters in regards to the willingness of the nurses to assume the risks of participating in a disaster situation.

Variables in the Study

Dependent variables: Nurses preparedness and perceived competence

Nurse's preparedness depends on the confidence in their abilities of disaster preparedness. Perceived competence is dependent on the motivation of the nurses to willingly assume the risk of involvement in a disaster situation. These variables are continuous

Independent variables: Disaster

Disaster is an independent variable in this study in the sense that its occurrence is neither determined by neither the competencies of the nurses nor the levels of preparedness. This is a continuous variable

Barriers to Adopting Technology for Teaching and Learning in Oman

The researchers in this study sought to investigate barriers to adopting information and communication technologies in higher education in Oman. Participants in the study included 100 faculty members from four different departments at the College of Applied Sciences in Oman. A survey was used as the data collection method. The results from the study showed that faculty members in Oman perceived moderate degrees of barriers in applying technology in learning. The differences based on gender, academic filed were generally not found. However, interaction effects on the barriers related to lack of equipment, overall mean and disbelief of ICT benefits were found.

Variables

Independent variables: Information and communication technologies (ICT)

This a continuous variable

Dependent variables: barriers to embracing ICT; disbelief of ICT benefits, overall mean grade, lack of equipment, academic rank, gender, and academic field. These variables are continuous.

References

Al-Senaidi, S., Lin, L., & Poirot, J. (2009). Barriers to adopting technology for teaching and learning in Oman. Computers & Education, 53(3), 575-590.

Baack, S., & Alfred, D. (2013). Nurses' preparedness and perceived competence in managing disasters. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 45(3), 281-287.

Marion, R. (2004). The Whole Art of Deduction Research Skills for New Scientists. The University of Texas Medical Branch, available at Internet (http://www. says. utmb. edu/pellinore/intro_to_research/wad/wad_ home. htm# content).

Ngang, T. K. (2012). A comparative study on teacher leadership in special education classroom between China and Malaysia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 231-235.

Trochim, W. M. (2006). Qualitative measures. Research measures knowledge base, 361, 2-16.