Variables play a critical role in nursing research; thus, clearly defining and properly employing them is essential. There are three types of variables present in most studies – independent, dependent, and extraneous. Undoubtedly, it is vital to compare independent, dependent, and extraneous variables and determine how to control the third to get a better understanding of how nursing research is conducted and what factors are involved.
Variables either can or cannot be controlled by researchers in various studies, and the former is called independent, while the latter is dependent. Researchers can manipulate independent variables to obtain different dependent ones and make certain conclusions. For example, Samuel and Rupa (2017) explored the level of job satisfaction where their dependent variables were “subjective wellbeing scores of teaching faculty employed in selected colleges” (p. 223). Independent variables included subjects of the study and distributed questions.
Furthermore, there are extraneous variables that influence both dependent and independent ones. Researchers must endeavor to control them to maintain their studies’ results as objective as possible. Sheppard (n.d.) notes that extraneous variables can be managed in two ways, such as employing standardized procedures and applying random assignations. First, they need to ensure that everything is administered in the same way, ranging from the explanations to subjects to the research environment’s temperature. Second, random assignations help reduce the risk of the influence of participants’ specific characteristics on studies’ results.
In conclusion, every nursing researcher deals with independent, dependent, and extraneous variables; hence, it is crucial to be familiar with the terms and use them accurately. It is possible to manipulate independent variables, obtaining different dependent variables. There are always extraneous variables, which affect studies’ objectivity. Therefore, researchers need to employ two approaches to control them to make their conclusions more objective and worth consideration.
References
Samuel, P. K., & Rupa, G. (2017). A study to assess level of job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing of teaching faculty employed in selected colleges of nursing at Pandalam, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. Asian Journal of Nursing Education and Research, 7(2), 222-224. Web.
Sheppard, V. (n.d.). Research methods for the social sciences: An introduction. B.C. Faculty Pressbooks.