The Independent Variable
The Independent Variable
Definition
The cause. The factor the researcher changes, controls, or introduces.
In a classroom
Almost always the new teaching strategy or intervention the teacher tries.
Why it is called independent
The teacher introduces or changes it as part of the study. It does not depend on anything else.
The Independent Variable
The independent variable is the cause. It is the factor the researcher changes, controls, or introduces.
In a classroom, the independent variable is almost always the new teaching strategy or intervention the teacher is trying. Some examples.
- A teacher who wants to test peer feedback. The independent variable is peer feedback.
- A teacher who wants to test daily silent reading. The independent variable is daily silent reading.
- A teacher who wants to test changing the seating from rows to clusters. The independent variable is the seating arrangement.
- A teacher who wants to test using flashcards for vocabulary. The independent variable is the use of flashcards.
In every case, the teacher is the one who decides to introduce or change the independent variable. The students do not choose it. The principal does not choose it. The teacher chooses it because she thinks it might fix something.
A short rule
Independent means the cause. It is what the teacher changes.
Why it is called independent
The name comes from the idea that this variable does not depend on anything else in the study. The teacher introduces or changes it as part of the study. Everything else is supposed to respond to it.
Spot the IV in a one-line study
Read any teacher’s research question and ask: what did the teacher decide to introduce or change? That item is the IV. The score, the count, or the rating is something else.
A second card that names the IV in the classroom version of the term.
