SETTING THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is determined primarily by the selection of variables that the research
study will focus on. Defining the scope of the research requires the careful selection of variables
that will be investigated, as well as the attributes that will define and measure these variables.
A variable refers to any characteristic that can have different values or traits that may vary
across research participants. Variables are measured, controlled, and manipulated by the
researcher. Examples include age, gender, height, and weight. Based on the research problem,
the researcher identifies the possible variables that will be investigated to address the problem.
Attributes are important elements of a variable. It refers to the value assigned to a specific
variable. For example, if the researcher focuses on gender as a significant variable in the study,
he or she then identifies male and female as attributes of gender. The variable agreement may
have the following attributes – strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree.
Variables have the following important characteristics:

1. Dependence – this refers to how the variable is considered in a cause-and-effect

relationship. Independent variables are those characteristics that are changed, manipulated,
or selected by the researcher. Dependent variables, on the other hand, are those that change
because of changes to the independent variable.
For example, in a study that investigates the use of computer-aided teaching instruction on
student performance, the independent variable is teaching instruction as the researcher
chooses to implement computer-aided teaching in the classrooms. The dependent variable,
therefore, is student performance as it is expected to change in reaction to the introduction of
computer-aided teaching.
2. Mutually exclusive – this means that a participant or respondent cannot possess two
attributes of a variable. For instance, a person cannot be both male and female.
3. Exhaustive – this means that the researcher should consider all possible attributes of a
certain variable. In identifying the possible responses of the participants to survey questions, the
researcher must identify all possible answers or reactions. In reality, considering all possible
attributes and including them in the research study is a difficult and almost impossible task.
Therefore, selecting the most relevant attributes for each variable is part of setting the scope of
the study.