Variables Research Variables and Hypothesis

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3.3 Research Variables and Hypothesis

This part discuss variables and hypothesis.

3.3.1 Variables

Variable is a characteristic, number, or quantity that increases or decreases over time, or takes different values in different situations. Moreover, Tuckman 1978:7 defines variable as something that may vary, or differ. “Research variable is the conditions or characteristics that experimenter manipulates, control, or observes” Best 1981:59. From the definition above, it can be concluded that research variable includes the factor that have a role in the phenomena or tendencies. A dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment. The dependent variable responds to the independent variable. It is called dependent because it depends on the independent variable. In a scientific experiment, you cannot have a dependent variable without an independent variable. An independent variable is an input variable, that which causes, in part or in total, a particular outcome; it is a stimulus that influences a response, an antecedent or a factor which may be modified e.g. under experimental or other conditions to affect an outcome. Independent and dependent variables are related to one another. “Independent variable is the variable that the experimenter expect to influence the other” Nunan 1992:25. Independent part is what the experimenter changes or enacts in order to do your experiment. The dependent variable is what changes 31 when the independent variable changes. The dependent variable depends on the outcome of the independent variable. In this research, the independent variable was the strategy that was used in showing the effectiveness of TPRC strategy for teaching reading comprehension. The variable which the independent variable is acting is called dependent variable, in this case is the students‟ score on the test of descriptive texts.

3.3.2 Hypothesis