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Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
C
Concept - An abstract factor or idea, not always directly observable, that a researcher wants to study
D
dependent variable - A variable that is affected by another variable
descriptive statistics - Statistical techniques for describing the patterns found in a set of data.
H
hypothesis - A prediction about the value of a parameter or how variables are related in a population
I
independent variable - A variable that causes a change in another variable
M
measurement - The process of transforming concepts into observable data, or variables; also called operationalization
mixed methods - Methods that employ both qualitative and quantitative data and analysis
O
operationalization - The process of transforming concepts into observable data, or variables; also called measurement
Q
qualitative method - Analysis of data that are not numerical, such as the text of documents, interviews, or field observations.
quantitative analysis - Analysis that uses statistical techniques to analyze numerical data
R
ratio-level variable - A numerical variable with identical distances between each value and with a meaningful value of zero that represents a true value of zero for the variable being measured
S
sampling - The process of selecting cases from the population to study
statistical control - A data analysis process to ensure that a third variable does not account for the relationship between independent and dependent variables
V
variable - A characteristic that can take on more than one category or value.
