Definition, Significance, Nature and Examples Essay
An integral part of any research, a scientific variable is not that easy to define. Granted that there are many ways to explain its purpose in a research, the existing definitions are rather vague. For example, there is a description of a scientific variable provided by Ellis, Harley, and Walsh; according to the authors, the given phenomenon is the key to any research: “Variables are empirical phenomena that take on different values or intensities†(Ellis, Harley & Walsh, 2010, p. 27). In addition, the angle from which a scientific variable is defined form matters considerably. There are operational definitions, which focus on the functions of a variable; conceptual ones, which are based on its nature, etc. However, even as the definitions of general research components go, the given one is outstandingly vague.
