Question

Q: In this study the independent variable is ___________.

1-Nominal
2-Ordinal
3- Ratio

Summer Camp and Self-esteem

t-Test for Dependent Groups with Effect Size: II

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that a session of summer camp would increase the self-esteem of economically disadvantaged school-age children from New York’s inner-city neighborhood. The sample included 68 American children, aged 6-12 years…

As a measure of self-esteem, the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-concept scale…, an 80-item self-report questionnaire, was administered as a pretest and posttest. Total scores for self-esteem range from 0 to 80, which higher scores reflecting more positive self-evaluations….

The scale taps six dimensions of self-esteem…: Popularity (12 items), physical appearance and attributes (13), intellectual and school status (17), happiness and satisfaction (10), behavior (admission of problem behavior) (16), and anxiety (14). On behavior and anxiety scales, higher scores indicate perception of fewer problems or less anxiety.

Size of treatment effect was based on Cohen’s d for the overall score (d =.15) and for the popularity cluster scale (d =.25).

Answer 1

The study is designed to test that a session of summer camp would increase the self-esteem of economically disadvantaged school-age children. So, the independent variable is "pre/post session of summer camp" and the dependent variable is "self esteem".

Self esteem is measured before and after the session and it is claimed that self esteem scores are higher for post sessions as compared with scores for pre sessions.

Thus, there are two levels of the independent variable - Pre and Post. The levels has a defined order based on chronology. We cannot take the ratio of the values of these variables.

So,  In this study the independent variable is  2-Ordinal