Jon is a school director interested in the benefits of community service for student self-esteem. He administers a self-esteem measure at the beginning of the school year and then assigns students to one of three types of community service activities. In one type of service, the students complete 5 hours of community service of their choice. In the second type, students conduct 5 hours of community service as a group painting and renovating a shelter. In the third type, each child works for 5 hours when they are available at the local soup kitchen. After the service is complete he again measures their self-esteem to see differences.
-What is the independent variable in Jon's study?
A) Self-esteem
B) Number of hours
C) Type of community service
D) Students' choices

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the type of community service the students participate in, as this is being manipulated by Jon to see its effect on self-esteem. The other options - self-esteem, number of hours, and students' choices - are either dependent variables (self-esteem) or not being directly manipulated by Jon in this study.

Jon Is a School Director Interested in the Benefits of Community