Independent Variable
The variable a researcher manipulates or treats as a presumed cause in order to observe its effect on an outcome.
The independent variable is the presumed cause in a study. In experiments it is directly manipulated, such as assigning participants to different teaching methods. In non-experimental research it is a measured predictor, such as years of experience. A study can have several independent variables, and each combination of their levels defines a condition to compare.
In a thesis, naming the independent variable forces clarity about what your design can claim. If you manipulate it with random assignment, causal language may be defensible; if you only measure it, the discussion chapter should speak of associations instead. Making that distinction explicit in the methodology chapter prevents overclaiming, which is one of the most frequent criticisms found in examiner reports.
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