A professor is examining success of tenure-track faculty in attaining tenure at their postsecondary institution. He surveys tenure-track faculty who have went through the tenure process in the past year and gathers data on two variables: 1) the number of publications in refereed journals (measured in whole numbers); and 2) whether or not they attained tenure (yes or no). The research question is: Is there an average difference in the number of publications based on faculty who attain tenure as compared to faculty who do not attain tenure? Which of the following represents the DEPENDENT variable?
A) Attainment of tenure
B) Faculty in tenure track programs
C) Number of publications
D) Postsecondary institution

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome of interest, which in this case is the "number of publications in refereed journals." This variable is expected to vary based on whether or not the faculty attained tenure, making it the dependent variable in the study.

A Professor Is Examining Success of Tenure-Track Faculty in Attaining