Glossary: Research

Independent Variable

A variable which impacts the dependent variable, but is not impacted by the dependent variable; the conditions or variables of an experiment that are systematically manipulated by the researchers.

Indigenous Research Systems

Integrative methodology which believes in relational information being acquired from the shared knowledge of creation, and rather searching for the objective reality and truth, emphasizes interconnectedness and relationality, holistic and adaptive approaches to the research process, and respect for Indigenous peoples, knowledge, cultures, languages, histories, and environments.

Individualism

A theory or policy having primary regard for the liberty, rights, or independent actions of individuals over groups.

Inductive Reasoning/Analysis

A form of reasoning in which a generalized conclusion is formulated from particular instances. A form of analysis which starts with answers, but forms questions throughout the research process;

Insiderness

A concept in qualitative research that refers to the degree to which a researcher has access to and an understanding of people, places, or things within a group or community as they are a member of that group or community.

Internal Consistency

The extent to which all questions or items assess the same characteristic, skill, or quality. It measures the extent to which items within a measurement instrument are interrelated or measure the same underlying construct consistently. It assesses the degree of agreement or coherence among the items in measuring a single construct or attribute.

Internal Validity

The rigor with which the study was conducted (e.g., the study's design, the care taken to conduct measurements, and decisions concerning what was and wasn't measured) and the extent to which the designers of a study have taken into account alternative explanations for any causal relationships they explore. In studies that do not explore causal relationships, only the first of these definitions should be considered when assessing internal validity.

Interrater Reliability

The extent to which two or more individuals agree. It addresses the consistency of the implementation of a rating system.

Interval Variable

A variable in which both order of data points and distance between data points can be determined, e.g., percentage scores and distances

Interviews

A research tool in which a researcher asks questions of participants; interviews are often audio- or video-taped for later transcription and analysis.

Irrelevant Information

Data which does not pertain to to question at hand. One must decide what to do with the information in the text that is not coded- either deleting or skipping over unwanted material, or viewing all information as relevant and important and using it to reexamine, reassess and perhaps even alter the one's coding scheme.