Education Variable Identification
Goal
Transform a topic, research question, or literature set into a defensible variable/construct model for education research.
Inputs
- Research question or hypothesis
- Topic and population
- PDFs, abstracts, Zotero export, or paper list if available
- Intended method: survey, experiment, quasi-experiment, learning analytics, classroom observation, qualitative coding, mixed methods
Workflow
- Parse the research question into constructs.
- Classify each construct:
- independent variable
- dependent variable
- mediator
- moderator
- control variable
- grouping variable
- qualitative theme/phenomenon
- Search literature for how constructs are measured.
- Extract instruments, dimensions, sample items, and reported reliability if available.
- Build a conceptual model.
- Produce operational definitions and data collection suggestions.
Tool Calls
Zotero Export
Ask the user to export selected Zotero items as BibTeX/RIS/CSV, or use Zotero local data if available.
Zotero download:
https://www.zotero.org/download/
Suggested Zotero workflow:
- Create collection for the research topic.
- Export collection as BibTeX or CSV.
- Use abstracts/PDFs to extract variables and instruments.
PDF Text Extraction
Use local tools if PDFs are provided:
pdftotext input.pdf output.txt
or:
python -m pymupdf gettext input.pdf
Then search the text:
rg -n "variable|measure|instrument|scale|reliability|Cronbach|mediator|moderator|control" output.txt
Semantic Scholar / OpenAlex
Search for measurement studies:
curl "https://api.semanticscholar.org/graph/v1/paper/search?query=academic%20self-efficacy%20scale%20students%20education&limit=10&fields=title,year,abstract,citationCount,authors"
curl "https://api.openalex.org/works?search=academic%20self-efficacy%20scale%20education&per-page=10&mailto=YOUR_EMAIL"
Elicit-Style Extraction Fields
When using Elicit or an LLM extraction table, use these columns:
study design | sample | independent variables | dependent variables | mediators | moderators | controls | instruments | reliability | key findings | limitations
Output Format
Return:
| Construct |
Variable Role |
Operational Definition |
Measurement / Instrument |
Data Source |
Literature Support |
Notes |
Then include:
- Conceptual model in text or Mermaid
- Hypotheses aligned to variables
- Measurement risks
- Missing variables to consider
Mermaid Model Template
flowchart LR
IV["Independent Variable"] --> MED["Mediator"]
MED --> DV["Dependent Variable"]
MOD["Moderator"] -. moderates .-> IV
CTRL["Controls"] --> DV
Quality Rules
- Do not invent a validated scale. If unknown, say "measurement needs confirmation".
- Separate theoretical constructs from observable indicators.
- For education research, always consider controls such as grade, gender, prior achievement, SES, teacher experience, school type, baseline score, and technology access where relevant.
- If qualitative, output themes/phenomena instead of forcing variables.
1---2name: education-variable-identification3description: Use when identifying independent variables, dependent variables, mediators, moderators, controls, constructs, indicators, instruments, and operational definitions from education research topics, papers, PDFs, Zotero libraries, survey plans, or literature review notes. Supports Elicit-style extraction, PDF RAG, and structured variable tables.4---56# Education Variable Identification78## Goal910Transform a topic, research question, or literature set into a defensible variable/construct model for education research.1112## Inputs1314- Research question or hypothesis15- Topic and population16- PDFs, abstracts, Zotero export, or paper list if available17- Intended method: survey, experiment, quasi-experiment, learning analytics, classroom observation, qualitative coding, mixed methods1819## Workflow20211. Parse the research question into constructs.222. Classify each construct:23 - independent variable24 - dependent variable25 - mediator26 - moderator27 - control variable28 - grouping variable29 - qualitative theme/phenomenon303. Search literature for how constructs are measured.314. Extract instruments, dimensions, sample items, and reported reliability if available.325. Build a conceptual model.336. Produce operational definitions and data collection suggestions.3435## Tool Calls3637### Zotero Export3839Ask the user to export selected Zotero items as BibTeX/RIS/CSV, or use Zotero local data if available.4041Zotero download:4243```text44https://www.zotero.org/download/45```4647Suggested Zotero workflow:48491. Create collection for the research topic.502. Export collection as BibTeX or CSV.513. Use abstracts/PDFs to extract variables and instruments.5253### PDF Text Extraction5455Use local tools if PDFs are provided:5657```bash58pdftotext input.pdf output.txt59```6061or:6263```bash64python -m pymupdf gettext input.pdf65```6667Then search the text:6869```bash70rg -n "variable|measure|instrument|scale|reliability|Cronbach|mediator|moderator|control" output.txt71```7273### Semantic Scholar / OpenAlex7475Search for measurement studies:7677```bash78curl "https://api.semanticscholar.org/graph/v1/paper/search?query=academic%20self-efficacy%20scale%20students%20education&limit=10&fields=title,year,abstract,citationCount,authors"79```8081```bash82curl "https://api.openalex.org/works?search=academic%20self-efficacy%20scale%20education&per-page=10&mailto=YOUR_EMAIL"83```8485### Elicit-Style Extraction Fields8687When using Elicit or an LLM extraction table, use these columns:8889```text90study design | sample | independent variables | dependent variables | mediators | moderators | controls | instruments | reliability | key findings | limitations91```9293## Output Format9495Return:9697| Construct | Variable Role | Operational Definition | Measurement / Instrument | Data Source | Literature Support | Notes |98|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|99100Then include:101102- Conceptual model in text or Mermaid103- Hypotheses aligned to variables104- Measurement risks105- Missing variables to consider106107## Mermaid Model Template108109```mermaid110flowchart LR111 IV["Independent Variable"] --> MED["Mediator"]112 MED --> DV["Dependent Variable"]113 MOD["Moderator"] -. moderates .-> IV114 CTRL["Controls"] --> DV115```116117## Quality Rules118119- Do not invent a validated scale. If unknown, say "measurement needs confirmation".120- Separate theoretical constructs from observable indicators.121- For education research, always consider controls such as grade, gender, prior achievement, SES, teacher experience, school type, baseline score, and technology access where relevant.122- If qualitative, output themes/phenomena instead of forcing variables.
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