Soc Week 4 - Introduction to Quantitative Research (NOT FINISHED)

Operationalization

the process of converting concepts into indicators or into specific questions in a questionnaire or an interview

what are the major concerns of operationalization

measurement validity - does the research instrument capture the concept it is meant to measure

Concepts

The ideas or mental representations of things

• emotional labor, secularization, hyperactivity, academic achievement 

• may be independent or dependent variables 

what are the two types of definitions for a concept?

Nominal: describes the concept in words, much like a dictionary definition

• Example: “political party identification refers to the party to which people most closely associate themselves”

Operational: describes how the concept is to be measured

• Example: “political party identification may be measured by asking people,

‘Do you normally think of yourself as a supporter of the Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats, Greens, or Bloc Québécois?’”

Indicators

tell us (indicate) that there may be a link and indicate how strong that link may be

•        Usually, one indicator for each concept is adequate

•        It is advantageous to use more than one indicator of a concept (often done in survey research)

multiple-indicators

(more than one variable) to measure a concept:

• Reduces the likelihood of misclassifying some people because the language of a question is misunderstood

Reliability

•         is concerned with the consistency of measures

what are the three different meanings of reliability?

1.             Stability over time

2.             Internal reliability or consistency

3.             Inter-observer consistency