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Assignment

11-Jan-2025
Dr. Ly Kimlong
  • To do literature review to define definition of concepts, indicators
  • Define related theories of the the topic
  • Operational definition (Questionnaire)
  • Submit Final Assignment 25-Jan-2025

Measuring by measure: Developing measures - making the absract concrete

First Takes
- Concept as central to theory
- Concept as central to research
- Translating concepts to variables
- Measurement validity
- Conceptual vs. contrived measures
- Product vs. behavioral measures
- Items vs. composite measures
- Levels of measurement
  - Norminal
  - Ordinal
  - Interval
  - Ratio measures

Introduction

  • The wall of water that can accompany an earthquake is conveyed in the concept "tsunami".
  • The rise of sea levels and world temperature are now conveyed via the concept 'climate change".
  • Concepts are mental absractions or image that serve categorize ideas, places, things, or events.

Concepts & the research process

science must concret and empirical
concepts are apart from the empirical world
concepts are mental absractions, so they are antithesis of concrete empiricism.
Some concepts are apart from the empirical world they lack an empirical indicator. This is called 'construct'. (using likert-scale)

Theory

Theory
Concepts forms a theory.
Theories consist of a series of statements (propositions) about relationship between concepts.
  • Construct refers to concepts without empirical counterparts. It is a concept or mental abstraction that is not directly observable.

Theory is a set of propositions or statements about how the world or some entity operates or works.

Bring theory down to earth

  • Translation process makes the concepts understandable to the empiricist.
  • In performing this translation process, the researcher enguages in the measurement process. It converts concepts to variables.
  • Variables is empirical representation/indicators of abstract concepts; any trait or characteristic that vary.
  • The researcher need to concern about valid measures or with achieving measurement validity.
  • Valid measures refer to measures that actually measure what they claim to measure; measures that docs what hey claim to docs.

Conceptualization

conceptualization
different researchers, may perceive different meaning of concept
offering theoretical definition of concepts
operationalization process
abstrction
  • The researchers try to achieve conceptual clarity by offering theoretical (aka norminal) definitions of concepts.
  • Theoretical (aka nominal or conceptual) definitions refers to definitions that clarify the exact meaning of concepts being measured by offering synonyms for the concepts; aka dictionary definition.

Sharpening your research vision: from concepts to conceptual definition to variables

  • Concept: self-esteem
    • conceptual definition: an overall evaluation of one's worth or value
    • variable: Rosenberg's self-esteem scale
  • Concept: shyness
    • concept definition: the tendency to feel awkard or tense in social situations
    • variable: check and buss shyness scale

Operationalization

  • Once a researcher has achieved clarity, she/he can then get on the task of finding the best empirical counterpart for the concept.
  • Operationalization process refer to process of finding reasonable and accurate impirical indicators for concepts.
  • Some measurement ideas are better than others

Some key guideline for the operationalization process

  • Contrive : to invent or create ideas/inidicators

  • Natural measures refers to no "artifical" or concocted measurement are divised. It naturally occurring evidence by way of empirically documenting a variable.

  • It helps to reduce "Reactivity effeccts".

  • Reactivity effects occurs when research participants become aware of the measurement process and consequently change/alter their behaviors as a result.

  • Contrived measures measures intentionally designed or developed bby the researcher in order to generate empirical evidence of a variable.

    • performance test
    • health check-ups
    • memory tests
    • surveys

  • Survey

One or more variables in translating concepts

  • How many variables?
    • depends on how a simple or compelex of the concepts are.
    • simple concept can be one dimension, and complex concept need multiple dimension.
  • A simple concept can be measured by item measures while complex concepts require composite measures.
  • Item measure - a single indicator used to document a concept (i.e. one question is typically used to measure gender or age or material status)
  • Composite measure refers to a multiple item measure; serveral indicators are used together to measure a complex concept.
    • These multiple item measure are referred to as indexes or scales.
    • provides more valid documentation.

Levels of measurement

Measurement refers to the process by which mumbers are attached to the values of variables (alternate: the process by which abstract concepts are translated into empirical indicators). There are 04 levels of indicators including nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

  • Measurement envolves a numerical translation that is the process by which we attatch nummbers to indictors.

  • Norminal is once that uses numbers to identify or label the values a variable; aka categorical measure.

  • Ordinal level measure is one that uses numbers to rank order the values of a variable.

    How would you describe your interest in politics?

    • No interest
    • Low
    • Moderate
    • High

  • Interval measure is one that ueses numbers to identify, order and indicate equal distance between the values of a variable. (Learn more here)

  • Ratio level meausure is one that uses number to express values of variables as real number or counts; aka quantitative measures.

Operational definitions

  • Operational definition helps to define a variable that indicate all of the step requirement to actual measure the variable.
  • It gives a detailed statement regarding how variables are or stating full operatal definition.
  • Learn more on page 109 of the book.

concepts in social science

express in words
concept of marriage (define it)
concept of sibling rivalry
concepts are essential tools for communicating
concepts in math are shown in math equation
concepts in social science are shown in words

image