SESSION 6 B

MEASURING THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES

Kinds of Data

• Demographic• Interview• Survey• Questionnaire• Observations• Rating Scales• Grades• Test Scores• Performance Ratings

Data Collection Instruments

• Researcher Completes– Rating Scales– Interview Schedules– Tally Sheets– Flowcharts– Performance Checklist– Anecdotal records– Time & motion logs– Rubrics

• Subject Completes– Questionnaires– Self Checklists– Attitude scales– Personality or Character

inventories– Achievement / aptitude

tests– Performance tests– Projective devices– Sociometric Devices– Rubrics

Data Collection MatrixWhat am I measuring?How?From Whom?

Dependent variables

Sources

Students Parents other Teacher

1. Math achievement

Math chapter test

Observe them solving problems

2. Attitude Likert Scale

3.

Create a Likert Scale:Measuring Concepts - Process

• Define concept• Brainstorm indicators of concept• Operationalise – draft a measurement device• Pilot test• Examine psychometric properties

– how precise are the measures?• Redraft/refine and re-test

Operationalisation

• Operationalisation is the act of making a fuzzy concept measurable.

• Social sciences often use multi-item measures to assess related but distinct aspects of a fuzzy concept.

Fuzzy Concepts - Mindmap

Fuzzy Concepts - Mindmap

Factor Analysis Process

Method: InstrumentGreenleaf 1992 scale (16 items)

Reliability & Validity

Reliability vs. Validity

Reliability

Reproducibility of a measurement

Action Research Proposal:Step 1: What is your problem? Step: 2 What is your research question?Step 3: Detailed description of your intervention.Step 4: Description of Sample Step 5: Data Collection MatrixStep 6: Likert Scale