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CHAPTER 6

Define conceptualization: the process of defining the agreed meaning of the terms used in a study

Indicators identified to mark the presence or absence of a concept

Dimensions subcategories of a concept

Interchangeability of indicators if several indicators represent the same concept, they should

behave in the same way as the concept

Define operationalization: one step beyond conceptualization, the process of developing operational

definitions

Operational definition is created to define the procedures or steps used in the measuring of a

concept it must be specific and unambiguous.

Levels of Measurement (N.O.I.R.)

Nominal: - variables only have attributes that are mutually exclusive and exhaustive

- names/labels are offered for the attributes characteristics

- measured by counting the frequencies of each attribute

ex| Male/Female, hair color, birthplace

Ordinal: - rank ordered attributes

- distance between order is irrelevant (i.e. cant almost be a sophomore, your still a

freshman)

ex | class standing, formal education, social class

Interval: - rank ordered attributes

- distance between order is relevant and standard

- NO true zero

ex | opinions (strongly agree thru strongly disagree), IQ, temperature

Ratio: - rank ordered attributes

- distance between order is relevant and standard

- measures are based on a true zero point

ex | Age, number of children, income

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Reliability: an instrument consistently measures the variable of interest.Do we get the same

results each time?

Methods of Measurement Reliability

- Test-Retest Method: make the same measurement more than once; you should expect the same

response both times

- Alternative-Form Method: develop two different forms or versions of the same measure from the

same pool of measurement items

- Internal Consistency Method: the various items in a given measure should correlate positively with

one another

Split-half reliability creating two sets of equal measures, in order to be reliable the two sets

would correlate highly with each other

Item-total reliability used with questionnaire measures, measuring each item with the total

score

- Use Established Measures: using measures that have proven their reliability in previous research

-Assessing Reliability of Research Workers: verification of information, replication of codes by several

coders, inter-observer or inter-coder agreement

- Reliability coefficients: statistical comparison, reliability coefficient can range from a value of 0 to 1.00;

researchers hope to produce reliability coefficients as close to 1.00

Validity: -does the empirical measure observe what it purports to observe?

-Are we measuring what we say were measuring?

-Does the measure appropriately (adequately and accurately)reflect the meaning of the concept?

Methods of Measurement Validity

Content Validity -how well a measure covers the range of meanings or dimensions included

within the concept

-it is addressed in two ways:

- Face Validity does it work with our common agreements?

ex. | the number or grievances filed, we agree that has to do with

morale; but the number of library booked checked out, we cannot agree

that has to do with morale

- Expert Panel Validity a group of experts in the area evaluates a

measures adequacy

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Criterion Validity -how well a measure relates to some external criterion

- it is addressed in two ways:

-Predictive Validity a measure must demonstrate that it predicts

future behavior; does it actually predict?

-Concurrent Validity comparison to an established measure

Construct Validity -based on the logical relationships among variables

-Convergent Construct Validity measure correlates positively with

measure of theoretically related variable

-Discriminant Validity measure correlated negatively with related

variable

Representational Validity - are the categories meaningful to those being studied?

How are reliability and validity related?

In order for an instrument to be valid, it must also be reliablebut A reliable instrument is not necessarily valid.