Operationalisation

Question 1

Operationalisation means …

Answer 1

..turning abstract concepts into measurable observations. Although some concepts, like height or age, are easily measured, others, like spirituality or anxiety, are not.

Question 2

What does operationalising allow you to do?

Answer 2

you can systematically collect data on processes and phenomena that aren’t directly observable.

Question 3

Why does it matter? - for quant data

Answer 3

In quantitative research, it’s important to precisely define the variables that you want to study.

Question 4

Operationalising reduces .. and increases …

Answer 4

reduces subjectivity and increases the reliability of your study.

Question 5

How to operationalise

Answer 5

Identify the main concepts you are interested in studying.
Choose a variable to represent each of the concepts.
Select indicators for each of your variables.

Question 6

Step 1: Identify the main concepts you are interested in studying

Answer 6

Based on your research interests and goals, define your topic and come up with an initial research question.

Question 7

Step 2: Choose a variable to represent each of the concepts

Answer 7

Your main concepts may each have many variables, or properties, that you can measure.

To decide on which variables to use, review previous studies to identify the most relevant or underused variables. This will highlight any gaps in the existing literature that your research study can fill.

Question 8

Step 3: Select indicators for each of your variables

Answer 8

To measure your variables, decide on indicators that can represent them numerically.

Sometimes these indicators will be obvious: for example, the amount of sleep is represented by the number of hours per night. But a variable like sleep quality is harder to measure.

Question 9

Strengths of operationalising

Answer 9

Empiricism
Scientific research is based on observable and measurable findings. Operational definitions break down intangible concepts into recordable characteristics.

Objectivity
A standardised approach for collecting data leaves little room for subjective or biased personal interpretations of observations.

Reliability
A good operationalisation can be used consistently by other researchers. If other people measure the same thing using your operational definition, they should all get the same results.

Question 10

Limitations of operationalisation

Answer 10

Underdetermination
Many concepts vary across different time periods and social settings.

For example, poverty is a worldwide phenomenon, but the exact income level that determines poverty can differ significantly across countries.

Reductiveness
Operational definitions can easily miss meaningful and subjective perceptions of concepts by trying to reduce complex concepts to numbers.

For example, asking consumers to rate their satisfaction with a service on a 5-point scale will tell you nothing about why they felt that way.

Lack of universality
Context-specific operationalisations help preserve real-life experiences, but make it hard to compare studies if the measures differ significantly.