Overview
Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Hypotheses
DUE: Tuesday, Dec 03 (by 11:59 pm) via Canvas
You will use this assignment to develop your nominal and operational definitions based on the research question you previously developed (and perhaps revised). Your definitions need to be based on existing scholarly literature. Therefore, you need to cite at least one source of literature for each definition. These sources can be research articles, dictionaries, or handbooks. You can use the same sources you used in Lab 4 if they help you define your concepts. Be sure to cite in-text correctly and include a list of references at the end.
Follow the steps below to complete this assignment:
Step 1: State your (potentially revised) research question
Step 2: What data collection method (DCM) will you use? If you are using secondary data, please specify the name of the publicly available data set or be precise about what archival records/ records of communication you will use.
Step 3: Define & operationalize your outcome (DV)
- Conceptualization: Define the abstract concepts using existing literature. You have to cite at least 1 peer-reviewed scholarly source for your definition. If multiple articles in your lit research defined your concepts, synthesize the definitions by discussing similarities and differences.
- Operationalization: Identify 2 indicators that measure your concept:
- if your DCM = survey: Develop 2 close-ended questions with the complete set of answer options
- if your DCM = qualitative interview: Develop 2 open-ended questions
- if your DCM = experiment: Explain in detail how you would measure the outcome via your 2 measures (observed or self-reported)
- if your DCM = secondary data: Carefully read through the documentation for your data. Identify 1 or 2 ways to measure your DV via your data (e.g., if you use a publicly available survey, state the specific question in their questionnaire that measures your DV). If there is no second measure, please state so.
Step 4: Define & operationalize your cause (IV)
- Conceptualization: Define the abstract concepts using existing literature. You have to cite at least 1 peer-reviewed source for your definition. If multiple articles in your lit research defined your concepts, synthesize the definitions by discussing similarities and differences.
- Operationalization: Identify 2 indicators that measure your concept:
- if your DCM = survey: Develop 2 close-ended questions with the complete set of answer options
- if your DCM = qualitative interview: Develop 2 open-ended questions
- if your DCM = experiment: You only need 1 measure, but you need to explain in detail how you will manipulate your 1 independent variable
- if your DCM = secondary survey data. Identify 1 or 2 ways to measure your independent variable (e.g., what question(s) from the data set are you using? What specific statistics/records from the publicly available data are you using?). If there is no second measure for your IV, please state so.
Note: You can adopt measures from existing scientific studies. In this case, explain that you are adopting your measure for XYZ from this specific source (with in-text citation) and to what extent you have modified the measure.
Step 5: Hypothesis
State a hypothesis linking one of your IVs with one of your DVs. Note that each measure developed above is one variable. Hypotheses are falsifiable statements that predict how a change in the independent variable affects the dependent variable. Often, these are "if X then Y" or "the more X, the more/ less Y" statements. Your hypothesis needs to be directional and have clear reference categories.
Step 6: List of references:
Please list all sources. You can use ASA style guide:https://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/savvy/documents/teaching/pdfs/Quick_Tips_for_ASA_Style.pdf