Sociology 2206A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Ope, Concurrent Validity, System For Information On Grey Literature In Europe
14 Feb 2017
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Measurement helps people observe what is otherwise invisible. Most things researchers are observing are difficult to directly observe; attitudes, divorce rates, ideologies, etc. For quantitative studies, it is important for researchers to design precise ways to measure variables. For qualitative studies, researchers use a variety of techniques to measure. Quantitative researchers: begin with a deductive route; begin with an abstract idea follow a measurement procedure. End with empirical data to represent the ideas. Qualitative researchers: begin with an inductive route; begin with empirical data follow abstract ideas end with a mixture of ideas and data. Both qualitative and quantitative researchers use conceptualization and operationalization. Conceptualization: the process of taking a concept and refining it by giving it a theoretical definition. The process of thinking through the meaning of a concept. Operationalization: links a conceptual definition to a specific set of measurement techniques. Operational definition: the specific operations of actions a researcher carries out.
