quanti - concepts and measurements

7/28/2019 QUANTI - Concepts and Measurements

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CONCEPTS TO

MEASUREMENTS

by

Dr. Ronald M. Henson

PUP, College of Communication


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Conceptions,

Conceptualization, Concepts

Concept ion:mental images not communicateddirectly, terms written in the upper right-hand cornerof our own mental sheets of paper as a way ofcommunicating about things we observe, terms thatwe communicate and eventually agree on theirmeanings

Conceptual izat ion: process of coming to anagreement about what terms to use

- bridges direct and indirect observables to usefulconstructs, the process through which we specifywhat we mean when we use a particular term inresearch

-produces a specific agreement on meaning for aconcept for the purposes of research, describingthe indicators to be used to measure the concept,and the different aspects of the concept, calleddimensions

Concept: result of conceptualization


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Concepts as Construc ts:

Abraham Kaplan (1964) distinguishes three classes of concepts that we measure:

First classdirect observables, things we can observe rather simply anddirectly

Second classindirect observables, require relatively more subtle,complex, or indirect observations, while we are not present, someoneelse has indicated what happened

Third classconstructs, theoretical creations that are based on

observations but that cannot be observed directly or indirectly (e.g. IQ,prejudice, social class etc.)

Concepts are constructs derived by mutual agreement from mentalimages (conceptions) that summarize collections of seemingly relatedobservations and experiences.

Although the observations and experiences are real, at least subjectively,conceptions, and the concepts derived from them, are only mental

creations. Concepts only have the meanings that people agree to give them.

Reif icat ion: regards concepts as real, discovering their real meanings,and what constitutes a genuine measurement of them, science givesconcepts clear meanings agreed upon and what is being measured

Constructs are real in that they are useful, help make predictions aboutreal things, and have a definite relationship to things that ar ereal and

observable.


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What Is Conceptualization? start with abstract ideas:

e.g. democracy, effectiveness,volunteerism, citizen satisfaction,

high school violence rigor with which study concepts are

defined, like level of anger or highschool violence which enhances

the validity of conceptualizingbefore measuring


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What Is Measurement? foundation of science and

knowledge to increase the validityof quantitative and analytical work

through indicators and dimensions


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Measurement

careful, deliberate observations of the real worldfor the purpose of describing objects and eventsin terms of the attributes composing a variable

Most of the variables we want to study seldomhave a single, unambiguous meaning.

- Indicator - a sign of the presence or absence ofthe concept under study, whenever we take ourconcepts seriously and set about specifying whatwe mean by them, we discover disagreements,inconsistencies, degrees, or kinds

- Dimension: a specifiable aspect of a conceptwhich can be grouped and sub-grouped, oftenpaves the way for a more sophisticatedunderstanding of what were studying

Resolving conflicts: reasoning, manipulation,violence (dimension)


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Concept-Valuing Tandem variables belong to the realm of

directly observable phenomena

concepts belong to the realm of

ideas conceptsare abstract ideas that

are observed through variables


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Defining Variables and

Attributes a variable is composed of attributes that are

the characteristics used to measure it

each variable must have two importantqualifications:

- First, the attributes composing it must beexhaustive, must be able to classify everyobservation in terms of one of the attributescomposing the variable.

- Second, the attributes must be mutually

exclusive and every observation must beclassified in terms of one and only oneattribute.


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Two Steps in Concept

Measurement

Be clear about the meaning of

the concept and, identify all its

dimensions, called

conceptual izat ion.

Identify and define thevariables with measures

(dimension and indicators)


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Measurement Scale collection of attributes used to measure a

specific variable, e.g. gender is commonlymeasured on a scale by attributes male andfemale

definition of the nature of information aboutvariables, e.g. income exact or bracketmeasurement

varies greatly, some are unique to the variablesthey measure, like the Richter scale, which

measures the strength of earthquakes many with different purposes, such as

response scales found in surveyquestionnaires (Likert scale)


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Why Level of Measurement? it determines the selection of test

statistics

it affects the amount of information

collected about variables

it affects how survey and other

types of questions are phrased


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Levels of Measurement

1)nominal-level scaleexhibits no ordering among thecategories, with the least amount of information, justlabels (e.g. sex, religion)

2)ordinal-level scaleexhibits order among categoriesthough without exact distances between successivecategories, order means that categories can becompared as being more or less than one another(e.g. education, income, age)

ordinal- and nominal-level variables are called categor ical(ordiscrete) variables

- Lik ert scalesare a common type of ordinal scale,developed in 1932 by Professor Rensis Likert, staple insurveys that measure attitudes (Strongly Agree, Agree,Somewhat Agree, Dont Know, Somewhat Disagree,Disagree, and Strongly Disagree), order but does not sayhow much more dont know or cant say, forcesrespondents to answer which is objectionableacademically

- fails to measure accurately the responses of those whogenuinely dont know or cant say while overestimating

adjacent categories


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Scale VariationsI. Please indicate your agreement with thefollowing statements, using the following scale:

7 = Strongly Agree 3 = Somewhat Disagree

6 = Agree 2 = Disagree

5 = Somewhat Agree 1 = Strongly Disagree4 = Dont Know / Cant Say

a) Students who are violent should be removedfrom class.b) I would like us to have anger management

classesc) There should be an after-school homeworkassistance program.


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Levels of Measurement

3)interval- and ratio-level scalesexhibit both

order and distance among categories, like someonewho exercises daily does so seven times moreoften than someone who exercises only weekly.Someone who earns P75,000 per year makesexactly three times that of someone makingP25,000.

The onlydifference between interval and ratioscales is that the latter have a true zero (forexample, income can be zero, but IQ cannot). Thedistinction between ratio- and interval-levelvariables is typically of little relevance

- Variables with interval- and ratio-level scales arecalled con t inuou s variables.

In general, it is better to have more informationabout variables than less. Therefore, continuous-level scales are preferred over discrete scales


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Examples of Continuous

Scales How satisfied are you with the following school facilities?

Please use thefollowing scale:7 = Very Satisfied 3 = Somewhat Dissatisfied

6 = Satisfied 2 = Dissatisfied5 = Somewhat Satisfied 1 = Very Dissatisfied4 = Dont Know / Cant Say

- Basketball courts- Computer lab- School library

How frequently do you use the following school services?7 = Very Frequently 3 = Very Rarely6 = Frequently 2 = Never

5 = Occasionally 1 = Dont Know4 = Rarely- School counselor- School nurse- School librarian


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Scales Are Precise, Avoid These! incomplete scale-might omit zero as

a response category when askingrespondents how many smoke-belchingvehicles they witnessed

ambiguous scale- asks respondents toanswer a question on the presence ofrumor in office on a scale of 1 to 10without defining each value

overlapping scale at least oneresponse is covered by more than onecategory. An example of such a scale is onethat measures income with bracketsP20,000P40,000 and P40,000P60,000 (useP20,000P39,999)


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Writing The Quantitative Report Collect the reports, the subject matter is less

important than the depth and nature of analysis, thereport length, and its methodological sophistication;and determine organization of the reports, and typesof graphs and tables presented.

Develop an outline, and strategy on what you needto write, consists of executive summary,

introduction, literature review, methods, results,conclusion, and appendices, piecemeal writing butliterature review is particularly helpful in that itbrings to what others have done before.

Language matters, words that come to you first maynot be or sound very professional, so make severaldrafts (10 or 20), written technically in the third

person, using the active voice and present tense,present your ideas clearly and concisely. Use shortsentences rather than long and convoluted ones.

Detail the report, check the grammar, and format tomake it look professional.

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