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TYPES OF RESEARCH 77
they apply the same operational definition to a phenomenon, owing to random errors, errors of measurement and, when dealing with humans, to changes of mind, different moods and many other factors. The issue central to the research effort is whether the degree of agreement which results is sufficient to answer the research question. The level of agreement that is acceptable depends very much on the type of research technique which is used and the situation in which the tests are carried out. As for the relationship between the operational definition and the theoretical concept, this is not so straightforward to assess. By carefully studying a theoretical concept one can reasonably devise or deduce some of its characteristics which can possibly be measured (features of a person, group, organization, experience etc.) and which can be seen to be directly related to the theoretical concept. This process will always be largely a matter of judgement. The suitability of an operational definition for measuring a theoretical concept can only be assessed by the level of intersubjective agreement which can be attained. It is a sobering fact, when seen from a positivist perspective, that this, the most important step in linking abstract theories to concrete phenomena, relies ultimately on informed judgement.
EXERCISE 3.3 Use your informed judgement to devise three operational definitions for the following theoretical concepts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
school fear community condensation hunger magnetism pressure group.
QUANTIFICATION OF CONCEPTS
Quantification
The theoretical concept of ‘school building’ acts as a label for a particular type of building. There is rarely any need to measure to what degree a building is a school building: either it is or it is not. A concept like ‘fear’, however, which refers to the characteristics of an object or a phenomenon, can differ in degree, e.g. extreme or mild. There is, therefore, a need to use some method to measure, or quantify, this form of concept. But can it be quantified in the same way as counting the number of sheep in a flock? The quantification of concepts is usually associated with the operational definitions, e.g. measuring attitudes on a scale from –3 to +3, but it can also be applied to theoretical concepts. When applied to operational definitions,