Key Takeaways

• Measurement is the process by which we describe and ascribe meaning to the key facts, concepts, or other phenomena that we are investigating.
• Kaplan identified three categories of things that social scientists measure including observational terms, indirect observables, and constructs.
• Measurement occurs at all stages of research.
• Conceptualization is a process that involves coming up with clear, concise definitions.
• Some concepts have multiple elements or dimensions.
• Just because definitions for abstract concepts exist does not mean that the concept is tangible or concrete.
• Operationalization involves spelling out precisely how a concept will be measured.
• The measurement process generally involves going from a more general focus to a narrower one, but the process does not proceed in exactly the same way for all research projects.
• Reliability is a matter of consistency.
• Validity is a matter of accuracy.
• There are many types of validity and reliability.
• In social science, our variables can be one of four different levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio.

Exercises

• See if you can come up with one example of each of the following: an observational term, an indirect observable, and a construct. How might you measure each?
• Conceptualize the term discipline and identify possible dimensions of the term. Have someone who is in the class with you do the same thing (without seeing your conceptualization). Now compare what you each came up with. How do your conceptualizations and dimensions differ, and why?
• Identify a concept that is important in your area of interest. Challenge yourself to conceptualize the term without first consulting prior literature. Now consult prior work to see how your concept has been conceptualized by others. How and where does your conceptualization differ from others? Are there dimensions of the concept that you or others hadn’t considered?
• Think of a concept that is of interest to you. Now identify some possible indicators of that concept.
• Operationalize a concept that is of interest to you. What are some possible problems of reliability or validity that you could run into given your operationalization? How could you tweak your operationalization and overcome those problems?
• Sticking with the same concept you identified in exercise 1, find out how other social scientists have operationalized this concept. You can do this by revisiting readings from other sociology courses you’ve taken or by looking up a few articles using Sociological Abstracts. How does your plan for operationalization differ from that used in previous research? What potential problems of reliability or validity do you see? How do the researchers address those problems?
• Together with a fellow research methods student, identify six concepts that are of interest to you both. , on your own, identify each concept’s level of measurement. Share your answers with your peer. Discuss why you chose each level of measurement that you chose and, together, try to come to some agreement about any concepts that you labeled differently.
• Take a look at Gallup’s page on their well-being index: https://www.gallup.com/poll/123215/Gallup-Healthways-Index.aspx. Read about how various concepts there are operationalized and indexed.

References

Babbie, E. (2010). The practice of social research (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Blackstone, A. (2003). Racing for the cure and taking back the night: Constructing gender, politics, and public participation in women’s activist/volunteer work. PhD dissertation, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Blackstone, A. (2007). Finding politics in the silly and the sacred: Anti-rape activism on campus. Sociological Spectrum, 27, 151–163.

Blackstone, A., & McLaughlin, H. (2009). Sexual harassment. In J. O’Brien & E. L. Shapiro (Eds.), Encyclopedia of gender and society (pp. 762– 766). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Durkheim, E. (1897 [2006 translation by R. Buss]). On suicide. London, UK: Penguin.

Kaplan, A. (1964). The conduct of inquiry: Methodology for behavioral science. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company, p. 54.

Kaplan, A. (1964). The conduct of inquiry: Methodology for behavioral science. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company, p. 55.

Kaplan, A. (1964). The conduct of inquiry: Methodology for behavioral science. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company, p. 55.

Kaplan, A. (1964). The conduct of inquiry: Methodology for behavioral science. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company.

Kimmel, M. (2000). The gendered society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; Kimmel, M. (2008). Masculinity. In W. A. Darity Jr. (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 1–5). Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA.

Kimmel, M. (2008). Masculinity. In W. A. Darity Jr. (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 1–5). Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA.

Milkie, M. A., & Warner, C. H. (2011). Classroom learning environments and the mental health of first grade children. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52, 4–22.