Scribd
Upload
99 views8 pages

Language of Research

Scientists create constructs to summarize observations and explain behavior. Constructs are abstract concepts that cannot be directly observed but help interpret data and build theory. For example, scientists invented the construct of intelligence to account for individual differences in learning ability. Constructs can be defined constitutively to convey general meaning, or operationally to specify how the construct will be measured in a particular study. Operational definitions are essential for research as they delineate how observable data will be collected.

Uploaded by

angie gayomali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
99 views8 pages

Language of Research

Scientists create constructs to summarize observations and explain behavior. Constructs are abstract concepts that cannot be directly observed but help interpret data and build theory. For example, scientists invented the construct of intelligence to account for individual differences in learning ability. Constructs can be defined constitutively to convey general meaning, or operationally to specify how the construct will be measured in a particular study. Operational definitions are essential for research as they delineate how observable data will be collected.

Uploaded by

angie gayomali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

Any scientific discipline needs a specific

language for describing and summarizing


observations in that area. Scientists need terms at
the empirical level to describe particular
observations. They also need terms at the
theoretical level for referring to hypothetical
process that may not be subject to direct
observation. Scientists may use words taken from
everyday language, but they often ascribe in their
new and specific meanings not commonly found
in ordinary usage. Or perhaps they introduce new
terms that are not a part of everyday language but
are created to most special needs. One of these
terms is construct.
 To summarize their observations and to provide
explanations of behavior, scientists create
constructs. Constructs are abstractions that cannot
be observed directly but are useful in interpreting
empirical data and in theory building.
For example, people can observe that individuals
differ in what they can learn and how quickly they
can learn it. To account for this observation,
scientists invented the construct called intelligence.
They hypothesized that intelligence influences
learning and that individual differ in the extent to
which they posses this trait. Other examples of
construct in educational research are motivation,
reading readiness, anxiety, underachievement,
creativity and self – concept.
 Constructs may be defined in a way that gives
their general meaning, or they may be defined
in terms of the operations by which they will be
measured or manipulated in a particular study.
The former type of definition is called a
constitutive definition; the latter is known as an
operational definition.
 1. Constitutive Definition
 isa formal definition in which a term is
defined by using other terms. It is a
dictionary type of definition. This type of
definition helps convey the general meaning
of a construct, but it is too abstract for
research purposes.
Example: Intelligence maybe defined as the
ability to think abstractly or the capacity to
acquire knowledge.
 2. Operational Definition
ascribes meaning to a construct by specifying
operations that researcher must perform to
measure or manipulate the construct. It may not
be as rich as constitutive definition but are
essential in research because investigator must
collect data in terms of observable events. It is
very specific in meaning; its purpose is to
delimit a term, to ensure that everyone concern
understands the particular way or terms are
being used.
 Describes how examples of a term are to be
measured or identified.
Example: For this study, intelligence is defined as the
subjects’ scores on Wechsler Intelligence score for
Children.
Thank you!

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy