constructs

Definition:
A label for an abstract trait or ability (such as creativity or intelligence) that is only presumed to exist, since it cannot be measured directly (as weight or height can). (Suter, 2014)

-> An abstract dimension that interests educational researchers is called a construct because it is a constructed or invented label—a shorthand way of describing many interrelated behaviors, all of which are postulated to represent the same trait or ability.

What is the operational definition of a construct?
-> Although we cannot see a construct, we can test the theory (explanation) behind a construct by directly studying the presumed indicators of the construct. These indicators (i.e., behavioral or overt manifestations) are referred to as the operational definition of the construct.

pg. 4

What is an example of a construct and its indicators?
-> Another example of a construct is “anxiety,” which is only presumed to exist because we can observe and measure its supposed indicators, such as heart rate.

How are operational definitions associated with specific constructs?
-> You can think of other operational definitions that might be laughable, but they are still operational definitions because they specify how the construct will be known to exist.

How do operational definitions define or are related to constructs? ex: heartbeats to anxiety
-> In any case, these abstract constructs must be measurable in some form or another. Researchers can't perform their job by simply talking about constructs; they must observe and measure them. That task requires making important decisions about how to operationally define the construct in measurable terms, terms that hopefully reflect the complex construct.

pg. 5

What are some limitations of a construct? or on the operational definition of a construct?
-> An operational definition is a convenience. Be on guard for operational definitions that may not match the essence of a construct

-> Here is the troubling trade-off: Constructs often (but not always) lose some meaning when they are “operationalized”—that is, when numbers are put next to names.

pg. 6

What are some ways in which operational indicators might mislead researchers into setting up false parameters for a construct?
-> For example, a researcher might test the hypothesis “The quality of the home environment before school age is linked to intelligence 10 years later. ” The researcher decides to use high school rank (based on GPA) and SAT scores as measures of intelligence, but these measures may be more appropriately indicators of motivation, not intelligence. And then there is the problem of operationally defining the “quality of the home environment. ”

What might be some side effects of inappropriately applied operational definitions?
-> When operational definitions do not accurately reflect the construct being investigated, the research results are, at best, open to competing interpretations.