Operational definition of attitude

Running head: MEASUREMENT 1

MEASUREMENT 10

Thanks for the timely submission of the assignment.

As you will note in the margin comments, there is often confusion as to what construct is being defined and measured. For instance, attitude toward technology is not the same as attitude toward a specific form of technology. Similarly, self-concept is a different from self-concept clarity.

Also note that not all articles provide conceptual definitions on commonly used constructs but reference other prior research. A perfect example is customer satisfaction which is a function of perceived expectations vs. perceived performance. The same is true with operational definitions since scholars build on one another’s work. This requires that a researcher often has to examine more than one article.

The operational definitions, including for your intended research, has to be very specific. It is how you are measuring the variable. An example of what was to be done is provided in Exhibit 13.3.

In the next assignment you are to select a method of survey administration given a number of different objectives. Each method of administration has pros and cons but what is most important to consider is the unique situation posed by the objective(s) of the study. When deciding on a method of administration for a survey, it is first necessary to determine the unique characteristics that will need to be met. For instance, is the topic sensitive or personal? This might lead to a greater emphasis on the ability to build a rapport with respondents. Is the sample a group that has a high interest in the topic where nonresponse would be less of an issue making a mail survey feasible. Is there a sampling frame available that would provide what may be needed to access respondents such as e-mails? In other cases, the amount of data needed may be considerable so the ability to engage respondents for a long time may be critical thus ruling out a telephone interview. Alternatively, cost may be a dominant factor automatically eliminating the possibility of personal (door to door) interviews. These critical factors are not always identified in your responses. As stated in the assignment, “The researcher needs to carefully consider the objectives of the study, the questions that need to be asked and the target respondents in addition to the pros/cons of the alternatives.”

Let me know if you have any questions as you work on this.

Dr. P

Dr. Susan M. Petroshius 83 6/9/2020

Measurement: Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Constructs

BUS-7320

June 7, 2020

Dr. Susan Petroshius

Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Constructs

The primary goal of a quantitative study is to test hypotheses and theories (Claydon, 2015). To this end, researchers come up with abstract constructs whose measurement would provide data that is critical in the hypothesis testing process. The abstract constructs that a researcher selects in a study have a certain relationship that makes the hypothesis/theoretical propositions. Therefore, testing a hypothesis entails measuring the abstract constructs. A hypothesis testing process begets results that are more accurate if the constructs are measured not only in a scientific manner but also correctly and accurately (John & Benet-Martínez, 2014). Comment by Susan Petroshius: The research doesn’t just “come up” with the constructs, they are part of the hypothesis being tested.

Nevertheless, what does the process of measurement of construct entail? According to John and Benet-Martínez (2014), measurement of abstract constructs entails researchers observing the real world in a deliberate and careful manner. Essentially, these kinds of observations are what constitute empirical research. John and Benet-Martínez further wrote that measurement of constructs begins with specifying their conceptual and the operational definitions. Against this background, this paper provides a conceptual and operational definition of each of the given constructs. The definitions are based on the scholarly studies researched in various databases. In addition to the definitions, the paper provides a measurement for the variables as well as an explanation of the level of measurement.

Attitude toward new technology

To define this construct, this paper cites a 2016 study by Al-Emran, Elsherif and Shaalan titled “Investigating attitudes towards the use of mobile learning in higher education.” In the study, the researchers explored the attitudes of students and educators towards the use of mobile devices in learning. Comment by Susan Petroshius: It is not necessary to provide the name of the author and title in the paper. It is essentially a waste of space. You can just provide and in-text citation.

Conceptual definition:

Attitude refers to the internal evaluation of an object (abstract or material) by an individual, according to Maio, Haddock and Verplanken (2018). In the case of the study by Al-Emran, Elsherif and Shaalan, the conceptual definition of attitude is the students and educators’ internal evaluation of the use of new technology (mobile technology) in higher educational learning within Oman and the UAE. The attitude of the learners and the educators influences the eventual adoption of mobile technology as a means of learning in higher education. A study of attitude can help researchers to understand the process of formation of attitude toward new technology in higher education learning. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Correct. Therefore, you are not measuring “attitude” but attitude toward a particular object. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Just cite the source. Comment by Susan Petroshius: When you use this here, you need to provide the date. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Source? It is not clear that you are still referring to the same source if you are. These authors are not measuring attitude toward new technology but mobile learning. I understand that this is somewhat difficult to identify.

Operational definition:

In the scholarly article, the researchers provided two different sets of the operational definition of the construct. On the one hand, 10 operational definitions of the “Attitude” facilitated the measurement of the students’ attitude toward mobile technology in higher education learning. One of the definitions was “Mobile technology is a useful tool for my study.” Based on this operational definition, the measurement for the variable would be “Strongly Agree”, “Agree” “Disagree”, and “Strongly Disagree”. The level of measurement that is generated, therefore, is ordinal. Comment by Susan Petroshius: You want to explain why. One was for students and the other was for faculty. Comment by Susan Petroshius: There were 10 items used. For instance, for the students, they were: 1 Mobile technology is a useful tool for my study.2 Mobile technology can offer opportunities for communication and team-working. 3 Mobile technology can help me in finding resources related to my study. 4 Mobile technology can bring many opportunities to the learning process. 5 Mobile technology can help me to access the course-material anytime anywhere. 6 Mobile technology can be an easy way to get feedback and notifications from my instructors. 7 Mobile technology can help me to exchange the course-material with my friends. 8 Mobile Apps can help me to manage my study. 9 Mobile technology can help me to do my coursework. 10 Mobile technology can help me to develop my learning skills.You are correct that a Likert scale was used.

On the other hand, ten definitions of “Attitude” facilitated the measurement of educators’ attitude toward use of mobile devices in higher education learning. One such definition is “Mobile technology is a useful and effective tool in Education”. In like manner, the measurement for this variable would be “Strongly Agree”, “Agree” “Disagree”, and “Strongly Disagree”. Furthermore, the level of measurement generated is ordinal. Comment by Susan Petroshius: Note: Attitude was not measured but attitude toward the devices.

Customer satisfaction

This paper provides the conceptual and operational definitions of customer satisfaction based on the study by Hussain, Nasser and Hussain (2015) titled “Service quality and customer satisfaction of a UAE-based airline: An empirical investigation.”

Conceptual definition:

In the study, the authors define customer satisfaction in the conceptual sense as the case where customers purchasing products or services from a particular business without complaining or exiting. This definition helped the authors to develop two hypotheses that they investigate throughout the study. Comment by Susan Petroshius: The authors don’t provide a conceptual definition of customer satisfaction. They assume that the reader is aware of it. You would have to go to the article that they cite.

Operational definition:

In the study, customer satisfaction is operationalized by two items i.e. prompt service delivery and overall passenger satisfaction. Based on this operational definition, the measurement for the variable would be “Strongly Satisfied”, “Satisfied”, “Neutral”, Dissatisfied”, and “Strongly Dissatisfied” and the level of measurement generated is ordinal.

Self-Concept

The study by Fullwood, James and Chen-Wilson (2016) helps to define self-concept both conceptually and operationally. In the study, the authors investigate the influence of the internet on the self-concept of adolescents.

Conceptual definition:

In the study, self-concept refers to how adolescents think about, evaluate or perceive themselves. During adolescence, young boys and girls begin to become aware of themselves including their attributes (Palacios, Echaniz, Fernández & De Barrón, 2015). One aspect of self-concept is the existential self, which is the sense of distinctness from other people. On the other hand, the categorical self entails an adolescent realizing that he/she exists as an object in a world of many objects like him/her. Comment by Susan Petroshius: The authors define self-concepts as: “Self-concept may be defined as ‘‘the totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object.’’

Operational definition:

Operationally, the study defines self-concept as the clarity of self that affects how one represents oneself to the world around him/her. To measure the variable, the study used the Self-Concept Clarity Scale. As such, the level of measurement generated will be nominal since the resulting data will be categorical. Comment by Susan Petroshius: This is not self-concept that they are measuring but self-concept clarity. These are two separate constructs. As noted by the author’s, self-concept clarity is conceptually defined as: “Individuals vary in the extent to which their self-concept is ‘‘clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable’’ and this has become known as self-concept clarity.”

Leadership style