CCT208H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Theoretical Definition, Operationalization, Statistical Hypothesis Testing
Document Summary
Quantitative researchers are far more concerned about measurement issues than qualitative researchers are. They use a deductive approach, they begin with a concept and then create empirical measures that precisely and accurately capture it in a form that can be expressed in numbers. Qualitative researchers use inductive approach, so they measure features of social life as part of a process that integrates creating new concepts or theories with measurement. They develop ways to express variable and nonvariable concepts. Measurement helps people observe what is otherwise invisible. It lets us observe things that were once unseen and unknown but were predicted by theory. Before you can measure, you need a clear idea about what you are interested in. some things are easy to see like age, sex, skin colour. Even things that are easy to see, others might interpret differently. Like when one sees someone as old, another might say it"s elderly.