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Operational definition, also known as operational definition, is a method of defining the meaning of variables based on observable, measurable, and operable characteristics. That is to describe the operation of variables from specific behaviors, characteristics, and indicators, and transform abstract concepts into observable and testable items. In essence, the lower operational definition is to describe the operating procedures and measurement indicators of the study variables in detail. In empirical research, the operational definition is particularly important, and it is an important prerequisite for research to be valuable.

Operational definition

American physicist first proposed operational definition

The basic requirements of the operational definition are to provide standards for observation or measurement, to specify the operating procedures of variables, and to make abstract concepts observable, measurable, and testable. general

A good operational definition has the following characteristics:

1. The operational definition should be observable, repeatable and directly operable.

2. The measurement or operation indicated by the operational definition must be feasible.

3. The index component of operational definition should be decomposed until it can be directly observed.

4. The definition of operability is best to convert variables into data form. Everything that can be counted or measured can be directly observed.

5. Use a variety of methods to form operational definitions. You can start with either operation or measurement.

To determine whether an operational definition has good operability, you can describe this definition to a third party. If he indicates that he understands the meaning of this variable and knows how to manipulate and measure, then this definition is often a better, Specific and feasible operational definitions. In actual research, some content itself is difficult to observe objectively and difficult to operate. We often only need to ask a "what" question about a variable or concept to judge the operability of the variable or concept.

There are many ways to define operationally, mainly in the following three ways:

Pay attention to the following points for the operational definition of variables:

Definition of important variables in research topics

Generally, the variables involved in the research hypothesis; new concepts, new nouns, etc. that play a key role in the entire research need to be operationally defined. For example, to study children's creativity, creativity is an important variable in this research. Without an operational definition of this variable, research is difficult to carry on, because creativity itself does not tell people: the specific indicators of creativity are What, how to measure, and what to measure.

Research purpose, content, and variables to define operationally

The operational definition should be consistent with the original meaning of the variable and the connotation and extension of the abstract definition. Generally, it is advisable to use the index description method or behavior description method to measure the research results. A variable can be defined from different angles and different levels, but in a study, only one of them can be identified throughout to ensure the reliability of the research results.

Design of operational definitions should be specific and clear

The design of operational definitions should be specific and clear. The so-called specifically means that the measurement or operation suggested must be feasible, so that others can understand the content and process of the operation and repeat the verification, and make the explained thing visible, touchable, and measurable. The index component of operational definition should be decomposed until it can be directly observed. The so-called clarification means that the formulated operational definitions should meet the needs of research purposes, be consistent with abstract definitions, and represent the actual meaning of abstract definitions.

The operational definition should be unique during use

The operational definition is a special interpretation prescribed by the researcher for research needs, and is not a comprehensive and unique interpretation of the variable. If a comprehensive explanation of a variable can encompass all meanings of a variable, such a definition must be an abstract definition. The operational definition is more flexible. Researchers can define variables according to their research needs, and they can have different operational definitions for the same variable. For example, we define children's intelligence as:

Comparison of operational and abstract definitions

In the actual research process, operational definitions and abstract definitions are required, each with its own characteristics, and should be selected or used according to the nature and purpose of the research.

Operational definition abstract definition

Target specific: Describe the specific behavior, characteristics, and indicators of variables. Abstract: Describe the essential characteristics of variables.

Practical role: You can use it to design a good introduction to the content in the study, so that readers can understand the relevant variables

Classical definitions such as method condition description, behavior description, indicator description, equivalent definition, abstract definition, interpretive definition, etc.

In the actual process of defining variables, abstract definitions can cover the basic characteristics of research variables, which have a wide range of interpretations and are universal, but they are often too general to measure and manipulate research variables accordingly. The definition of operability clearly defines variables, which is easy to manipulate and measure, but often only involves a few characteristics of variables, has obvious exclusivity, and it is difficult to express complete meaning. The ideal way is to first describe the basic characteristics of the variables with abstract definitions, and then use the operational definitions to specify the operating procedures and measurement indicators, so that it is easy to grasp the direction and meaning of the operational definitions.