The operationalization process: properties, indicators, variables, indices

Prof. Michele Sapignoli, University of Bologna

Compulsory for 1st year PhD students (35° Cycle)

 

Class schedule and room

 

The class will meet on January 15th and January 22nd from 10 am to 1:30 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm in the LABIC room 2 - via Giacomo della Torre 1, Forlì

Course objectives

 

This course introduces students to the quantitative research design in social sciences focusing on the logic of operational definitions and on the construction of a questionnaire in survey research.

 

Main topics

 

  • Concepts, indicators and indexes
  • Reliability and validity
  • The survey
  • Operationalizing complex concepts
  • Self-anchoring scales
  • The Likert scale
  • The semantic differential
  • Practical exercises

 

Readings

 

- Corbetta, P. (2003) Social Research. Theory, Methods and Techniques, London, Sage [chapters 3, 4, 5, 6].

- Marradi, A. (1990) “Classification, Typology, Taxonomy”, in Quality and Quantity, XXIV, 2 (May): 129- 157.

- Marradi, A. (1980) Concetti e metodo per la ricerca sociale, Firenze, La Giuntina, [*in Italian*]