How to Write Operational Definitions

An operational definition is a consistently measurable, quantitative definition of a term or phrase that represents an idea that is not easily measured by conventional means, qualitative. The process for creating a usable operational definition is fairly simple and just takes practice to perfect. Follow these steps and you will be operationally defining even the most meaningless term in your sleep. (I'm not kidding!)

I will use the example of "The loyalty of a pet". There is no way to measure the loyalty of a pet by numbers, quantitatively and so we have to change it into something that can be measured.

The first step is to identify the variables or terms that are being measured and the subjects which are your population. In the case of "The loyalty of a pet," Loyalty is being measured and Pet is your population variable.

Now that our variables and population are identified we will further define our population, Pet. This is to ensure that subjects are on an even playing ground. I will define Pet as "Dog which graduated from basic obedience school". This can be as specific as you need or as general, for example a specific breed or a specific obedience school or just pets in general, leaving it open to interpretation. Be warned that the more specific you are you lose validity with the world at large, but the more general you are the less chance you are to see a relationship that might be occurring. There is a fine line and only you as a researcher can choose what you need.

Now that I have defined my population I will create an operational definition for Loyalty in relation to the population, "Dogs which graduated from basic obedience school". For starters I will define Loyalty as "How quickly a dog comes when it is called". Now we have something that is measurable through time. From this point we follow several steps to refine and enhance our definition.

To ensure that another person could measure a variable exactly the same as you without you there you have to clarify all ideas and ambiguous terms in your operational definition. Keep in mind that it should be easily measured and observed consistently. Terms like "how quickly", "comes" and "called" can be developed and defined further. Always ask the question, "Can I define it further, and does it help me to do so?"

So let's try. "How quickly" is a measure of time so we can define it in terms of a unit of time, such as seconds, minutes or some other appropriate unit. "Comes" can be defined by a distance and position to start from and end in. For our purpose we will say "comes from a sitting position fifteen feet away to a sitting position beside the caller." And finally "called" can be defined by the type of call or the caller. "when the caller says 'come' the time starts".

We have now gone from the idea of The loyalty of a pet, to "How quickly a dog which graduated from obedience school comes when it is called" and finally "How many seconds it takes a dog which graduated from obedience school to come from a sitting position fifteen feet from the caller to a sitting position beside the caller after the caller says 'come'."

This sounds very complicated and there is never a perfect answer because it completely depends on the research and what it is attempting to show. But follow these steps and be sure you are always clear, measurable, consistent, observable and simple. Below are the directions in bullet form for easier access and examples. Good Luck.

1. Identify the one or two words that are being measured ( loyalty) and the subject being studied (pet)

2. Come up with a statement that defines/makes measurable that word in relation to the subject.

Pet=Dog which graduated from basic obedience school (controls for differences in pets and eliminates dogs that don't necessarily know basic commands)CONSISTENCY

Loyalty=How quickly a dog comes when it's called

3. Rewrite definition making words consistently measurable and observable

-how quickly (what does this mean? can it be clearer?)~ (measure of time) how quickly (in seconds) or how many seconds or how many times the caller has to call

-comes (same questions)~ (measure of distance) comes from 10, 15, 20 ft. away to a sitting position in front of caller

-called (same questions)~ (type of call) "here [dog's name]"

New Definitions (chose one): ~How quickly (in seconds) a dog comes to sit in front of the caller from a sitting position varied distances (in feet) away from the caller.

~How many calls it takes for the dog to respond before moving to a sitting position in front of the caller from a sitting position 15 feet from the caller.

4. Then you continue to go through and adjust until your definition will consistently measure what you desire to look at. Questions to ask are Does it help me to be more or less specific with this variable or is it good the way it is. Variables can always be changed and the decision has to be yours as a research as to what is the best for your research.

5. Keep in mind that these are examples and that there are many other ways of defining anything. Not everything needs to be defined more than it already is. As a researcher you have to decide what needs to be defined more or less to more accurately measure what you are looking at. For example the word pet could be left as a domesticated animal which is very broad to the specific breed and age of the pets which is very specific. The difference is that a broad statement allows for more freedom for other research while a more specific allows for more control of confounding variables (variables that may affect the research outside of what is being measured, difference in breed, age, training, etc.)

http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/540_lec_opdefs.html