Learning and Evaluation/Archive/Learning modules/3Constructs

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Part 1: Introduction Welcome! Why Survey? Why Surveys Are Useful Constructs Operationalize Survey instruments Types of information Attributes - a special case Survey Objective and Planning Part 2: Reliability & Validity Reliability & Validity Reliability Validity Face Validity Content Validity Criterion Validity Construct Validity Part 3: Question Construction Writing Good Questions Questions from Existing Surveys Constructing your own Questions Be Specific Be Concise Avoid Double Negatives Minimize Social Desirability Bias Avoid Double-barreled questions Avoid abbreviations, jargon, technical terms, or slang Avoid leading questions Avoid loaded questions Use appropriate wording Ask useful questions Rely on second-hand data sparsely Use caution when asking personal questions Part 4: Response Options Question types Fill-in-the-blank Dichotomous pairs Multiple choice Check all that apply Ranking Scales Choosing response options Part 5: Questionnaire structure Important considerations Questions order Additional Resources Feedback

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Why Surveys Are Useful

Construct

Operationalize

Survey Instrument

Constructs are phenomena for which we cannot measure in the physical world. They represent ideas and concepts (i.e. attitudes, beliefs, etc.) about how the the world works. Since we cannot sense (i.e. see, hear, touch, or hear) these phenomena, we must develop tools as strategies for measuring perceptions of these ideas and concepts.

Example: A person's interest to edit Wikipedia

Interest cannot be measured with a ruler or scale. It is a combination of qualities in a person that need to be assessed through some other measuring tool, like a survey instrument. However, before we get to the survey instrument, we need to operationalize the construct.