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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Constructs

Construct

Operationalize

Survey Instrument

A construct is typically made up of phenomena that are not measurable in the physical world. Constructs represent ideas and concepts (i.e. attitudes, beliefs, etc.) about how the the world works. Since these phenomena cannot be physically sensed (i.e. seen, heard, or touched), we must develop tools for measuring human perceptions of these ideas and concepts.

Example

A person's interest to edit Wikipedia is a good example of a construct. Interest cannot be measured with a ruler or weight scale. It is a combination of qualities in a person that need to be assessed through some other measuring tool, like a survey instrument.