Operational definitions Concepts

Primary

Concepts

1. Operational definition - if it looks like a circle, then it is a circle.
2. A sequence of events might be an operational definition.
3. We can explain how something works by the way it operates.
4. If we know a procedure to make something happen, we can repeat the procedure to make it operation in a similar manner.
5. Operational definitions must repeatedly supply similar results to gain acceptance.
6. Height, weight, and volume can be defined operationally by the process used to measure them.

Intermediate

Concepts

1. Operational definition - If it is living, bears live young, has hair on its body, nurses its young with milk, and is warm blooded, then it is a mammal.
2. Operational definition - if it floats in water, it is less dense than water.
3. The way a system works can be used to describe and explain what it is.
4. Operational definitions describe how variables change and the outcome they have on a system.
5. Operational definitions must repeatedly supply similar results to be valid and reliable.

Middle School

Concepts

1. Operational definition - we can find an objects density by taking its mass and dividing by its volume.
2. Operational definitions tend to be less specific than a theory.
3. When bubbles form and steam comes of the top of the heated water, then we can say it is boiling and its temperature is 100 degrees Celsius or 212 Fahrenheit.
4. There is a difference in knowing how something operates and knowing why it operates the way it does.
5. Operational definitions are concrete, observable, repeatable, and measureable.
6. We can operationalize theoretical ideas like aeducation by selecting a concrete measurable variable like - years of school, scores on ACT, yearly salary.

   Dr. Robert Sweetland's Notes ©