OPERATIONALIZATION EXAMPLES
The following paragraphs demonstrate how to operationalize some variables that
may be used in research. When your chosen variables are previously defined in earlier
research, and you are going to use the earlier definition or method of measurement, you
can quote or paraphrase from that source and then properly reference that source. For
commonly used, everyday variables, no reference is necessary. If your are creating a
variable yourself, you must provide a definition and briefly justify your method of
measurement.
Mastery "concerns the extent to which one regards one's life-chances as being under
one's own control in contrast to being fatalistically ruled" (Pearlin and Schooler, 1978:5). The
Mastery Scale (MS) by Pearlin and Schooler is a 7 statement index requiring Likert responses
from “Never have that feeling” to “Always have that feeling” and is included because of its
wide use in stress studies. Mastery is a construct closely associated with locus of control.
Self Esteem also has a long tradition of being useful in stress research. Self esteem is
"the evaluation which the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to himself or
herself; it expresses an attitude of approval or disapproval toward oneself" (Rosenberg, 1965:5).
The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale has been used in thousands of studies and is considered
highly reliable. It was also chosen for its ease of administration and the simplicity of its 10
question Likert format.
Commitment appears to be an important personal characteristic in stress research as
emphasized by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). Whether it is measured as a global characteristic
(Kobasa et al, 1981), or implied by voluntary membership (Wheaton, 1980), commitment
appears to affect the strength that events or other stressors have on individuals. For this
construct the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale by Antonovsky (1987) was selected. It is a 29
item index with a seven point Likert range from “Never have that feeling” to “Always have that
feeling.” Sense of coherence is defined as a "global orientation that expresses the extent to
which one has a pervasive, enduring though dynamic feeling of confidence," (p. 19). In
addition, Neal and Groat's Meaninglessness (ME) scale (1974) was included to measure the
other end of this dimension, alienation. Neal and Groat’s ME scale is a nine item index asking
for responses from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree.” Meaninglessness is defined as an
individual's perception that social and political events are overwhelmingly complex, without
purpose, and lacking in predictability.
Sex in this research is a dichotomous variable: male and female.
Age of respondents is measured in years and months.
Education is measured by highest degree attained beginning with “less than high school
degree,” through “Ph.D.”
Religion is a nominal variable with the following categories: Christian, Muslim, and Other.
NOTE:
Variables like sex, age, education, and religion do not require a reference because they are
commonly used variables. Also, no definition is required for unambiguous demographic
variables such as these.
REFERENCES
Antonovsky, Aaron. 1987. Unraveling the Mystery of Health: How People Manage Stress and Stay Well.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kobasa, Suzanne C., Salvatore R. Maddi, and Sheila Courington. 1981. "Personality and
constitution as mediators in the stress-illness relationship," Journal of Health and Social Behavior,
22, 368-378.
Lazarus, Richard S., and Susan Folkman. 1984. Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer
Publishing Company.
Neal, Arthur G., and H. Theodore Groat. 1974. "Social class correlates of stability and change
in levels of alienation," Sociological Quarterly, 15, 548-558.
Pearlin, Leonard I., and Carmi Schooler. 1978. "The structure of coping," Journal of Health and
Social Behavior, 19, 2-21.
Rosenberg, Morris. 1965. Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press.
Wheaton, Blair. 1980. "The sociogenesis of psychological disorder: An attributional theory,"
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 100-124.
NOTE:
The examples on the opposite page are just that—examples. Don’t copy them exactly as
you see here if your usage is different—for instance, you may be using education as one of your
variables, but you may find it more useful to measure “number of years of education” which
then would be represented by a whole number rather than highest degree attained.
Watch closely in the articles you’ve collected on your topic to see if authors have
created definitions and measurements of their own or if they have cited other researchers and
used earlier operationalizations for their variables.