POSC 295
POLITICAL RESEARCH METHODS (Summer 2006)

Dr. Chris Blake
Maury 207 – 568-6344 – BLAKECH@JMU.EDU
OFFICE HOURS: MTuW 4-5:30 and by appointment

BLACKBOARD WEBSITE: Click here to go to the Blackboard site for POSC 295

Research Assignment #2: Operationalization

DUE at 9am on Monday 6/5/06

**In addition to submitting the print copy, you also need to send me an electronic copy of your research assignment by the deadline to my Digital Dropbox in the TOOLS section of Blackboard.**
NAME the file after your last name.
Use the SEND FILE command to send me the electronic file to me AND submit a printed version to me by the deadline. You cannot pass this assignment without submitting the electronic copy.

Your evaluation of existing data must contain the following elements in the following order:

1] hypotheses:

State each of the 7 (or more) hypotheses under investigation.

2] a specification of the variables to be examined:

What are the UNOPERATIONALIZED, conceptual definitions for each of these 8 (or more) variables?

3] a detailed evaluation of 2 competing measures for each variable available in your data set:

Describe each measure & evaluate its validity. For each variable, explain why one measure is a more valid measure of your concept than the other.

4] an HONEST assessment of your measures:

[a] Which of the measures you've selected is least valid and why? Discuss the specific validity concerns that you have regarding this measure relative to the other measures you've chosen to use for the other variables.

[b] Which of the measures you've selected is most valid and why? Discuss the validity of this measure relative to the others you've chosen to use.

Dr. Blake's Home Page | POSC 295 Home | Syllabus | Assignments | Course Policies | Other Resources | Bulletin  Board

This page was last updated on: 04/20/06.
If you have comments or suggestions about this site, please send an e-mail to Chris Blake at blakech@jmu.edu.