Vague questions
are made answerable by using operational definitions of terms to improve
conciseness. Operational definitions sharpen the question and afford possibility
of clear answers. The price paid is usually a sacrifice in generality
of answers obtained.
|
Less framed Do students who help others learn an academic discipline learn it better themselves?
Do students learn more in small classes? |
More
framed
Do students in CMSC 250 who tutor students in CMSC 150 perform better on the CMSC 250 final exam than students who do not tutor but have similar grades in CMSC 150? Do students in sections of Phys 118 enrolling fewer than 50 students perform better on the departmental final exam than students from sections enrolling more than 75 students? |
Considering small classes to be less than 50 students and “learning” to be characterized by final exam performance as in the above example are arguable definitions, of course. Nevertheless these operational definitions afford obvious and necessary clarity to the structure of the study.
| What is the optimum number of homework assignments to give in a beginning math class? | Do students enrolled in M036
who are given a homework assignment every week perform differently
on the departmental final exam than students enrolled in M036 who
are given homework every class period? |
