Exercises from Chapter 1
- For each of the concepts listed below (a to d):
- describe an indicator of that concept;
- suggest the level at which the concept is being measured (categorical, ordinal or
interval/ratio);
- list one or more problems which might threaten the validity of the indicator's measurement
of the concept;
- assess the likely reliability of the indicator.
- Level of education
- Alcohol consumption
- Opinion about recycling domestic waste for environmental reasons
- Actual behaviour in recycling domestic waste.
- Construct a plausible hypothesis involving at least two of the four concepts listed in question 1.
- Locate an article in a recent issue of an academic journal (e.g. Sociology, Sociological
Research Online, British Journal of Sociology, or the American Journal of Sociology) that uses
quantitative data. See whether you can find examples within the article of a:
- Hypothesis
- Concept
- Indicator
- Variable
- Case.
Did the research follow a deductive or inductive research strategy? Is it based on primary or
secondary analysis?