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Unit 5 - Assignment Without Answers

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21 views

Unit 5 - Assignment Without Answers

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z13612909240
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Assignment: Conceptualizing constructs

In this assignment you will learn about the conceptualization of constructs and about the
construction of typologies, indices and scales.

Read this assignment carefully and answer all questions.


Hand in the assignment via Canvas.

Part A. Identifying constructs

1. Identify at least two different concepts from one of your substantive (non-methods) courses you
found interesting, e.g. personality.

2. Is the first concept you selected about

(a) units (of analysis)


(b) a variable,
(c) a set of variables,
(d) a value/attribute (a ‘part’ of a variable)?

If it is a (set of) variable(s), which units are described by that (set of) variable(s)?

Elaborate this for your second concept too.

Part B. Statistical Anxiety

Some students are more anxious when learning statistics than others. Being afraid to learn about
symbols and algorithms for solving problems can be called ‘statistical anxiety’ according to
psychologists and educational researchers. Statistical anxiety is related to, and perhaps even
somewhat overlapping with, albeit not the same as, mathematical anxiety.

3. Can you think of a reason why someone might be interested in measuring ‘statistical anxiety’
in a certain population?

4. Can you think of a reason why someone might be interested in measuring ‘statistical anxiety’
in an individual?

5. Would you say ‘statistical anxiety’ is a construct? Why (not)?

Read the Abstract and Section 2.1 of Nielsen, T., & Kreiner, S. (2018). Measuring statistical anxiety
and attitudes toward statistics: The development of a comprehensive Danish instrument (HFS-R).
Cogent Education, 5(1), 1521574, to be found here
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1521574.

6. The STAR-instrument is based on the idea that ‘statistical anxiety’ has six dimensions. What
are these six dimensions?

1
7. In the micro lectures, you have learned about the ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘not’ and ‘missing’ relationship
between dimensions and the term itself. How do you think the dimensions (see previous
question) in this case are probably related to the term itself?

Part C. Populism

8. ‘Populism’ is sometimes seen as a characteristic of individuals. What could be the ‘values’ or


‘attributes’ of the variable ‘populism’?

9. Some people argue that ‘populism’ is (by definition) based on two ‘traits’ (the two traits are both
considered to be dichotomies here):

(I) ‘the opinion that the population of the country is homogenous in many ways and different from
other (foreign) groups/populations’ and
(II) ‘the opinion that there is a corrupted (political) elite, oppressing the population and furthering
their own interests’.

Create a fourfold typology using the two traits. Give a name to all four types.

Type 1: Type 2:

Type 3: Type 4:

10. What is the measurement level of the thus created typology (which is a ‘variable’ too)?

<<End of this assignment>>

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