Lesson Report:
### Lesson Report
**Title:** Operationalization and Data Collection: Defining Indicators and Sourcing Feasible Data
**Synopsis:** This class session focused on operationalizing research concepts and beginning the data collection process. Students reviewed their research questions, defined key terms, and identified measurable indicators for each concept. The discussion later shifted to analyzing the feasibility of obtaining data through specific sources for these indicators, ensuring the research plan was realistic and actionable.
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### Attendance
– **Students Mentioned Absent:** 2 (Amira and Sobhiya)
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### Topics Covered
1. **Operationalization Review and Goals**
– Recap of last week’s class on conceptualization and operationalization.
– Importance of transforming abstract concepts into measurable phenomena for research questions.
– Introduction of today’s objectives:
– Wrap up operationalization by creating an “operationalization map.”
– Start data collection by identifying indicators and discussing their feasibility.
2. **Indicators: Types and Definitions**
– Overview of the three types of indicators for research concepts:
– **Definitions:** Scholarly interpretations of a concept, e.g., defining “public diplomacy” via academic references.
– **Quantitative Metrics:** Measurable phenomena (e.g., vaccination rates in Kyrgyzstan).
– **Qualitative Metrics:** Observations and processes tied to concepts (e.g., observing “radicalismâ€� through interviews).
– The “process of eliminationâ€� framework for determining the type of indicator:
– Can the concept be quantified?
– If not, can it be observed qualitatively?
– If not, does a scholarly definition suffice?
3. **Exercise: Building Operationalization Maps**
– Activity Instructions:
– Students reviewed their research questions and listed core concepts.
– For each concept, students defined terms based on scholarly sources and identified relevant indicators.
– Indicators categorized as definitions, quantifiable metrics, or qualitative metrics.
– Emphasis on flexibility: Students took several minutes to align their maps to these requirements.
4. **Brainstorming Data Sources for Indicators**
– Group discussion on potential data sources for indicators.
– Example: For political relations between Turkey and Uzbekistan, possible sources include government statements, bilateral treaties, media coverage, and expert interviews.
– Illustration with vaccination rates: Surveys measuring vaccine hesitancy.
– Addressing specific research questions: Suitable sources and types of analysis, such as thematic analysis for media coverage or aggregating multiple article data.
– Guidance on listing sources without requiring direct links at this stage.
5. **Feasibility of Indicators**
– Activity Goals: Assess the practicality of sourcing data for identified indicators.
– Questions for reflection:
1. Which specific data sources can be used (e.g., academic journals, survey data, government records)?
2. Are the data sources realistically accessible within time and resource constraints?
– Importance of eliminating infeasible indicators early, such as interviews with unavailable officials or overly broad datasets.
6. **Pre-Assignment for Next Class**
– Students instructed to finalize their operationalization maps by listing specific sources for each indicator with feasibility notes.
– Setup for the next phase: Narrowing down reliable sources and aligning them with data collection needs.
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### Actionable Items
**Urgent: Preparing for Next Class**
– Identify specific sources for each chosen indicator in your operationalization maps.
– Example: Scholarly articles, government reports, or survey repositories.
– Evaluate whether each source is feasible to access or collect within the project timelines.
**Quick Reminders**
– Students working with large datasets or aggregate media sources are encouraged to finalize definitions for key terms (e.g., “mainstream media”).
– Update group chats with the ongoing notes and resources provided mid-class for any classmates who missed sections.
**Long-term Considerations:**
– Cross out infeasible indicators during planning to avoid last-minute setbacks.
– For ambiguous concepts (e.g., radicalism), list process-based observation methods or qualitative data aggregation ideas to ensure viability.
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This report summarizes the key elements of today’s class and ensures alignment with the course timeline.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
Justification: Based on the transcript, no explicit mention of homework being assigned was made. The instructor focused on class activities, such as completing operationalization maps and brainstorming potential data sources, but there was no direct instruction to complete or submit work outside the classroom. Students were also given time within the lesson to work on these activities (e.g., “take maybe five minutes to go through all of the concepts” and “let’s take the next seven minutes or so before our break to work on this”), suggesting that the tasks were intended to be completed during class time.