GIVE TECHNICAL
AND OPERATIONAL
DEFINITIONS
QUARTER 4: MODULE 2
OBJECTIVES At the end of the session, students should be
able to:
give the meaning and purpose of technical
and operational definitions in research;
interpret technical and operational
definitions; and
identify the difference between technical
and operational definitions.
In academic writing and research, meanings must be:
Fixed
OVERVIEW
Exact
Universally understood
This is why researchers define key terms before using
them
Two major ways of defining terms in research:
Technical definitions
Operational definitions
TECHNICAL
DEFINITIONS
LESSON 1 OF 2
WHAT IS TECHNICAL DEFINITION?
A technical definition explains a term based on its formal,
academic, and scientific meaning.
It focuses on what the term is
It removes:
Personal interpretations
Emotional meanings
Commonly used in:
Dictionaries
Textbooks
Research papers
GUIDELINES FOR
WRITING TECHNICAL
DEFINITIONS
1. Be accurate. Use precise terms.
GUIDELINES
Examples:
Weak definition: Data is an information in digital form
that can be transmitted or processed.
Accurate definition: Data are the quantities,
characters, or symbols on which operations are
performed by a computer, being stored and
transmitted in the form of electrical signals and
recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical
recording media.
2. Be objective. Use facts, not opinions.
GUIDELINES
Examples:
Opinionated definition: A questionnaire is not valid
and
reliable for the study.
Factual definition: A questionnaire is a set of printed
or
written questions with a choice of answers, devised for
the purposes of a survey or statistical study
3. Grade your language. Match it to the
GUIDELINES knowledge level of your readers.
Examples:
Complex and complicated definition: Research is a
systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.
Simple and clear definition: Research is collecting of
information about a particular subject
TYPES OF TECHNICAL
DEFINITIONS
1. Parenthetical Definition is defining a
term by using more familiar synonym in
parentheses.
TYPES
Examples:
The company’s recent history is a case
study (report) in bad management.
The book provides a general framework
(outline) for understanding modern
2. Sentence Definition follows a set
pattern; more complex terms are used.
TYPES
Examples:
Statistics is a branch of Mathematics dealing
with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and
presentation of masses of numerical data.
Deductive reasoning is a form of reasoning in
which conclusions are formulated about
particulars from general or universal premises.
2. Sentence Definition
TYPES
TERM + IS A/AN + CLASS + THAT/WHICH +
DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS
OPERATIONAL
DEFINITIONS
LESSON 2 OF 2
WHAT IS OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION?
An operational definition explains a concept by:
Describing how it is measured
Showing how it is observed
It focuses on:
Practical application
Observable indicators
It answers:
“How will we identify or measure this concept?”
TYPES OF
OPERATIONAL
DEFINITIONS
1. Type A operational definition can be
constructed in terms of the operations performed
to cause the phenomenon to occur.
TYPES
Examples:
Fear is a state produced by exposing an
individual to an object highest in his or her
hierarchy of objects to be avoided.
2. Type B operational definition can be
constructed in terms of how the
TYPES
particular object or thing operates.
Examples:
Monitor is a television receiver used in a studio
to select or verify the picture being broadcast
from a particular camera.
3. Type C operational definition can be
constructed in terms of what an object or
TYPES
phenomenon looks like.
Examples:
Introversion is the tendency or characteristic of
an individual to prefer to engage in solitary
rather than group activities.
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL
Focuses on the application or use of a
term Focuses on explaining or describing
Explains how a concept works, is technical terms or terminology
observed, or is measured Emphasizes the exact and formal
Used to clarify: meaning of a word
Processes Used to expand vocabulary,
Properties especially in academic and research
Characteristics of events or contexts
concepts Definitions are:
Makes abstract ideas: Precise
Concrete
Fixed
Observable
Objective
Measurable
ACTIVITY 1:
TECHNICAL OR
OPERATIONAL
Computer is a device or machine used in
performing, assessing, evaluating, and following
commands set by the users.
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL
Computer is a device or machine used in
performing, assessing, evaluating, and following
commands set by the users.
THIS IS THE GENERAL TEXTBOOK
DEFINITION OF A COMPUTER; IT DESCRIBES TECHNICAL
WHAT IT IS CONCEPTUALLY.
Motivation is the level of enthusiasm a student
shows when participating in class.
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL
Motivation is the level of enthusiasm a student
shows when participating in class.
THIS SHOWS OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR IN A
OPERATIONAL SPECIFIC CONTEXT
Happiness is a state of well-being and
contentment.
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL
Happiness is a state of well-being and
contentment.
CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION; GENERAL IDEA
OF HAPPINESS. TECHNICAL
Leadership is shown by how often a student
initiates discussions, helps teammates, or makes
decisions in a group project.
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL
Leadership is shown by how often a student
initiates discussions, helps teammates, or makes
decisions in a group project.
SHOWS SPECIFIC OBSERVABLE BEHAVIORS
OPERATIONAL USED TO MEASURE LEADERSHIP
Reading is completing a storybook and correctly
answering questions about main ideas and
characters.
SHOWS HOW READING IS MEASURED IN A
OPERATIONAL STUDY OR ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY 2:
VENN
DIAGRAM
DIRECTIONS: BASED ON THE DISCUSSION, COMPARE AND
CONTRAST THE MEANING OF TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL
DEFINITIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS USING THE VENN DIAGRAM
BELOW. COPY THE VENN DIAGRAM ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF
PAPER.