Document Type
Contribution to Books
Publication Date
2017
Abstract
Examining groups from a systems perspective may be natural for contemporary social workers. The systems perspective, or group-as a-whole orientation, provides a solid conceptual foundation for understanding groups (Agazarian, 1992). However, to engage in evidence-based group work practice or to conduct research on groups, abstract group concepts must be conceptualized and operationalized (Engel & Schutt, 2009). In qualitative approaches the conceptualization occurs after data have been collected to extract meaning from the observations. In quantitative approaches, operationalization is the process of assigning values to observable indicators of constructs prior to collecting data (Bonito, Ruppel, & Keyton, 2012). Whether inductive or deductive, the collection of observations is the process of measurement. This chapter discusses measurement issues in groups.
Copyright Statement
This document:
Magen, R. (2017). Measurement Issues. In C.D. Garvin, L.M. Gutiérrez & M.J. Galinsky (Eds.), Handbook of Social Work with Groups (pp. 535- 548). The Guilford Press,
was originally published in Handbook of Social Work with Groups by Guilford Press. Copyright 2017, Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission of The Guilford Press. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Publication Information
Magen, R. (2017). "Measurement Issues". In C.D. Garvin, L.M. Gutiérrez, and M.J. Galinsky (Eds.), Handbook of Social Work with Groups (pp. 535- 548). The Guilford Press.