Conceptualization and Operationalization Poverty and Prejudice Term Paper

Poverty

According to Babbie (1998), the process of conceptualization is best defined as "the process through which we specify what we will mean when we use particular terms" (120). Thus, for researchers conducting a study on poverty, the initial step that must be done to direct the researchers towards the goal of their study is to come up with a definition that best describes the study's concept of poverty. Thus, researchers must consider first the variety of dimensions in which people understand poverty. Poverty, for people, can be intrinsically or extrinsically manifested -- that is, poverty may be measured because of concrete evidence, or it can only de identified, determined, and approximately measured (if possible) when it is used and perceived in abstract terms. An example of this case is when the researchers are conducting research in on poverty in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is considered a "melting pot" of almost all cultures in the world, with the proliferation of immigrants from both the Western and Eastern regions of the world.Thus, when in-depth interviews or surveys will be conducted in collectivist societies, particularly Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Latino/Hispanic communities, poverty may be defined intrinsically, such as poverty (or wealth) in the spiritual, mental, social, or emotional sense. Since poverty is defined abstractly, it is vital that in-depth interviews be conducted to come up with varied definitions of poverty in this particular sample. However, for Americans living in Los Angeles, poverty can be measured directly, since this group of people considers poverty in terms of economic wealth, as measured in the annual income of American families or individuals. Thus, a survey that identifies in nominal or ordinal terms the annual income of the respondent will be a….....