The Written Answer on Operationalisation

To carry out this research, I have to operationalise (define and measure) the key concepts. I have to decide what is meant by informal music-making and young people. Informal music-making could involve many things - writing songs, playing or singing in a band, being a DJ. It could also possibly involve being a member of musical groups or having music lessons outside school. I have decided to ask girls questions about all these things, and to explore what they mean to them. Interpretivists would see this as a key concern in collecting qualitative data. I also need to ask girls about how they spend their time. This is particularly important for girls who do not take part in music.

I also have to decide what I mean by young people. There are different possibilities here. I could choose children, but this is vague. Music-making could mean very different things for different age groups. Young adults would also be a problem, as the only records available would be those registered to vote, and many young adults choose not to vote at all. So I have decided to choose school pupils, aged 15-18, as there is a sampling frame of these held by schools and local authorities, and I could gain access through their schools or colleges.

When I am interviewing girls about their activities, I need to think about the research context, which might give clues as to why girls might or might not take part in such activities. Graham Allen points out that girls have friendship (peer groups) which are based around sharing feelings (face-to-face) activities. As most music-making is not about this, this might prevent girls from being involved. Girls might also spend more time on school work, and their socialisation mght make them more reluctant to take on public roles in a band.