Year | definition | source | 1984 | "A theoretically existing [but unobservable] variable." | Slavin, R E (1984, p.281) |
1992 | "A concept that is not observed directly but is inferred on the basis of observable phenomena and that can help in the analysis and understanding of events and phenomena." | Richards, J. C. & Schmidt, R. (1992, p.112) |
2003 | "Historically, constructs were considered unobservable explanatory entities residing within theory and only inferred via the interactions between sets of observable variables. More recently, however, the notion of construct has evolved to acknowledge the interplay between a theoretical explanation of a phenomenon and the data that may be gathered about the phenomenon" | Norris, J. & Ortega, L. (2003, p.719) |
2007 | "the easiest way to understand the term ‘construct’ is to think of the many abstract
nouns that we use on a daily basis, but for which it would be extremely hard to point
to an example. [However,] for a general term to become a construct, it must have two further properties. Firstly, it
must be defined in such a way that it becomes measurable. Secondly, any construct should be defined in
such a way that it can have relationships with other constructs that are different." | Fulcher, Glen and Davidson, Fred (2007, p.7) |
2009 | "a human characteristic; unable to be directly observed" | Mertler, Craig A. (2009, p.242) |