Technical and Operational Definitions Guidelines in defining terms:

Definition of Terms 1. Only terms, words, or phrases that have

special or unique meanings in the study are
 An alphabetical list of important terms, defined.
acronyms, and jargons used in the research 2. What to define?
study.  Important words in the title (such as
o Jargons – terminologies only the variables)
understood by people in a certain group.   Technical terms used in the
Difficult for others to understand  research paper
 Words for treatments and
Structure: measurement (data analysis terms,
etc.)
Dictionary meaning
3. Define terms technically, operationally, or
 A manner by which something is built or both.
organized. 4. If the terms are from dictionaries, books,
encyclopedia, other publications, and even
Engineering websites (technical definition),
 Configuration of steel beams that serves as acknowledge the source.
foundation to a building. 5. If there are uncommon acronyms, include
them; spell them out and give the meaning.
Linguistic  6. Definitions should be short, clear, and
unambiguous.
 Arrangements of words.
Sample:
The following terms are further defined either
2 types of definition operationally or conceptually:
 Technical Definition Technical definition:
 Operational Definition Comprehension: The ability to understand
completely an be familiar with a situation, fact,
text, or message. (Cambridge Dictionary, 2019)
Teaching Definition (conceptual or
theoretical definition  Operational Definition:

 The universal meaning of the term. Comprehension Level: levels of understanding

in reading comprehension: the literal,
 Definition that comes from different inferential, and evaluative…
reference materials such as dictionaries,
encyclopedias, books, journals, and even Technical Definition:
websites. Instructional Leadership: As defined by de Lima
Operational Definition (2008), the ability to involve colleagues
collaboratively in mutual learning and
 How the term is applied or used in the development, with the main purpose of
research. improving teaching and learning.
 Refers to a specific definition of a concept in
a research study
 The researcher is the one who formulates
the meaning of the term which is objectively
anchored on the technical definition.
 Commonly used the phrase “As used in this
study”