Measurements and Assessments: ‘The Hope for the New Life’

Dependent variables

Seeing how the research in question is focused on the state of the Malaysian migrant workers, the dependent variable is going to be represented by the overall quality of life of the former. It will be necessary to study the role of the Hope for New Life Organization on the state of the migrant workers in Malaysia; hence, the well being of the latter is going to be the key dependent variable, which will hopefully be changed after the work of the organization takes its toll on the migrant workers (Mardsen, 2012) and their values (Clement, 2011) and beliefs (Werlin, 2009). It is assumed that, with the proper support of Hope for New Life, migrant workers in Malaysia will be motivated to fight for their rights and demand equal pay and working conditions as employees of Malaysian organizations.

Independent variables

Speaking of the independent factors, one must keep in mind that the influence that the Hope for New Life is going to have on migrant workers in Malaysia is going to be the primary factor affecting the changes in the attitudes and behavioral patterns of the latter. Hence, it is reasonable to consider the impact of the organization as the key independent variable. Apart from the power of faith, which can be interpreted as spiritual support, and which Hope for New Life is going to enhance, such independent variables as economic and financial support are going to be introduced (Arvin & Lew, 2012).

Methods of Measurement: The Ways to Evaluate Success

The research of the influence that Hope for New Life as a religious organization is going to have on migrant workers in Malaysia presupposes that the problems of the latter should be viewed from several perspectives, which are a religious (Hill, 2012), a political, an economic and a social one (Hassan, 2013). Hence, several methods of measurement should be provided to spot the changes in each of the domains specified after Hope for New Life starts its work.

Reliability: When Every Detail Is Fully Credible

The quality of measurement of the changes mentioned above is also crucial for the outcomes of the research. It is important to stress that the lives of people are at stake in the given study. Therefore, an appropriate method of defining the reliability of the variables must be provided. Since numerical values are going to be provided, the true score theory seems the most legitimate choice for checking the variables’ reliability. In addition, it is crucial to keep the measurement error in mind. No matter how well the measurement process is carried out, there is always the chance of misrepresenting the results. Hence, statistical procedures must be used to “adjust for measurement error” (Trochim & Donnelly, 2001, p. 83).

Evaluating the Validity: What Seems a Legitimately Perfect Choice

According to Trochim and Donnelly, there are several types of validity, i.e., “face, predictive, and concurrent” (Trochim & Donnelly, 2001, p. 57). The choice of the validity depends on the type of variables defined for the research, as Trochim and Donnelly explain. Therefore, for the case in point, the validity of the research can be defined as a construct one, because the goal of the paper in question is to relate the operationalization of the study, i.e., the efficacy of the organization, to the theoretical concepts, mainly the effects of religion on people’s organizational behavior, moral code, ethics and core values.

Reference List

Arvin, M. & Lew, B. (2012). Do happiness and foreign aid affect bilateral migrant remittances? Journal of Economic Studies, 39(2), 212–230.

Clement, V. (2011). Faith-based schools in post-Soviet Turkmenistan. European Education, 43(1), 76–92.

Hassan, M. K. H. (2013). Does trade with labor-sending countries reduce demand for migrant workers: a lesson from Malaysia? Asian Economic and Financial Review, 3(10), 1325–1336.

Hill, D. (2012). Port reform, South Asian migrant workers and spaces of vulnerability in Port Klang, Malaysia. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 53(2), 105–117.

Mardsen, L. (2012). Bush, Obama and a faith‐based US foreign policy. International Affairs, 88(5), 953–974.

Trochim, W. & Donnelly, J. P. (2001). The research methods knowledge base (3rd ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Werlin, H. H. (2009). The poverty of nations: the impact of foreign aid. The Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies, 34(4), 480–509.