Final answer:
Taking attendance is an operational definition in the context of a teacher's research question, outlining a specific method for recording students' presence to test its effect on grades.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the teacher's question, taking attendance is an action that can be defined as an operational definition (c), which in this case, would describe the specific procedure the teacher uses to systematically record student presence or absence in lectures. This is a critical step in a research study if the teacher wants to test the hypothesis that taking attendance at the beginning of lectures increases grades. The operational definition clarifies what is meant by 'taking attendance' so it can be consistently applied throughout the study and understood by others reading the research.
To further elaborate using the SEO keywords, in an experimental design, if a hypothesis, such as 'taking attendance improves grades,' is being tested, one would define how to measure both the act of taking attendance (the independent variable) and the students' grades (the dependent variable). These definitions are crucial for the integrity and replicability of the experiment.