Instrumentation

Chapter Seven

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 Instrumentation
Chapter Seven
Instructions: Circle the choice that indicates your opinion.

1. Teachers’ unions should be abolished.

Strongly Strongly
agree Agree Undecided Disagree disagree
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

2. School administrators should be required by law to teach at least one class in a

public school classroom every year.
Strongly Strongly
agree Agree Undecided Disagree disagree
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

3. Classroom teachers should be able to choose the administrators in their schools.

Strongly Strongly
agree Agree Undecided Disagree disagree
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

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 What are Data?
 Data refers to the information researchers obtain
on the subjects of their research.
 Demographic information or scores from a test
are examples of data collected.
 The researcher has to determine what kind of
data they need to collect.
 The device the researcher uses to collect data is
called an instrument.

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 Key Questions
 The instruments and procedures used in collecting data is
called instrumentation.
 Questions arise regarding the procedures and conditions under
which the instruments will be administered:
 Where will the data be collected?
 When will the data be collected?
 How often are the data to be collected?
 Who is to collect the data?

 The most highly regarded types of instruments can provide

useless data if administered incorrectly, by someone disliked
by respondents, under noisy, inhospitable conditions, or when
subjects are exhausted.

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 Validity, Reliability, and Objectivity
 Validity is an important consideration in the choice of an
instrument to be used in a research investigation
 It should measure what it is supposed to measure
 Researchers want instruments that will allow them to make
warranted conclusions about the characteristics of the subjects
they study
 Reliability is another important consideration, since
researchers want consistent results from instrumentation
 Consistency gives researchers confidence that the results
actually represent the achievement of the individuals involved
 Objectivity refers to the absence of subjective judgments
 This should be eliminated with regards to achievement of the
subjects, even if its difficult to do so

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 Usability
 An important consideration for any researcher in choosing or
designing an instrument is how easy the instrument will actually
be to use.
 Some of the questions asked which assess usability are:
 How long will it take to administer?
 Are the directions clear?
 How easy is it to score?
 Do equivalent forms exist?
 Have any problems been reported by others who used it?
 Getting satisfactory answers can save a researcher a lot of time
and energy.

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 Ways to Classify Instruments
 Who Provides the Information?
 Themselves: Self-report data

 Directly or indirectly: from the subjects of the

study
 From informants (people who are knowledgeable

about the subjects and provide this information)

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 Types of Researcher-completed
Instruments

 Rating scales  Performance

 Interview schedules checklists
 Tally sheets  Anecdotal records
 Flowcharts  Time-and-motion logs
 Observation forms

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 Excerpt from a Behavior Rating Scale for Teachers
(Figure 7.4)

Instructions: For each of the behaviors listed

below, circle the appropriate number, using
the following key: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Above
Average, 3 = Average, 2 = Below Average,
1 = Poor.

A. Explains course material clearly.

1 2 3 4 5
B. Establishes rapport with students.
1 2 3 4 5
C. Asks high-level questions.
1 2 3 4 5
D. Varies class activities.
1 2 3 4 5

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 Excerpt from a Graphic Rating Scale
(Figure 7.5)
Instructions: Indicate the quality of the student’s participation
in the following class activities by placing an X anywhere along
each line.

AlwaysFrequently Occasionally Seldom Never

1. Listens to teacher’s instructions.

Always Frequently Occasionally Seldom Never

2. Listens to the opinions of other students.

Always Frequently Occasionally Seldom Never

3. Offers own opinions in class discussions.

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 Example of a Product Rating Scale (Figure 7.6)

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 Interview Schedule (Figure 7.7)

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 Sample Observation Form
(Figure 7.8)

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 Discussion Analysis Tally Sheet (Figure 7.9)

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 Participation Flowchart (Figure 7.10)

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 Performance Checklist Noting Student Actions (Figure 7.11)

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 Time-and-Motion Log (Figure 7.12)

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 Types of Subject-completed
Instruments
 Questionnaires  Achievement/aptitude
 Self-checklists tests
 Attitude scales  Performance tests
 Personality  Projective devices
inventories  Sociometric devices

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 Example of a Self-Checklist (Figure 7.13)

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 Example of Items from a Likert Scale
(Figure 7.14)

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 Example of the Semantic Differential
(Figure 7.15)

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 Pictorial Attitude Scale for Use with
Young Children (Figure 7.16)

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 Sample Items from a Personality
Inventory (Figure 7.17)

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 Sample Items from an Achievement Test
(Figure 7.18)

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 Sample Item from an Aptitude Test
(Figure 7.19)

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 Sample Items from an Intelligence Test
(Figure 7.20)

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 Example from the Blum Sewing Machine Test
(Figure 7.21)

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 Sample Items from the Picture
Situation Inventory (Figure 7.22)

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 Example of a Sociogram (Figure 7.23)

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 Example of a Group Play (Figure 7.24)

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 Item Formats
 Questions used in a subject-completed instrument can
take many forms but are classified as either selection or
supply items.
 Examples of selection items are:
 True-false items
 Matching items
 Multiple choice items
 Interpretive exercises
 Examples of supply items are:
 Short answer items
 Essay questions

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 Unobtrusive Measures
 Many instruments require the cooperation of the respondent in one
way or another.
 An intrusion into an ongoing activity could be involved which causes
a form of negativity within the respondent.
 To eliminate this, researchers use unobtrusive measures, data
collection procedure that involve no intrusion into the naturally
occurring course of events.
 In most cases, no instrument is used, however, good record
keeping is necessary.
 They are valuable as supplements to the use of interviews and
questionnaires, often providing a useful way to corroborate what
more traditional data sources reveal.

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 Types of Scores
 Quantitative data is reported in the form of scores
 Scores are reported as either raw or derived scores
 Raw score is the initial score obtained
 Taken by itself, a raw score is difficult to interpret, since it has little meaning
 Derived score are scores that have been taken from raw scores and
standardized
 They enable researchers to say how well the individual performed compared to
others taking the same test
 Examples include:
 Age and Grade-level Equivalents
 Percentile Ranks
 Standard scores are mathematically derived scores having comparable
meaning on different instruments

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 Examples of Raw Scores and
Percentile Ranks (Table 7.1)
Raw Cumulative Percentile
Score Frequency Frequency Rank

95 1 25 100
93 1 24 96
88 2 23 92
85 3 21 84
79 1 18 72
75 4 17 68
70 6 13 52
65 2 7 28
62 1 5 20
58 1 4 16
54 2 3 12
50 1 1 4
N = 25

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 Norm-Referenced vs. Criterion-
Referenced Instruments
 All derived scores give meaning to individual scores by
comparing them to the scores of a group.
 The group used to determine derived scores is called the
norm group and the instruments that provide such
scores are referred to as norm-referenced instruments.
 An alternative to the use of achievement or performance
instruments is to use a criterion-referenced test.
 This is based on a specific goal or target (criterion) for
each learner to achieve.
 The difference between the two tests is that the criterion
referenced tests focus more directly on instruction.

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 Measurement Scales
 There are four types of measurement scales
 Nominal Scales
 Ordinal Scales
 Interval Scales
 Ratio Scales

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 Four Types of Measurement Scales
(Figure 7.25)

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 Four Types of Measurement Scales
(Table 7.2)

Measurement
Scale Characteristics

Nominal Groups and labels data only;

reports frequencies or percentages.

Ordinal Ranks data; uses numbers only to

indicate ranking.

Interval Assumes that equal differences between

scores really mean equal differences in
the variable used.

Ratio All of the above, plus true zero point.

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 Nominal Scales
 Considered the simplest form of measurement.
 Researchers assign numbers to different
categories.
 An example would be to assign a “1” to men, a
“2” to women.
 The advantage to assigning numbers to the
categories is to facilitate computer analysis.
 Involves groups and labels data only.

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 A Nominal Scale of Measurement (Figure 7.26)

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 Ordinal Scales
 Involves the use of numbers to rank or order scores
from high to low.
 An example would be the ranking of high to low scores
on an examination.
 Differences in rankings would not necessarily be the
same with certain scores.
 Ordinal scales indicate relative standing among
individuals.

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 An Ordinal Scale: The Winner of a
Horse Race (Figure 7.27)

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 Interval Scales
 Involves the use of numbers to represent equal
intervals in different segments on a continuum.
 Very similar to an ordinal scale with the
exception of the equal intervals of points.
 Assumes that equal differences between scores
really mean equal differences in the variable
measured.

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 Ratio Scales
 A ratio scale involves the use of numbers to
represent equal distances from a known “zero
point”.
 A scale designed to measure height would be
a ratio scale since the zero point represents
the absence of height.
 Ratio scales are almost never encountered in
Educational Research.

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