Levels of measurement

Programme : T.Y. B. Sc (Hons.) Home Science

Subject : Home Science

Semester :V

Paper Code : CC 13

Paper Title : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN HOME

SCIENCE
Unit I : Research, Meaning, Purpose and Approaches

Module Name : Levels of measurement

Module No : 07

Daisy John (Ph.D)

Associate Professor
Goa College of Home Science,
Campal - Goa.
 Outline

Measurement

Levels of Measurement

Characteristics of a Measurement Scale

Indexes and Scales

 Learning Outcomes

The student is able to:

Understand and appreciate the meaning of Measurement in Research..

Develop capacity to conduct Scientific Studies.

 Measurement
Measurement is a procedure for assigning symbols, letters, or numbers
to empirical properties of variables according to rules.

Numerals are labels that have no inherent meaning, for example, in

drivers' license numbers.

Numbers are numerals that have quantitative meaning and are

amenable to statistical analysis, for example, age, height, or weight.

Rules for assigning labels to properties of variables are the most

important component of measurement, because poor rules can make
 the outcome meaningless.

It is difficult to measure concepts directly, e.g., "work effort," so what are
usually measured are indicators of concepts, such as speed,
repetitiveness, etc.

Scales of measurement in research and statistics are the different ways

in which variables are defined and grouped into different categories.
Sometimes called the level of measurement, it describes the nature of
the values assigned to the variables in a data set.

The term scale of measurement is derived from two keywords in

statistics, namely; measurement and scale. Measurement is the
process of recording observations collected as part of a research.

Scaling, is the assignment of objects to numbers. A measurement

scale is used to qualify or quantify data variables in statistics.

The level of measurement of a given data set is determined by the

relationship between the values assigned to the attributes of a data

variable. For example, the relationship between the values (1 and 2)

assigned to the attributes (male and female) of the variable.

The measurement scales are used to measure qualitative and
quantitative data.

Nominal and Ordinal scale are being used to measure qualitative data
while Interval and Ratio scales are used to measure quantitative data.

Scales of measurement refers to the various measures used in

quantifying the variables researchers use in performing data analysis.

They are an important aspect of research and statistics because the

level of data measurement is what determines the data analysis
technique to be used.
 Levels of Measurement

There are different levels of measurement.  It determines the type of

statistical analysis that can be conducted, and the type of conclusions
that can be drawn from the research.

1. Nominal Level

A nominal level of measurement uses symbols to classify observations

into categories that must be both mutually exclusive and exhaustive. 

Exhaustive means that there must be enough categories that all the
observations will fall into some category.  Mutually exclusive means
 that the categories must be distinct enough that no observations will
fall into more than one category. 

This is the most basic level of measurement; it is essentially labeling. 

It can only establish whether two observations are alike or different,
for example, sorting a deck of cards into two piles:  red cards and
black cards.

In nominal measurement, all observations in one category are alike on

some property, and they differ from the objects in the other category
(or categories) on that property.
 2. Ordinal Level


An ordinal level of measurement uses symbols to classify observations

into categories that are not only mutually exclusive and exhaustive; in

addition, the categories have some explicit relationship among them.


For example, observations may be classified into categories such as

taller and shorter, greater and lesser, faster and slower, harder and

easier. Most of the commonly used questions which ask about job

satisfaction use the ordinal level of measurement. For example,

 asking whether one is very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, or
very dissatisfied with one's job is using an ordinal scale of
measurement.

3. Interval Level

An interval level of measurement classifies observations into

categories that are not only mutually exclusive and exhaustive, and
have some explicit relationship among them.

In the interval level, a common and constant unit of measurement has
been established between the categories. For example, the commonly
 used measures of temperature are interval level scales. A temperature
of 75 degrees is one degree warmer than a temperature of 74 degrees.

Numbers may be assigned to the observations because the relationship

between the categories is assumed to be the same as the relationship
between numbers in the number system.  For example, 74+1=75 and
41+1=42.

The intervals between categories are equal. There is no meaningful

zero point on an interval scale.
 4. Ratio Level

The ratio level of measurement is the same as the interval level, with the addition
of a meaningful zero point.  There is a meaningful and non-arbitrary zero point
from which the equal intervals between categories originate.

For example, weight, area, speed, and velocity are measured on a ratio level
scale. 

Characteristics of a Measurement Scale

1. Identity - Identity refers to the assignment of numbers to the values of each
variable in a data set.
Consider a questionnaire that asks for a respondent's gender with the
options Male and Female for instance. The values 1 and 2 can be
assigned to Male and Female respectively.

Arithmetic operations cannot be performed on these values because

they are just for identification purposes. This is a characteristic of a
nominal scale.

2. Magnitude - The magnitude is the size of a measurement scale,

where numbers (the identity) have an inherent order from least to
highest. They are usually represented on the scale in ascending or
 descending order.

The position in a race, for example, , is arranged from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd
to the last. This example is measured on an ordinal scale because it
has both identity and magnitude.

3. Equal Intervals - Equal Intervals means that the scale has a

standardized order. I.e., the difference between each level on the scale
is the same. Each position does not have an equal interval difference.

A variable that has an identity, magnitude, and the equal interval is

measured on an interval scale.

 4. Absolute Zero

Absolute zero is a feature that is unique to a ratio scale. It means that

there is an existence of zero on the scale, and is defined by the
absence of the variable being measured e.g. no qualification, no
money, does not identify as any gender, etc.

Indexes and Scales

Indexes and scales are measuring instruments or devices. Both of

them are used to measure variables or concept that researchers are
interested in. Scale is a cluster of items that arranged into a unitary
 dimension or single domain of behavior, attitudes, and feelings.

Scales are more specific than indexes do. Scales can predict
outcomes such as behavior, attitudes, and feelings because it

measures the underlying traits. For example, a scale tends to

measure more specific variable.

In the field of survey research, measures are taken from individual
attitudes, values, and behavior using questionnaires as a
measurement instrument.
 References

• Chauhan, A.D. (2016) Methodology of Social Research. Gaurav

Books, Kanpur.
• Krishnaswami, O.R. (2000) Methodology of Research in Social
Sciences Reprint. Himalaya Publishing House, Delhi.
• Kumar, R. (2005) Research Methodology : A Step by Step Guide for
Beginners. Sage Publications, New Delhi.
• Kothari, C. R. and Garg, G. (2019) Research Methodology: Methods
and Techniques 4th Ed. New Age International Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.