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Chapter 8Measurement of VariablesResearch Design: Measurement
and Measures
How Variables are MeasuredObjective dataEg weight, absenteeism,
temperatureUse appropriate measuring instruments
Subjective dataEg. feelings, attitudes, perceptionsDifficult to
measureAbstract concepts to be broken down into obsevable
behaviorOperationalise the conceptOperational DefinitionIs a
statement of the specific dimensions and elements through which a
concept will become measurable. Dimensions (D) and Elements (E) of
the Concept (C) Achievement Motivation
Examples of Questions to Tap the level of Achievement
MotivationTo what extent would you say you push yourself to get the
job done on time? How frequently do you think of your work when you
are at home? How much do you concentrate on achieving your goals?
How annoyed do you get when you make mistakes? Common Mistakes with
Operational DefinitionsExcluding some of the important dimensions
and elementsFailure to recognise or conceptualise important
dimensionsIncluding certain irrelevant features mistakenly thought
to be relevant.
E.g Success in performance cannot be a dimension in achievement
motivation.What an Operational Definition is NotAn operational
definition does not consist of delineating the reasons,
antecedents, consequences or correlates of the conceptRather, it
describes its observable characteristics in order to be able to
measure the concept. Dimensions (D) and Elements (E) of the Concept
(C) Learning
SCALESA scale is a tool or mechanism by which individuals are
distinguished as to how they differ from one another on variables
of interest to our study.Measurement ScalesNominal ScaleOrdinal
ScaleInterval ScaleRatio ScaleNominal Scale
Nominal ScalesNominal scale allows the researcher to assign
subjects to certain categories or groups.Example.Please indicate
your current martial status.__Married __ Single __ Single, never
married __ WidowedThe categories' should be-Mutually Exclusive-
Collectively Exhaustive 13Nominal ScaleSplits data into mutually
exclusive and collectively exhaustive categoriesZip code of
residenceEmployment statusMarital
statusGenderRaceReligionEthnicity
Ordinal Scale
Ordinal ScalesOrdinal scales categorize the variables in such a
way as to denote the difference among the various categories, it
also rank-orders the categories in meaningful ways.Example.
16Interval ScalesInterval scales demonstrate the absolute
differences between each scale pointExample.How likely are you to
recommend the Santa Fe Grill to a friend?Definitely will not
Definitely will1 2 3 4 5 6 71718
Interval Data
Ratio ScalesRatio scales allow for the identification of
absolute differences between each scale point, and absolute
comparisons between raw responsesExample 1.Please circle the number
of children under 18 years of age currently living in your
household.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (if more than 7, please specify
___.)1920Ratio DataMarket shareSales (units and
dollars)IncomeNumber of salespersons per territoryNumber of
full-time employed members of householdNumber of children in
household
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