Semantic differential scale
A semantic differential scale is a survey or questionnaire rating scale that asks people to rate a
product, company, brand, or any 'entity' within the frames of a multi-point rating option. These
survey answering options are grammatically on opposite adjectives at each end. For example,
love-hate, satisfied-unsatisfied, and likely to return-unlikely to return with intermediate options in
between.
Surveys or questionnaires using the semantic differential scale survey feature is the most reliable
way to get information on people’s emotional attitude towards a topic of interest.
Charles Egerton Osgood, a famous American psychologist, invented the semantic differential
scale so that this 'connotative meaning' of emotional attitude towards entities can be recorded
and put to good use.
Osgood conducted this research on an extensive database and found that three scales were
commonly useful, irrespective of race or culture or difference in language:
Estimate: Combination similar to good-bad.
Authority: Pairs on the lines of powerful-weak.
Activeness: Combos like active-passive.
This Scaling consists of a set of bipolar rating scales, usually of 7 points, by which one or
more respondent’s rate one or more concepts on each scale items
EXAMPLE GIVEN BELOW
This scale is based on the presumption that an object can have different dimensions of
connotative meanings which can be located in multidimensional property space, or
what can be called the semantic space in the context of S.D Scale
Advantages of Semantic Differential Scale
Being able to identify the customer’s attitude towards your product, or
employee’s satisfaction with her job at your firm, or the public’s feelings
towards your brand is powerful information. Information about people’s
emotional attitude is the most important factor in deciding their sense of
loyalty, trust, and ownership towards your product/company/brand. This
can help quantify pricing power of your product, ability to retain and attract
talent, brand loyalty and much more.
Surveys using Semantic Differential Scale is the most reliable way to get
information on people’s emotional attitude towards a topic of interest. It
involves asking people to rate a product, company or brand upon a multi-
point rating scale that has opposite adjectives at each end like satisfied or
unsatisfied, love or hate.
The primary advantage of semantic differential scale is that it is easy to
understand the scale and rate correctly and its popularity makes it very
familiar with responders. This makes information collected very reliable.
Another advantage is in the versatility of semantic differential scale type
questions, they have been successfully used in customer satisfaction
surveys to scientific behavioural analysis surveys.
Construct A Semantic Differential Scale to Understand the
Students Perception on
Online Teaching VS Classroom Teaching.
SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
Student's perception of online teaching in respect of classroom teaching is:-
1) Interactive -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Non-interactive
2) Cost-effective ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Expensive
3) High Attentiveness ------------------------------------------------------------------Low Attentiveness
4) Does not involve Technological know-how -----------------Involves Technological know-how
5) Easily accessible -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Inaccessible
6) Less Chaotic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More Chaotic
7) Does not involve traveling ------------------------------------------------------ Involves traveling
8) Flexible Timing -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strict Timing
9) More Time-bound ------------------------------------------------------------------- Less Time-bound
10) High Data Security ------------------------------------------------------------------ Low Data Security
11) Sociable--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Less Sociable
This test was carried on the students of MBA (HRM), IISWBM.
SAMPLE SIZE -45
INFERENCE
From the given data we conclude both online and offline teaching have their merits and demerits
and it is hard to say which one is better than the other. Online classes save time as there is no
traveling and do not depend on traffic conditions or location of the student. Only downloading an
app or software makes the teaching accessible to all irrespective of where the student is. This also
saves the traveling expenses and time. Moreover, it is less chaotic as the host can simply mute other
participants if they find too much noise. The timing also depends only on the host and the attendees
and they can fix time as per their requirement and even set the duration of the teaching. This makes
it more time-bound but in spite of having such merits to its credit, the traditional offline mode of
teaching is highly prevalent because as per data, attentiveness is higher in offline classes as it is more
direct teaching and is not interrupted by any technical glitch. Moreover, the data security is low in
online classes and the social aspect is also not found in online classes. For example, inter-student
interaction is less. Apart from studies, co-curricular activities, events, debates, competitions and so
on are also essential and if irregular classroom teachings take place it are easier to coordinate for the
same. Hence in spite of so many prospects of online classes, offline classroom teachings are till date
more common method of teaching.
