GB6013 MEASUREMENT
SCALE
DR. FARIZA KHALID
MEASUREMENT
A measurement takes place when a “test” is
given and a “score "is obtained.
If the test collects quantitative data, the score
is a number.
If the test collects qualitative data, the score
may be a phrase or word.
MEASUREMENT
‘Measurement is the process by which things
are differentiated’ (Hopkins & Stanley 1981)
TYPES OF DATA
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
NOMINAL
Nominal scales are used for labeling variables, without
any quantitative value.
“Nominal” scales could simply be called “labels.”
Can be arranged
E.g.: Marital Status (Single, married, etc.) but no arithmetic operation
(addition, subtraction, multiplication or division) can be performed on
such variables.
NOMINAL
Example:
male = 0, female = 1
part time = 1, full time = 2
Can be arranged but no arithmetic operation (addition, subtraction,
multiplication or division) can be performed on such variables.
NOMINAL
a sub-type of nominal scale with only two categories (e.g.
male/female) is called “dichotomous.”
“Nominal” scales could simply be called “labels.”
Other sub-types of nominal data are “nominal with order” (like “cold,
warm, hot, very hot”) and nominal without order (like “male/female”).
ORDINAL
With ordinal scales, the order of the values is what’s important and
significant, but the differences between each one is not really known.
Example : a #4 is better than a #3 or #2
but we don’t know–and cannot quantify–how much better it is.
ORDINAL
Ordinal scales are typically measures of non-numeric concepts like
satisfaction, happiness, discomfort, etc.
Another example, the classificatoin of respondents' income into
low-income, middle-income, or high-income.
ORDINAL
“Ordinal” is easy to remember because is
sounds like “order” and that’s the key to
remember with “ordinal scales”–it is
the order that matters, but that’s all you really
get from these.
INTERVAL
Interval scales are numeric scales in which we know
both the order and the exact differences between the
values.
Example: Celsius temperature
the difference between 60 and 50 degrees is a
measurable 10 degrees, as is the difference between
80 and 70 degrees
INTERVAL
Interval data has no “true zero.”
Example, there is no such thing as “no temperature,” at least
not with celsius.
In the case of interval scales, zero doesn’t mean the absence
of value, but is actually another number used on the scale,
like 0 degrees celsius.
Negative numbers also have meaning. With interval data, we
can add and subtract, but cannot multiply or divide.
RATIO
Ratio scales tell us the exact value between
units, AND they also have an absolute zero
(absolutely no quantity)–which allows for a
wide range of both descriptive and inferential
statistics to be applied.
RATIO
These variables can be meaningfully added,
subtracted, multiplied, divided (ratios).
Central tendency can be measured by mode,
median, or mean; measures of dispersion, such
as standard deviation and coefficient of variation
can also be calculated from ratio scales.
RATIO
Example people with no work = zero income
4 respondents have different sum of money RM65,
RM21, RM50, and RM300.
Can we arrange the data? YES = RM21, RM50, RM65, and
RM300.
Can we do the ratio? YES = RM300 (maximum value)
An individual who has RM300 own 6 times money from
an individual who has RM50
RATIO
Another example
age, test score, hours spend for revision etc.
REFERENCES
https://www.mymarketresearchmethods.com/types-
of-data-nominal-ordinal-interval-ratio/
https://towardsdatascience.com/beginners-guide-
data-types-and-their-measurement-scale-
194033b86b6d
