CONCEPT OF MEASUREMENT

In quantitative research, measurement allows for the discovery of the primary data upon which all
statistical analysis rests. In this installment, the link betweeen the activity of measurement and
the thing measured is explained.

Measurement is a fundamental concept in all quantitative research, whether involving the study of the
physical world, health and medicine, economics, human behavior, or social phenomena. Measurement
can be defined as the assigning of numbers, or in some cases labels, to objects being studied in order
to represent characteristics of those objects. By assigning numbers corresponding to those
characteristics, researchers generate the raw information, which in turn, facilitates more in-depth
statistical analysis. Although both statistics and measurement involve assigning values to the properties
of objects and constructs, measurement provides the primary data to which statistical tools can be
applied.

Begining with a Definition of the Object of Measurement

Before any measurement can take place, before any instrument can be put into action, the thing
being measured must be defined. Conceptually speaking, measurement in the physical sciences
allows for its most straightforward application. One reason for this is that objects and their
characteristics are easily defined. Measuring the velocity of objects in our everyday world, for
instance, begins with a simple mathematical definition—distance over time. Other properties of
physical objects, such as mass, density, length, height, force, acceleration, work, frequency—to
name a few—are typically tangible and therefore easily defined.

However, when analyzing social or psychological variables concepts are often abstract. Take
leadership style, for example. A person wishing to study the variable “leadership style” will most
likely spend a great deal of time defining such a construct. Unlike an object, which has physical
properties, leadership style is a way of doing something rather than a thing. Further, there are
various ways to view leadership--from the perspective of personality, behavior, communication, and
organizational results. So not only is leadership a way of doing something but its meaning changes
depending on how the researcher approaches the concept. In general, due to this level abstraction,
researchers must take great care in how they define their constructs before they measure them.
Other variables may be abstract but easily defined, such as economic indexes and rates, per capita
frequencies, cases, and counts. The interest rate is an example of a variable that is easily defined
but does not refer to a physical property of an object.

Only when the definition of the construct and its properties is established can measurement occur.
Because measurement is a quantifying act, the term construct or one of its aspects can be discussed
as a variable. Developing a sound definition, however, is only the first step. In order to measure a
variable, one needs an instrument. In the next installment of this article, the importance of
instrumentation will be discussed.Instruments and Measurement

Instruments and Measurement

Measurements are obtained through the application of instruments, there being no measurement
without them. If you wish to know the length of a piece of cloth, you use a ruler. If you want to
discover the temperature outside, you consult a thermometer. If you are monitoring your own body
weight, you step on a scale. All of these instruments yield data about objects or phenomena in the
world.
In the field of behavioral and social research, the fit between instruments, things measured, and
the data obtained is not as simple as the examples above. Researchers must take great care in
developing the instruments in order to make sure they accurately measure the constructs for which
they are designed. A common type of instrument is a survey or questionnaire instrument, very
popular in pscychometric research. With a survey instrument, questions are worded so that they
measure an underlying concept/construct. Subjects’ responses are typically either in numerical
form (e.g. Likert-scale) or their qualitative responses can be converted to a numerical code.

Unlike the case of a ruler, a thermometer, or a scale, the correspondence between instrument,
object, and the data cannot be assumed. Rather, that correspondence must be justified. A great
deal has been written about how one should go about justifying the correspondence, typically
headed under the subject of the validity and reliability of instruments. There exist different types
of validity and reliability which is beyond the scope of this article.