Finding Measurement Tools

Glossary

Assessment:

An appraisal or evaluation (Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1993)

Attributes:

Characteristics of persons or things (Babbie, 2001)

Battery:

A series of tests yielding a single total score, used for measuring aptitude, intelligence, personality, etc. (Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1993)

Bias:

That quality of a measurement device that tends to result in a misrepresentation of what is being measured in a particular direction (Babbie, 2001)

Concept:

Abstraction or symbol that represent similarities or common characteristics in phenomena; theory organizes concepts in systematic ways; also called a construct (Fortune, 1999)

Design:

The overall plan or strategy by which hypotheses or research questions are answered (Fortune, 1999)

Evaluation:

Conceptually broad term referring to the appraisal of the characteristics, significance, importance, or relative value of a person, organization or thing (Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 2001)

Hypothesis:

A statement of the relation between two or more variables/concepts (Fortune, 1999)

Index:

A type of composite measure that summarizes several specific observations and represents some more general dimension (Babbie, 2001)

Instrument:

A tool used to measure the variables in the research study (Grinnell, 1990)

Interview:

A data-collection encounter in which one person (an interviewer) asks questions of another (a respondent) (Babbie, 2001)

Inventory:

A list of traits, preferences, attitudes, interests, or abilities used to evaluate personal characteristics or skills (Grinnell, 1990)

Measurement:

An operational definition: what and how the indicators of a variable are measured in a study (Fortune, 1999)

Measurement tools:

Any device used to measure or collect data on a variable. Also known as assessment tools, measures, psychometric instruments or psychological tests. There are different types of tools such as scales, questionnaires, surveys, interviews.

Normative:

Pertaining to the average or expected behavior patterns of a group or community (Barker, 1995)

Operational definition:

The concrete and specific definition of something in terms of the operations by which observations are to be categorized (Babbie, 2001)

Parameter:

Any numerical summary measure based on data from a population; contrasts with a statistic, which is based on data from a sample (Fortune, 1999)

Population:

The totality of persons or objects with which a research study is concerned (Grinnell, 1990)

Quantitative Research:

Scientific investigations in which numbers are used to measure variables such as characteristics, concepts, or things (CINAHL Subject Headings, 1990)

Qualitative Research:

Research that derives data from observation, interviews, or verbal interactions and focuses on the meanings and interpretations of the participants (Holloway and Wheeler, 1995)

Questionnaire:

A method used for collecting data; a set of written questions which calls for responses on the part of the client; may be self-administered or group-administered (Grinnell, 1990)

Reliability:

The consistency in results of a measuring instrument, including the tendency of a measurement to produce the same results when it measures twice some entity or attribute believed not to have changed in the interval between measurements (Grinnell, 1990)

Representativeness:

How accurately the sample represents the entire population (all people with the designated characteristics) (Fortune, 1999)

Sample:

A subset of the population under study (Grinnell, 1990)

Scale:

A type of composite measure composed of several items that have a logical or empirical structure among them (Babbie 2001)

Scoring:

Process of systematically assigning values (usually numerical) to the results of tests, questionnaires, etc. (Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, 1995)

Statistic:

Any numerical summary measure based on data from a sample; contrasts with a parameter which is based on data from a population (Fortune, 1999)

Survey:

A systematic fact-gathering procedure in which a specific series of questions is asked, through written or oral questionnaires, of a representative sample of the group being studied or of the entire population (Barker, 1995)

Test:

Devices, procedures or sets of items that are used to measure ability, skill, understanding, knowledge or achievement (Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, 1995)

Validity:

The extent to which a measurement instrument measures what it is supposed to measure and measures it accurately (Grinnell, 1990)

Variable:

A concept or part of a concept that is actually studied. A variable must include two or more values (Fortune, 1999)

Cited Sources

Babbie, E. (2001). Practice of social research. 9th Ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.

Barker, R. L. (1995). The social work dictionary. 3rd Ed. Washington, DC: NASW

CINAHL Subject Headings Scope Note. (1990). CINAHL, Ovid Technologies Inc. [Accessed 16thFebruary 2004].

Fortune, A. E. & Reid, W. J. (1999). Research in social work. 3rd Ed. New York: Columbia University Press.

Grinnell, R. M. & Williams, M. (1990). Research in Social Work: A Primer. Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock.

Holloway I., & Wheeler, S. (1995). Ethical issues in qualitative nursing research. Nursing Ethics, 2(3), 223-232.

Houston, J. E. (Ed.). (1995). Thesaurus of ERIC descriptors. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

Thesaurus of psychological index terms. (2001). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged. (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

Online References

Electronic Statistics Textbook:
http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html

Encyclopedia of Psychology:
http://www.psychology.org/links/Environment_Behavior_Relationships/Measurement/

McGraw-Hill Course Website:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0767421574/student_view0/chapter1/glossary.html