Measures and Scales

Measures and Scales

This week, spend time discussing the similarities and differences between correlation and regression, and why one would use correlation instead of regression. Consider how often there are bivariate relationships and whether a bivariate relationship will be meaningful for your DBA doctoral study as compared to a regression, which examines relationships differently.

As a researcher, you will become familiar and comfortable with the measures and scales others choose to measure data. Understanding study measurement methods can help clarify how you might employ these measurement instruments. In this paper, you will find an example of a test and a scale used in your discipline’s literature, analyze its use in the study, and analyze the relationships among these instruments, populations, and the concepts of reliability and validity.

To prepare for this paper:

• Review Lesson 38, “Item Analysis Using Reliability Procedure” in Salkind and Green. Review in particular how to report psychometric properties, including correlation coefficients (pp. 345-347).
• Search for an example of a test and an example of a scale. For each example, determine the typical population and the reliability and validity.

To search for pre-existing measures that are available in the public domain, do the following:

1. Note that most measurement development is conducted in the field of psychology. Make sure that you select peer-reviewed and full-text articles. You will also want to conduct an advanced search as multiple terms will be searched.
2. In the first box, type in your construct (e.g., depression, leadership, etc.).
3. In the second box, type in the word “psychometric”.
4. In the third box, type in one of the following words (you may have to try a few different ones): “measure”, “instrument”, “scale”, or “survey”.

Note: Using a public measure allows you the opportunity to view the measure without purchasing it, such as the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements: Buros Institute

What considerations need to be made to ensure that the scale and test examples are reliable and valid for another population?

Resources:

Websites
Trochim, W. (2006). Web center for social research methods: Selecting statistics. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/
This site is an online textbook that addresses the topics of a typical graduate course in social research methods, including sampling, measurement, validity, types of designs, and analysis. Learners can navigate the textbook using a graphical research road map or simple table of contents. The textbook addresses the entire research process as well as the statistical aspects of research and is not software-specific. From the main page, click on the “Selecting Statistics” link.

At UniWriters, we specialize in providing high-quality, custom-written essays tailored to your exact instructions. This is one of the topics our writers have successfully handled in the past. If you need an original, customized article, we can create it for you at friendly prices.

For personalized help, check out our Custom essay writing services, where we ensure that every detail is meticulously followed.

Ready to place your order? Get 100% original content with our plagiarism-free essay writing services.