Meaning and Definitions of Measurement

According to Thorndike, “Measurement is a universal process. In fact, when we are presenting a quantitative description of an object, subject or fact, then that statement is on the basis of measurement itself.”

Measurement can also be inferential and can also be accurate and scientific. Presumptive measurement is to present a quantitative statement about an object without adopting pure scientific parameters of measurement.

For example if we say “Our school is just a short distance away from our home.” or “This road is too wide.” or “This kid has a very high fever.” or “You are a very intelligent person.” or “This house is too high.” All these statements are based on conjecture.

There is a lack of accuracy in these sentences. In these sentences, the words showing measurement are ‘some’, ‘a lot’, ‘very much’, ‘large’ etc. In place of these, if it is said that “Our school is two km away from our home.” or “This road is 10 meters wide.” or “This kid has a fever of 103°F.” or “This house is 10 meters high.” The accuracy of measurement is revealed in these sentences.

That is scientific measurement or actual measurement. In this way, it can be said that measurement is the process of presenting its quantity or quantity by means of clear marks or definite signs by checking or measuring any subject matter or fact on the basis of prescribed universal criteria.

After presenting this semantic description of measurement, it is also necessary to present some systematic definitions of ‘measurement’. Some notable definitions are as follows–

According to Stevens, “Measurement is the process of assigning points to objects according to certain accepted rules.” It is clear from the given statement that two things are essential for the process of measurement. First definitely accepted rule i.e. setting of parameters and secondly related facts.

Present in numbers.

According to Halpstadter, “Measurement is defined as the process of numerically describing the characteristics inherent in a person or substance.” Psychological measurement has also been taken into account in the present definition. It is clear that the person

Characteristics can also be presented in numerical form. In this definition also numerical description has been considered as an essential condition of measurement. For example, we say that “such a person has an IQ of 150.” So this statement will be based on measurement only.

The meaning of ‘measure’ becomes clear from the above definitions. On the basis of these definitions, it can be said that measurement is the process of presenting the quantitative form of observations, objects and events etc. in any field in numerical form. In the process of measurement, the specific rules and principles of assigning marks to the subject or attribute are made the basis. These base parameters are called ‘scale’ or ‘measure’.

Nature of Measurement

Psychology and all branches of psychology are included in the category of ‘science’, that is, their nature is scientific. The essential feature of science is the correctness and accuracy of all the statements, there is a need for universal standards for correctness and accuracy.

Therefore, in the field of science, the criterion is set for presenting any fact, such as the criterion of motor centometer is accepted to present any statement about the length.

The measure of weight or weight is gram-kilogram etc. Thus, in all other fields also, there is a prescribed criterion for the correct statement.

Measurement is the process of presenting accurate measurements on the basis of the criteria set in this way. ‘Measurement’ is a universal and important process.

Thorndike’s statement on this subject is noteworthy, “Everything that exists in the world, which exists in any magnitude or quantity, that is, anything that exists in any form is capable of being measured.”

Functions and Objectives of Measurement

It is clear from the discussion related to the meaning of ‘measurement’ that ‘measurement’ is very necessary and essential for all scientific studies and researches. In the absence of measurement, no correct statement or conclusion can be presented.

Measurement also has a significant role in the field of education and psychology. Measurement is necessary to know the achievement of the students, to classify the students, to send the students to the next class and to know the level of teaching ability of the teachers. is clear.That there are notable functions and aims of measurement in the field of education psychology.

A brief description of some of the main functions and objectives of measurement is given below :

1. Prediction

Prediction is needed in almost every area of ​​life. Based on the forecast, necessary measures are found to make adjustments to the future situations and adequate preparations are made.

Under the process of ‘forecasting’, the future is said on the basis of the present. In the field of educational psychology also many types of predictions are necessary.

General life predictions are based on personal life experiences, beliefs and inferences, but scientific field predictions are not based on these factors.

The statements of the scientific field are accurate and authentic and they are determined on the basis of measurement of all the necessary factors.

It is thus clear that one of the objectives and functions of measurement is to provide an authentic and sound basis for prediction in the relevant field.

2. Comparison

To get different decisions and conclusions in almost every area of ​​life, Comparative study is required.

For example, in which area the yield is high or in which

There is a plethora of educated persons in the area. Like prediction, comparative study in life is also done on the basis of guess and simple observation, but in the scientific field, comparative studies are also pure and authentic.

There is no room for any kind of speculation or bias in them. Many comparative studies are also needed in the field of psychology.

For example, who is the most qualified student in the class or which school has the best exam results among different schools in the city, etc. Measurement is essential for all these comparative studies.

For example this student will be considered as the fittest in the class who will get the highest marks in various tests. Similarly, for the comparative study of the results of various schools in the city, the percentage of passing students, the maximum marks obtained and the clear measurement of some other aspects are considered as the basis.

On the basis of these facts and examples, it can be said that one of the functions and purposes of measurement is also to provide the basis for comparative studies in different fields.

3. Selection and Classification

Many times in the field of education, different types of choices have to be made.

Measurement is also necessary to provide a pure and neutral basis to these elections. For example, to award scholarships reserved for deserving students, the school has to select deserving students. This choice should also be made on the basis of measurement.

Similarly, a few have to be selected from among the innumerable students seeking admission in technical and vocational courses such as engineering or medical colleges, etc. To make this election also fair and non-partisan, it is considered essential to have the basis of measurement.

In addition to selection, sometimes classification is also required. For example, different classes of students of different intellectual level are fixed in the school so that each student can be provided education according to his/her intellectual level. For this type of classification also measurement should be accepted as the basis.

It is clear from the above description that measurement has a function and purpose.

It is also necessary to provide proper basis and facility for classification. measurement based selection

And the classification is correct, accurate and without bias.

4. Diagnosis

Various problems and difficulties also have to be faced from time to time in the field of psychology and education.

These difficulties may be related to the students, related to the teachers, related to the teaching system and related to the teaching situations.

To solve and solve these various types of difficulties and problems, proper diagnosis is necessary. Different types of measurements are necessary for proper diagnosis.

Just as fever is measured by hygrometer for the correct diagnosis of fever, similarly various measurement methods are adopted for the diagnosis of educational psychological problems.

For example, if we are facing the problem of noise and turbulent environment, then it is necessary to measure its impact accurately. Similarly, due to the disability of a student such as low vision etc., it is necessary to measure the deficiency in academic achievements.

It is clear that presenting the correct diagnosis in the field of education and psychology is also a function and purpose of measurement.

5. Research

In both the fields of education and psychology, many types of research are going on continuously.

One of the functions of ‘measurement’ is to make an important contribution to all these types of research work.

For example, in the research work done to know the effects on the development of memory power, different factors are actively used to measure memory power and errors in memory etc.

It is on the basis of such measurements the desired conclusions are obtained. The reliability of any research also depends on the relevant measurement.

Measurement Limits

Measurement is the basis of all scientific studies and in the absence of measurement scientific studies can hardly be done.

The usefulness and importance of measurement is unquestionable. Despite the undeniable utility and imperative of measurement, it also has some limitations.

Knowing these limitations is also essential for the systematic study of ‘measurement’. In the context of educational psychology i.e. behavioral aspects, a brief description of the main somas of measurement is given below.

1. Limitation of Area

The main limitation of measurement is that its area is always limited. At a time, only one aspect of a person’s behavior or a part of one side can be accurately measured.

The field of behavior and personality is very wide and wide. Only a very small fraction of it can be measured at a time. Therefore, it is neither easy nor proper to give any judgment about the overall behavior or personality by such partial measurement.

2. For the measurement of complexity

Accuracy is most important. For accuracy, the measurement must also be completely systematic. When these requirements are met, the process of measurement becomes quite complex.

Taking all these factors together and preparing the test for reliable measurement is also a difficult task in itself. Thus, it can be said that the availability of reliable and valid test difficulty is also a limitation of measurement.

3. Indecisiveness

Another soma of measurement is that it gives us marks only in respect of the information related to the concerned subject. Measurement does not give any kind of decision.

What is the meaning of the marks obtained by measurement, what is being shown by them, information about these facts is not obtained from the process of measurement. Thus the process of measurement is not complete in itself in achieving the desired knowledge. For this a separate analysis has to be done.

In this way, not being able to provide the desired decision about the subject of measurement is also a limitation of measurement.

Measuring Scales

Measurement is a factual process which requires a pure scientific approach and method of its implementation. For this the scales or scales of measurement have been prescribed.

Thus scale or scale is called the means by which we can measure different things or facts.

There are various fixed scales of measurement in physics such as meter-cm scale for measurement of length, gram-kg scale for measurement of weight and centigrade / Fahrenheit scale for measurement of temperature.

As far as the psychological field is concerned, various scales or scales have been prescribed for measurement in this area also. A brief introduction of some of the main scales used for psychological studies is given below.

Pair-comparison Method

One form of measurement methods is the Paired Comparison Method. Basically this method is a special form of sorting method. In fact, if the number of stimuli is small, the sorting in that direction becomes more accurate through the pair-comparison method.

Under the pair-comparison method, each stimulus taken in a pair with each other in turn, the subject is shown for judgment and asked which of the pairs he considers better from a particular point of view. Is. The order of superiority of different stimuli has to be determined.

For this each stimulus is placed in pairs with each of the remaining stimuli and presented to the judge in pairs and thus the frequency of preference for the stimulus is known.

Thus, in the explicit pair-comparison method, there is no need to present all the stimuli together as is the case under the sorting method. In this method it is very important that the frequency of presenting each stimulus in pairs is the same. The formula used to determine this number is as follows:

Formula

Here, n = Number of Stimuli

For example, if the number of stimuli is 7, then according to the formula,

It is necessary to make it clear here that even though the study by pair-comparison method consumes more time and labor, but the results obtained through this method are more accurate.

This is because each stimulus compares well with each of the other stimuli.

Sorting Method as a Measurement Method

One form of measurement method i.e. measurement is ‘ranking method’. Under this method of measurement, related characteristics, events, properties or objects are arranged in a sequence on the basis of their main characteristics and each is given an ordinal score.

In this method, the basis of determining the sequence is some characteristic found in the stimuli and the number of sequences given is also the same as the number of stimuli.

Along with this, while determining the sequence, all the stimuli have to be kept in mind simultaneously so that it can be understood well that in which object the quality or characteristic is present in greater quantity and in which the quantity of the related characteristic in less quantity.

The stimulus which has the highest is given the first order and the stimulus which has the least magnitude is given the last order.

The given sequences are represented as numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. The successful use of this method of measurement requires that the number of stimuli be limited. If the number of stimuli exceeds 20 or more, their comparison becomes difficult from the point of view of a particular trait and there is a possibility of errors in ordering.

Grade Evaluation Method

Rating Method is also a method adopted for measurement. A grade rating scale is a multilevel scale on which the grader self-regulates the components of a characteristic. Often these types of scales have five, six or seven stages which are communicated to the user orally or presented in writing.

It is necessary to make it clear here that grade evaluation scales are used in the pure measurement and study of different types of personality, character traits.

For example, personality traits like generosity, honesty, emotional control, study habits, personal attractiveness, cooperation, punctuality and leadership can be measured by grade evaluation method.

Grade Evaluation – The following points must be kept in mind for making and using scales

(1) Every character must be clearly defined.

(2) It is necessary to define the parts of character.

(3) The reliability of the scale depends on the range of deviations of the judges.

(4) Determining the validity of the series is difficult.

(5) Direct qualities can be rated more reliably than indirect qualities can.

(6) The certainty portions of the rating should be written.

There are different types of grade evaluation measures such as

(1) Numerical Rating Scale

(2) Graph Scale

(3) Certified Scales

(4) Rating from Accumulated Scores

(5) Constrained Selection Scale

It is also necessary to make it clear that there may be some problems or errors in the design and use of rating scale or grade evaluation scale.

The main possible errors of these are –

(1) Error of Generosity

(2) Error of Central Tendency

(3) Logical Error

(4) Halo Effect

(5) Opposite or Opposite Error

(6) Proximity Error

To reduce it, it is necessary to take some measures, the main of which is-

(1) Appraisal persons should be given proper training.

(2) Persistent errors should be counter-balanced.

(3) When persons making errors are aware of these errors, they must take these errors into account while making evaluations. Taking all these measures into account, a grade evaluation scale can be made more accurate and useful.

Grade evaluation scales are considered good and beneficial in various ways.

Its main advantages are-

(1) Their construction, development and administration are easy

(2) With the help of these it is easy for the judges to take decisions

(3) Sometimes the judge also has a benefit that he should have a good quality. Get an opportunity to know about the subject.

(4) This scale helps in making choices in different areas.

(5) This scale can be adopted as a supplementary method for personality studies.

Test for Measurement

Different types of psychological tests are needed to fully understand the real life of human beings.

To know what are the abilities and talents in a particular person, it is very important to do a psychological test of that person. To know all the things related to the personality of the person, there is a need to organize psychological tests.

In fact, the scope of psychological tests is very wide from the point of view of measurement of various abilities.

Psychological Test Definition

Prominent scholars have defined psychological testing as follows-

Merkel explained the meaning of psychological tests in these words, “A psychological test is a model of stimuli that are selected and organized to produce responses that would reveal certain psychological characteristics of the person taking the test.”

According to Cronback, “A test is a systematic method of comparing the behavior of two or more persons.”

Freeman has clarified the meaning of the test in these words, “The psychological test is a standardized test. It is a device by which one aspect or more aspects of the whole personality are measured literally or through nonverbal responses or other forms of behavior.”

On the basis of the above definitions, it is clear that psychological testing is such a systematic method, which is used for comparative study of psychological characteristics of one or more persons.

This method of study can be verbal as well as non-verbal.

Characteristics of a Good Psychological Test

Psychological tests are directly related to different aspects of life, but in general, psychological tests can prove to be beneficial only when some essential characteristics are present in them.

Following are the characteristics required for psychological tests

1. Reliability

Psychological tests should be as reliable as possible. Reliability refers to the reliability of the test results.

Anastasi has explained the reliability of the test in these words, “Reliability means how much consistency or uniformity is there in the scores obtained by the same person on different occasions.”

The same test is reapplied to the same person to check the reliability. If a repeated test results in a uniform result, then that test can be considered reliable.

Various methods can be adopted to check the reliability of a test. In this view mainly retest method, alternative or parallel method, semi-disjunction method or logical equality method are used.

2. Validity or Authenticity

Reliability of tests is related to the method of test. In addition, the tests also need to be authentic.

Authenticity or validity of tests is related to the results obtained on the basis of tests. A test is said to be authentic only when the result obtained by it is completely accurate.

For example, the same interest test will be called authentic, which can show the net result about the actual interest of the individuals.

3. Comprehensive

Every psychological test should also be sufficiently comprehensive. Here Comprehensiveness means that all the aspects of the subject concerned are examined in detail by the test.

For example, a personality test is said to be comprehensive only if it covers all the aspects of the individual.

To provide adequate knowledge about the aspects.

4. Objectivity

It is also necessary for psychological tests to be more and more objective. This characteristic is absolutely necessary for every scientific study. Objectivity means that such questions and problems should not be included in the test, which are related to the personal preferences, feelings or interests of the person.

5. Prediction Ability

It is also the characteristic of a good test that from that test. Reliable in relation to future successes or future life of the person on the basis of the results obtained.

Something can be said in the form i.e. on the basis of result a person’s ability, intelligence, aptitude etc. should be characteristic.

6. Practical Characteristics

In addition to all the above characteristics, in a good test. It is also expected to have the following practical features:

(i) Facilitation of Administration – The size of the test, the questions placed in the test and the instructions to be given to the examinees, etc., should be such that they do not prove to be a hindrance in the successful administration of the test. In addition, there is a minimum requirement of technically qualified persons in the test should be.

(ii) Facility of Evaluation and Interpretation – Evaluation of the results obtained on the basis of simple methods and understanding their true meaning should also be a practical feature of the test.

(iii) Comparability– The test should be such that the scores of two or more persons can be easily compared and the scores of the test are compared with the scores of other tests can be done.

(iv) Savings– On the basis of a good test, time, money and efforts should be saved.

(v) Utility– Direction, Diagnosis and Treatment, Comparison, Practical Application and Successful use of psychological tests in daily life should also be the specialty of the test.

Benefits or Usefulness of Psychological Tests

The scope of psychological tests is very wide. Different types of help are taken from psychological tests in different walks of life.

In fact, there are many benefits of psychological tests.

Following is a brief description of the main advantages of the tests.

1. Use for different appointments

Not every person can do each type of work efficiently; Therefore, it is necessary that for each type of appointment, there should be an aptitude test first.

Under such aptitude tests, in addition to other technical and educational tests, the use of psychological tests is also necessary because psychological tests reveal the psychological abilities of the person concerned.

If an employee is not interested in a particular job, even if he is educationally qualified, then he should be considered unfit for that work. It is thus clear that the appointments made by psychological tests benefit the employees, the work institutions and the society as a whole.

2. Helpful in the Choice of Profession

General education of school and college is not particularly helpful for the students to choose their profession.

Almost every normal student has to face the trouble of choosing a profession after finishing his education. The solution to this problem can be obtained on the basis of psychological tests.

For this, psychological testing centers can be established in every major city and the experts of these centers can visit various educational institutions from time to time to remove the problems related to the choice of profession of the students. Through these tests, only after testing a person’s interest, intelligence, ability, personality, etc., he is sent to a job so that he can achieve success in his professional life.

3. From the point of view of personality related suggestions

It is also possible to find out the qualities and demerits related to personality by suitable psychological tests.

After identifying the defects of personality, measures for their improvement are also suggested.

In this way, many times psychological tests related to personality have to be used to make the personality of a particular person balanced.

4. Necessary for Psychological Research

Psychology is a developing subject. New theories are constantly being discovered in this subject.

These psychological tests are particularly helpful in discovering these principles. Knowledge of many new aspects of human psychology is obtained through intelligence tests and aptitude and personality related tests, which are prepared from time to time.

It is thus clear that psychological tests are also very helpful in the study and research of psychology.

5. Helpful in the Field of Education

Psychology has an important place in the field of education in the modern era. There are many problems related to the field of education.

For example, what should be the system of education, should education be imparted on the basis of different systems, what type of curriculum should be, it is often beneficial to use different types of psychological tests to solve all these problems.

On the basis of psychological tests, different classes of students with different intellectual levels can be created and different classes of students can be taught through different systems.

6. Useful in the Field of Medicine

The benefits of psychological tests can also be obtained in the field of medicine.

According to psychoanalyticalism, various problems are the cause of most of the mental and physical diseases.

These causes can be detected and removed by psychological tests.

7. Necessary for Forecasting

Tests of a person’s ability, interest, intelligence, aptitude etc.

On the basis of this, his future success is predicted, aiming at the same forecast.

It is possible to get proper guidance and advice.

Types of Psychological Tests

The scope of psychological tests is very wide and multifaceted. In this situation it is also necessary to have different types of psychological test. That is why on the basis of various criteria or criteria, the types of psychological tests have been determined, whose brief introduction is given below.

1. Classification on the Basis of Test Implementation

On the basis of the implementation of any psychological test, Two classes or types have been determined which are known as :

(i) Individual Test and

(ii) Group Test respectively.

In individual testing, only one person is tested at a time. This test is more accurate and precise and more time and money is spent on it. Well trained testers are more needed for this test.

Unlike individual testing, group testing involves testing a number of individuals or children at a time. The results of this type of test may be less accurate but these tests save money and time and require less number of well trained observers.

2. Classification on the Basis of Score

Writing Criterion – On this basis also mainly two types of tests have been determined, which are called :

(i) Objective Test and

(ii) Subjective Test respectively.

Objective tests have a clear and definite basis for evaluating the examinee. The examiner’s desire, choice and point of view do not matter.

Usually fixed answer tests are classified as objective tests. The nature of this test can be in the form of multiple choice questions, true/false questions or fill in the blanks.

Unlike objective tests, subjective tests have optional questions in their nature. In this test, the examinee is free to discuss from his own interest and point of view and the examiner is also free to some extent to evaluate from his point of view. In general practice, essay test is an example of subjective test.

3. Classification on the Basis of the Time Limit for Responding

On the basis of the time limit for responding to the items or items of the test, two types or forms of the test have also been mentioned, which are called Ability Test, Power Test and Speed ​​Test Respectively

Tests in which sufficient time is provided to answer all the parts are called ability tests. The difficulty level of such units varies. The main purpose of this test is to check how much knowledge the concerned examinee has about an object, event or subject.

Different from this, speed tests are called those tests in which the related questions or units have to be answered within a rigidly fixed time limit.

The questions in these tests are generally simple and their difficulty level is generally similar. Through these tests, an attempt is mainly made to know how fast a candidate can do a task, in general Clerical Aptitude Test are tests of this category.

4. Classification on the Basis of the Criterion of the Nature of the Questions

Four types of tests have been determined under the classification done on the basis of the nature of questions in a test.

These classes or types are respectively

(i) Verbal Tests

(ii) Non-Verbal Tests

(iii) Performance Tests

(iv) Non-Language Tests

Under this classification, verbal tests are called those tests in which the questions and related instructions are clearly written and the examinee reads and understands them thoroughly and answers them in writing.

Due importance is given to the reading and writing ability of the examinees in these tests.

This test is also known as ‘Pencil and Paper Test’. The main examples of tests in this category are ‘Jalota General Mental Ability Test’ and ‘Mehta Group Intelligence Test’.

Tests in which less importance is given to the language aspect, those tests are kept in the category of nonverbal tests. Generally, in these tests, the instructions regarding the test are linguistic, but language is not used in the test questions.

Questions are presented through pictures etc. and answers are also given through pictures. The picture-completion test or the picture-similarity/dissimilarity test are similar tests. A good example of nonverbal testing is Raven Progressive Matrices.

On the basis of the nature of the questions or units, one type of test is kept in the category of ‘Action Test’. In this class those tests are kept in which the instructions related to the test may or may not be given in the language but language is not used at all in the questions of the test.

In these tests, some objects are usually presented in front of the examinee by breaking or dividing them into different parts and the examinee has to present them in the desired form by adding or arranging them. On the basis of this practical effort, the candidate is evaluated.

sExamples of tests in this category are ‘Cube Construction Test’ and ‘Pass Along Test’.

There are also some tests in which neither language is used in the instructions nor in the questions, all the questions in these tests are to be answered by the examinee only by means of signs.

These tests are completely free of cost. Examples of this class of tests are ‘Cattle Culture Free’ or ‘Fair Testing’.

5. Classification on the Basis of Standardization Criterion

A classification of tests has also been done on the basis of standardization.

Two classes or types of tests have been prescribed under this classification, which are known as

(i) Teacher-Made test and

(ii) Standardized Test respectively.

That test is called teacher-made test which the teacher prepares or adopts to check the performance of the students within their classrooms.

Under this test, the teacher generally takes into account the comparative study of the performance of all the students studying in a class.

Under the test of this class, the teacher decides the implementation of the test and the method of writing the score.

There is no neutral standard for this test. Often the teacher himself prepares an improvised standard and evaluates it on the basis of it.

Unlike teacher-made tests, standardized tests are constructed on a neutral basis through mutual consultation by some test experts and curriculum experts.

The method and basis of execution of tests and writing of marks are definite and objective.

The accepted standard is considered important in this test. Standardized testing can be easily applied to all types of students and a definite conclusion can be easily reached by scientific comparison of its results amongst themselves. Standardized test is considered to be a good and neutral test.

6. Classification on the basis of objective criterion

The tests have also been classified keeping in mind the purpose of the test. Under this classification, mainly four types of tests are included, whose general introduction is given below.

(i) Intelligence Test- It is a test to test the intelligence. This test measures the intellectual ability of an individual or group. Different types of intelligence tests are used for different purposes.

(ii) Personality Test- Personality related abilities of a person are measured by personality tests. By these tests it is known that what type of personality a person has.

There are many different types of these tests. Sometimes to eliminate some personality defects. There are also some special types of personality tests.

(iii) Interest Test- Interests also have special importance in the life of man. Knowing the specific interests of individuals is beneficial for social adjustment. Therefore, from time to time, various interest tests have also been created. Interest test is also necessary for the choice of occupation. If there is no interest in any particular business, then that business should never be selected.

(iv) Aptitude Test- Whether a person is qualified to study a particular subject. That is, various types of psychological tests are used to know whether he has aptitude towards the subject or not.

Such psychological tests are called ‘Aptitude Tests’. Through the test of aptitude, it becomes known whether such a person has the ability, sufficient skill and interest to do the related work or learn.