Key Concepts in Measurement
Brian E. Perron and David F. Gillespie
Abstract
Measurement refers generally to the process of assigning a numeric value to, or ordering characteristics or traits of, entities under study so, ideally, the labels accurately represent the characteristic measured. Measurement is necessary for building and testing theory, specifying problems, and de?ning goals. It is arguably one of the most important and difficult tasks in social work research. Social work researchers who are not expert in developing, selecting, and using measures will not be able to contribute maximally to the social work knowledge base. Such knowledge and skills related to m ... More
Measurement refers generally to the process of assigning a numeric value to, or ordering characteristics or traits of, entities under study so, ideally, the labels accurately represent the characteristic measured. Measurement is necessary for building and testing theory, specifying problems, and de?ning goals. It is arguably one of the most important and difficult tasks in social work research. Social work researchers who are not expert in developing, selecting, and using measures will not be able to contribute maximally to the social work knowledge base. Such knowledge and skills related to measurement ultimately determines the extent to which social work research can effectively inform social policy and social work interventions. This book is to serve as a guide for developing, selecting, and using measures in social work research. The purpose of this book is twofold. The first purpose is to review key concepts in social work measurement, giving emphasis to aspects of measurement that are commonly misunderstood. The second purpose of this book is to help update social work's knowledge base with respect to recent and important developments in measurement, particularly contemporary validity theory.
Keywords:
measurement,
validity,
reliability,
classical test theory,
latent variables,
scale construction,
psychometrics
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199855483 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: April 2015 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199855483.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Brian E. Perron, author
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Assistant Professor of Social Work
David F. Gillespie, author
Washington University in St. Louis, Professor of Social Work
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