An Assignment on

“MEASURING A CONCEPT”

Research methodology
Arch 5107

Submitted to
Dr. sheikh Serajul Hakim
Professor
Architecture Discipline
Khulna University

Submitted by
Sadid Ibna Azad Sakib
Student ID:170134
4th year 1st term
Concept
Concept is an abstract thing. They are words or symbols that are used to represent mental images one
has of a variable in mind. Concept allows one to make categories for organize his/her ideas and
observations that they make.

Measuring concept is the process of observing and recording the observations that are collected as part
of research. the recording of the observations may be in terms of numbers or others symbols to
characteristics of objects according to certain prescribed rules.

To understand the process of measuring a concept I am choosing “PEACE in human social lives” as a
concept. it based on observation, but in cannot be observed directly or in directly for that “peace” is a
construct creation. peacefulness is positively related to love gratitude, inner peace and at the same time
time with the socio-economic status, performance etc.

A good measurement procedure is characterized by three key qualities:

1. Variable must be exhaustive and inclusive: In a good measuring procedure, the attributes of
a particular variables must cover all possible sates. Example: age and tranquility are significantly
related. From the age of 3-25 people are more likely to have calmness and coolness in their
performances (academic, sports); again, from age 25-45 people are having calmness in their
socioeconomic status and inner peace at some extent; so, it depends
2. Variable must be mutually exclusive: No respondent should be able to be placed in more than
one category. Tranquility is a state of happiness and calmness. So, if a person is having peaceful
life than the opposite negative portion gets excluded.
3. Category scheme should use more distinctions: It is important to be concerned with the
attribute scheme’s precision. Example: in my concept two brothers are having a peaceful life but
the ways are different. Like one has peace in incoming money and the other one from charity. So,
both of them belong from a same family but because of the different ways they are creating a
distinctive statement.

There are four levels of measurement methods

• Nominal Scale: It is often referred to as a categorial scale. The nominal scale does not express any values
or relationships between variables. We cannot determine an average except mode. Example: labelling
woman as 1 and man as 2 does not mean that woman or man are not equal or one is better than other.

• Ordinal Scale: The main characteristics of the ordinal scale is that categories have a logical or ordered
relationship. This type permits the measurement of degrees of difference. Example: how would customer
rate the service of a staff of a shop (1) Good (2) Very Good (3) Excellent (4) Poor (5) Worst

• Interval Scale: An interval scale contains all the information’s of an ordinal scale; but it is also one allows
to compare the difference between attributes. Interval scales may be either in numeric or semantic formats.
It allows the average calculation. Example: the difference between 2 and 4 is twice than the difference
between 1 and 2. Measuring the temperature is an example of interval scale; but we cannot say 40 degree
Celsius is twice hotter than 20 degree Celsius.
 • Ratio scale: It permits the researchers to compare both differences in scores and relative magnitude of
scores. This has the properties of an interval scale together with fixed absolute point. Example: the number
of customers in the bank’s ATM is a ratio. Because we can compare this with the previous months.

Importance of Reliability, Consistency and Validity

Item Analysis stability

Reliability
consistency

Reliability Godness of Data

Analysis logical content

validity criterion related

Validity congruent
Analysis construct

Reliability and validity are closely related, but they mean different things. A measurement can be reliable
without being valid. However, if a measurement is valid, it is usually also reliable.

The degree to which means are free from error and therefore yield consistent results. The reliability of a
measure indicates the stability and consistency with which the instrument measures the concept.

Again, validity is a test of how well it is concerned with whether we measure the right concept. Validity is
harder to assess than reliability, but it is even more important. To obtain useful results, the methods we
use to collect our data must be valid: the research must be measuring what it claims to measure. This
ensures that our discussion of the data and the conclusions we draw are also valid.

Ensuring validity helps to choose appropriate methods of measurement and sampling methods to
choose subjects. Again, ensuring reliability helps to apply methods consistently and standardize the
conditions of our research.