Republic of the Philippines

DR. EMILIO B. ESPINOSA, SR. MEMORIAL

STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

(Masbate State College)

www.debesmscat.edu.ph

READING REPORT ON INTRODUCTION TO MEASUREMENT

AND STATISTICS

By Marilyn A. Pernito – MaEd English

Learning Statistics is something that is feared by most if not all. This is

because of the concepts portrayed by Mathematics all our life which is hard. This branch of
Mathematics is taught out of context. So, students who do nit like math or do not have strong
mathematical fundamentals may struggle with statistics. The one thing that makes Statistics hard
are the formulas. The formulas are arithmetically a bit complex in nature and each of the formula
is used in a certain situation. It makes it hard for the students to choose what formula to use and
when it is use.

Statistics compare data through mean, median and mode. We all have
heard that we all live in the information age where we deal about the world around us. Most of
the information was determined mathematically using statistics. It is also helpful in medical
study, let’s say for example, how the physician examines the effectiveness of the treatment or in
weather forecasting wherein they compare prior weather conditions with the current weather for
them to be able to forecast future weather conditions. Statistics starts with collecting data, of
course, then organize them for better understanding. The data organized can be drawn through
descriptive statistics or inferential statistics.

Measurements is too broad to understand, one might say it refers to the

length of a stick or any object. But in statistics it is appropriately called the scales of
measurement. The levels of measurement in statistics are called, nominal, ordinal, interval and
ratio scales. Each of these scales is an increment level of measurement and each scale fulfills the
function of the previous scales and all survey question scales like the Semantic Differential,
Dichotomous, Likert, etc., are the derivation of these four levels of measuring variables. Nominal
scale is also called naming scale where variables are simply “named” or labeled with no specific
order. Ordinal scale goes beyond just naming them, it has variables in a specific order. Interval
scales offers labels, orders as well as specific intervals between each of the variables. And lastly,
ratio scale which accommodate the value of “zero” on any of its variables.

With the right teaching strategies from the teachers and right learning
approach from the students, statistics and measurement can be made easier. Mathematics and
critical thinking or logic are the main pillars where Mathematics stand, and focusing on the
basics combined with a fair amount of practice will make a student love Statistics, if not, better
at it. Statistics is a practical one because it allows us to make insightful decisions. Of course, it is
easier to learn when we are not frozen with fear.