MEASUREMENT SCALES

DR. SYARIFAH ROHANIAH SYED MAHMOOD

SAPSP, UUM.
 INTERVA
ORDINAL
L

NOMINAL RATIO
MEASUREMENT
SCALES
NOMINAL SCALE
A set of categories that have different names.
 Nominal means “having to do with names”.
 Involve naming/labelling things.
 Example:

-Gender: (1) male (2) female

-Hair color: (1) Brown (2) Black (3) Blonde (4) Gray
(5) Other
NOMINAL SCALE
 Numericalvalues are simply names & not
represent any quantitative difference
 Gender: 1 (male) & 2 (female)
 2=1, not 2 > 1
 Other example?
ORDINAL SCALE
A set of categories that are organized in an
ordered sequence
 Rank categories based on size or magnitude
 Example:

-Competition: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place

Level of Education
Ph.D: 3

Masters: 2

Degree: 1
ORDINAL SCALE

 Other example?
INTERVAL SCALE
 Interval means “space in between”
 Tellus the value between each item or difference
between 2 scores
 Consists of an ordered set of categories (like ordinal scale)
 Has additional requirement: the categories form a series
of intervals that are all exactly the same size.
 Possible to calculate differences between two numbers.
 INTERVAL SCALE
 Example: Temperature Scales:
-The difference between 200C and 400C is equal
with the difference between 600C with 800C.
-Can’t compute ratios of two values
-1000C is not twice as hot as 500C because 00C is
not absolute.
-00C does not mean ‘no temperature’
RATIO SCALE
 Has all features of interval scale but adds an
absolute zero point.
A value of zero indicates none (a complete
absence) of the variable being measured.
-Example: 0 marks
 Possible to calculate ratio of 2 numbers:
-Value of RM100 is 2 times more than RM50
RATIO SCALE
 Example:

-Age: ___________
-Weight: ___________
 Other example?
 INTERVAL
ORDINAL
Difference
Order/rank

RATIO
NOMINAL Absolute 0 &
Name/label calculate ratios
MEASUREMENT
SCALES
 Sample of questionnaire
EXERCISE
1. Describe & give example for each type of the
measurement scale below:
-Nominal Scale
-Ordinal Scale
-Interval Scale
-Ratio Scale
2. Explain differences between Nominal & Ordinal Scale.
3. Explain differences between Interval & Ratio Scale.