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Unit 1 Measurement

Unit

1 Measurement

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this unit, the learner will be able to:

◆ develop a comprehensive understanding of measurement variables and their
importance in research.
◆ acquire the ability to identify and define attributes accurately for effective
measurement.

◆ gain knowledge and skills in designing and implementing the measurement
process.

◆ develop the ability to recognise and minimise errors in measurement for
improved data quality.
◆ distinguish between qualitative and quantitative, discrete and continuous, and
independent and dependent variables.

Background

The life span of different people is different. The grades of the students in the
Block Content
same subjects taught by the same teacher to all of them have not been the same. The
temperature at different times of the day has been different. All these examples show
that variation in a characteristic is found per unit that possesses it. Therefore, we can say
that as a person, an object, or a situation changes, so does the value or proportion of the
properties associated with it. Characteristics/objects that can change per unit are called
variables. These variables must be measured to obtain different types of information.

In our daily lives, many things are continually measured in different ways for different
purposes. We can measure height, weight, length, width, income etc. (quantitative
measure) and at the same time we can measure attitude, personality, perception,
intelligence, preference (qualitative measure) etc.. In order to draw reliable inference
from a study, proper measurement of variables and attributes must be performed by
reducing the errors in measurement.

SGOU - SLM - MCom Research Methodology 83