caling is the branch of measurement that involves the construction of an instrument that associates qualitative constructs with quantitative metric units. Scaling evolved out of efforts in psychology and education to measure “unmeasurable” constructs like authoritarianism and self-esteem. In many ways, scaling remains one of the most arcane and misunderstood aspects of social research measurement. And, it attempts to do one of the most difficult of research tasks – measure abstract concepts. Most people don’t even understand what scaling is. The basic idea of scaling is described in General Issues in Scaling, including the important distinction between a scale and a response format. Scales are generally divided into two broad categories: unidimensional and multidimensional. The unidimensional scaling methods were developed in the first half of the twentieth century and are generally named after their inventor. We’ll look at three types of unidimensional scaling methods here: Thurstone or Equal-Appearing Interval Scaling Likert or “Summative” Scaling Guttman or “Cumulative” Scaling In the late 1950s and early 1960s, measurement theorists developed more advanced techniques for creating multidimensional scales. Although these techniques are not considered here, you may want to look at the method of concept mapping that relies on that approach to see the power of these multivariate methods.

1. SEMINOR TOPIC
on
SCALING
By
T.K. Gundoor.

2. Scaling
• scaling is the extension of measurement.
• it is the selection and use of a proper scale for measurement

3. Meaning of Scaling
Scaling describe the procedures of assigning of numbers 0r symbols (i.e., quantitative
measures) to subjective abstract concepts (or properties of objects) This can be done
in two ways viz.,
1. Making a judgement about some characteristic of an individual and then placing
him or her directly on a scale that has been defined in terms of that characteristic.
2. Constructing questionnaires in such a way that the score of individual’s
responses assigns him or her a place on a scale.

4. ScaleClassification BasesThe number of assigning procedures or the scaling procedures may be
broadly classified on the following bases:
• Subject Orientation: Under it a scale may be designed to measure
characteristics of the respondent who completes it
• Response form: we may classify the scales as categorical and
comparative(rating and ranking)
• Degree of subjectivity: scale data may be based on whether we measure
subjective personal preferences or non-preference judgment
• Scale properties: nominal,ordinal,interval and ratio scale.
• Number of dimension: scales can be classified as unidimentional and
multidimensional

5. Scaleconstruction Techniques

6. Consensus approach- panel of judgesevaluate
• The name of L.L. Thurstone is associated with differential scales which
have been developed using consensus scale approach.
• Under such an approach the selection of items is made by a panel of
judges who evaluate the items
• in terms of whether they are relevant to the topic area and unambiguous
in implication.
Arbitrary approach - scales on ad hoc basis
• Arbitrary scales are developed on ad hoc basis and are designed largely
through the researcher's own subjective selection of items.

7. • Item analysis approach- individual items into test
• Name of the scale developed under this approach is summated scales(such
as likert scale)
• Item analysis is the set of qualitative and quantitative techniques
and procedures used to evaluate the characteristics of items of the
test before and after the test development and construction
• Cumulative scales approach - ranking of items
• also called as guttman's scalogram
• A Guttman scale (also known as cumulative scaling or scalogram
analysis) is an ordinal scale type where statements are arranged in a
hierarchical order so that someone who agrees with one item will
also agree with lower-order, easier, less extreme items.
• A Guttman scale presents a number of items to which the person is
requested to agree or not agree. This is typically done in a 'Yes/No'
dichotomous format

8. Factor analysis aproach – inter correlation of items
• name od the scale developed under approch factor scale
• Factor scales are developed through factor analysis or on the basis of
intercorrelations of items which indicate that a common factor
accounts for the relationships between items.
• An important factor scale based on factor analysis is Semantic
Differential (S.D.) and the other one is Multidimensional Scaling.

9. The important scaling techniques often used in the
context of research specially in context of social or
business research are as follows:
Rating Scales
Ranking Scales
Important ScalingTechniques

10. • The rating scale involves qualitative description of a limited number of
aspects of a thing.
• There is no specific rule whether to use a two-points scale, three-point scale
or scale with still more points.
-Graphic rating scale
-Itemised rating scale

11. Graphicratingscale
• A graphic rating scale presents respondents with a visual or graphic continuum. The
respondent checks his or her response at any point along a continuum.

12. Itemizedratingscale:
• The itemized rating scale(also known as numerical scale)
presents a series of statements from which a respondent
selects one as best reflecting his evaluation.
• In such a situation we may ask the respondent to select
one, to express his opinion, from the following:

13. RankingScales:
There are two generally used approaches of ranking scales viz.,
1.Method of paired comparisons
2.Method of rank order

14. • But when there are more than two, the number of judgements
required in a paired comparison i sgiven by the formula:
N= n(n-1)
2
Where N=number of judgements
n=number of stimuli or objects to be judged.
• The Paired Comparison Scaling is a comparative scaling technique
wherein the respondent is shown two objects at the same time and is
asked to select one according to the defined criterion. The resulting data
are ordinal in nature.
1.Method of paired comparisons:

16. RankOrder Scaling
• A Rank Order scale gives the respondent a set of items and asks them to
put the items in some form of order.
• rank order scaling also results in ordinal data.