Educ 12: Assessment of Student Learning Assessment Tool: Semantic Differential Scales Assessment of the affective domain

2.  Is not a test procedure but a general method of obtaining ratings
of concepts on a series of bipolar adjective scale.
 It is designed so that attitudes, feelings and opinions can be
measured by degrees, from very favourable to highly
unfavourable.
 It is used for measuring the meaning of things and concepts in
the connotative sense.
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3. The scale is set up using polar
adjectives (opposite-meaning terms)
at each end. After examining the
connotative meaning of thousands of
concepts, Charles Osgood (1957) and
his associates identified three major
dimensions of
meaning: strength, value,
and activity.

4. Strength:
Strong ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Weak
Decisive ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Indecisive
Value:
Good ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Bad
Cheap ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Expansive
Activity:
Active ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Passive
Lazy ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Industrious

5. It is not necessary to use these particular sets of adjectives,
or cover all three themes. Any set can be substituted,
depending on the purpose of the research and the objectives
of survey.
Pairs of words are often clear opposites.
The respondent is asked to rate an object, person or any concept,
by putting a mark on one of the 7 spaces along each dimension.

6. Rate the “Park” on the
following dimensions:
Safe ____ : ____ : ____ Dangerous
Dirty ____ : ____ : ____ Clean
Quiet ____ : ____ : ____ Noisy

7. Indicate your opinions about the ‘Showtime’ TV show by checking one box in each
row below:
very some- neither some- very
much what what much
Enjoyable [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] boring
Likable [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] challenging
Nosy [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] fascinating
Silly [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] ridiculous
Alternate form, using unmarked, continuous scale (with central position):
Enjoyable _________________l__________________ Boring
Likable _________________l__________________ Challenging
Nosy _________________l__________________ Fascinating
Silly _________________l__________________ Ridiculous
2 1 0 -1 -2

8. ✘ It identifies particularly favourable or objectionable aspects of multi-
faceted issues and concepts
✘Provides and overall response scale score (average) for the concept
✘It is useful in situations with different age groups or cultures because
they are easy for the researcher to construct
✘ It can be administered to more than one person at the same time

9. ✘Adjectives may have different meaning for different
respondents
✘People may choose not to answer some item, making it
hard to achieve a valid score
✘ Only useful for questions involving bipolar opposites

10. The steps to be followed in developing a semantic
differential scale are as follows (Payne, 2003):
1. The number and type of concepts to be selected will depend upon
the intent. It is best to select a group of related concepts that can
be viewed in the same context or frame of reference.
Examples of paired opposite objectives can be used are the following:
good bad; sweet-sour; high-low; kind-cruel; pleasant-unpleasant;
valuable-worthless; brave-cowardly; honest-dishonest; healthy-sick;
relaxed-tense and many more. The difficulty of the words should be
considered as students cannot use adjectives whose meanings they do
not understand.
2.
Identify the concept to be rated.
Choose appropriate bipolar scales.

11. The steps to be followed in developing a semantic
differential scale are as follows (Payne, 2003):
3.
Only one concept should appear on
each page and the scales listed
beneath. The polarity of the scales
should be alternated. You may use 5
to 7-point scale. Nonetheless, 10 to 15
adjective pairs would be sufficient for
a group of about 10 related concepts.
The younger the group, the fewer
concepts and scales should be used.
The cover sheet should
include a general orientation
to the task and a statement
why data are being
collected. The significance of
the scale positions should be
specified as well as the
procedure of recording
responses.
4.Design a response sheet. Write instructions.

12. If you feel a particular concept is very much like one end of the scale,
you should place our check mark as follows:
Pleasant ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Unpleasant
If you feel a particular concept is close to one end of the scale,
you should place our check mark as follows:
Pleasant ___:___:___:___:___:___:___Unpleasant
If you feel that a concept is neutral on the scale or if the scale is completely irrelevant,
you should place our check mark in the middle space.
Pleasant ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ Unpleasant
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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The purpose of this activity is to measure the meanings of certain concepts by
asking you to judge them against a series of descriptive scales. You are to rate
each concepts on each of these scales. Here is how to use the scales:

13. To avoid fatigue or boring the respondent, do not use
more than 20 lines, and 10-12 adjective pairs is
better. Using fewer is acceptable. The location of the
positive attributes should be varied from left to right.
Do not put all the "good" adjectives on one side, as it
might bias the responses. Provide clear instructions
for the respondent so that they put their marks in
the right place. Otherwise, some people will circle the
colons (:).

14. The first impression of each concept is always wanted. Be sure to check
every scale. More than one mark in one scale may not be valid.
In summarizing the responses quantitatively, the usual procedure it to
assign values from 1 to 7 such that the interval closes to the adjective
representing the negative pole receives a 1 and the interval closest to the
opposing adjective receives a 7. An individual’s score on each scale for each
concept may then be computed in terms of scale positions. If only the
evaluative adjective pairs are used, a 7point 10 scale differential for a single
concept would yield a maximal positive score of 70 and a minimum score of
10.

15. Respondents will tend to score these relatively - thus if they feel less
strongly about a question than the previous one, they will mark the
scale in a more central position. This method gives interval data.
If respondents, despite the instructions, circle the colon, you can score
the dimension using a midpoint. If they circle the colon between the
first and second space, score it as 1.5.

16. The semantic differential requires respondents
that are intelligent and cooperative. It requires
respondents with a good knowledge of language,
who are willing and able to make fine distinctions.
It would be not appropriate for children, unless
presented in a simplified form.

17. Evaluation
Good ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ bad
Positive ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ negative
Pleasant ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ unpleasant
Worthless ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ valuable,
Dirty ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ clean
Potency
Strong ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ weak
Heavy ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ light
Hard ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ soft
Simple ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ complex
Submissive ___:___:___:___:___:___:___assertive
Difficult ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ easy
Activity
Active ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ passive
Excitable ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ calm
Fast ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ slow
Relaxed ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ tense
Dim ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ bright
Quiet ___:___:___:___:___:___:___ noisy