The Theoretical Basis Of Measurement In Social Sciences

Measurement has become an integral part of all scientific enquiries and social sciences are not an exception. Due to the nature of the attributes usually measured in the social sciences, however, the concepts of measurement developed in the empirical sciences may not be directly drawn upon. Even if such a practice is acceptable, vigorous arguments are needed before any transfer of the ideas from the empirical to the social sciences takes place. This paper provides an introduction to the logic of measurement in the social sciences. There is a large body of literature on the issues that are generally limited to the technical circles and are unknown to the community of social science researchers. The paper, therefore, aims to provide a relatively non-technical introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of measurement in the social sciences. It will also show how the current definition of measurement in the social sciences is flawed. The paper ends with an explanation of a model that meets the requirements of vigorous measurement.

Keywords:

Evaluation , Measurment , Social Sciences , Theoritical Basis