Scale Development: Theory and Applications

Applied Social Research Methods #26

by Robert F. DeVellis

This book presents complex concepts in a way that helps students to understand the logic underlying the creation, use, and evaluation of measurement instruments and to develop a more intuitive feel for how scales work. Robert DeVellis demystifies measurement by relating it to familiar experiences and by emphasizing a conceptual rather than a strictly mathematical understanding. Students' attention is drawn to important concepts that are foundational for subsequent topics, with opportunities provided to test understanding through chapter summaries and exercises.

About the author (2011)

Robert F. DeVellis is Research Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (School of Public Health), and the Psychology Department (College of Arts and Sciences) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, he is a Core Faculty Member for UNC's Robert Wood Johnson Clinical ScholarsProgram (School of Medicine). Dr. DeVellis is also Director of the Measurement and Methods Core of the UNCCenter on Minority Aging and Associate Director of the UNC Arthritis Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center,where he also is a member of that center's Methodology Core. He has served on the Board of Directors for theAmerican Psychological Association's Division of Health Psychology (38), on the Arthritis Foundations'Clinical/Outcomes/therapeutics Research Study Section, and on the Advisory Board of the Veterans AffairsMeasurement Excellence Initiative. He has served on the editorial boards of Arthritis Care and Research and HealthEducation Research and as Guest Editor, Guest Associate Editor, or reviewer for more than two dozen other journals. His current research interests include examining interpersonal factors that facilitate adaptation to chronic illness and measuring social and behavioral variables related to health and illness. He has served as PrincipalInvestigator or Co-Investigator since the early 1980s on a series of research projects funded by the federal government and private foundations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research, Psychology, Textbooks, Academic

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Santosh Kalwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good book, highly recommended for developing scale(s)

[Tom Wein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most transportive start to my new year reading, but this is a very solid methodological primer; simply explained enough even for me. Recommended if that's what your in the market for.

[Lillie Stephens]

Read all of it for school

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent basic reference that will be useful for anyone developing a new measure for the first time. It provides a good overview of measurement theory and clearly explains the essential concepts. It also is a quick read - surely to be appreciated by the overworked researcher! It does not go into extensive how-to detail, but it provides a good basis for a checklist of elements to consider when designing, developing, and testing new measures.

[Christiany Suwartono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pertama kali tahu buku ini dari Bang Hamdi, saat jadi asdos Konstruksi Alat Ukur Psikologi. Wow, bahasanya sederhana, singkat, padat, dan jelas. Sebenarnya malah mungkin sebelum kuliah KAUP, baca buku ini dulu supaya bisa tahu gambaran umumnya terlebih dahulu.

[Virginia Lacefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense, but useful. Definitely an academic read.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, pretty good, although there were some sections that were not as clear/detailed as I would have liked. Decent start to knowing how to both develop and evaluate scales.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for getting me an A+ in Measurement Issues in I/O Psychology, king! 😍