What do you mean by educational measurement? Explain its Nature, Needs for measurement in Education

 What do you mean by educational measurement? Explain its Nature, Needs for measurement in education:

Measurement is a process to find 'how much' of a particular attribute, action or quality. It is the qualitative or quantitative analysis of a particular objects or a situation. It is quite important pre-requisite for planning and executing a particular action. Every measuring instruments measure and give estimate of the quantitative or qualitative aspect of a thing. 

Measurement process is also an important in the learning system. The measurement has more administrative utility in education than evaluation. The measurement is precise and objective than evaluation. Hence, it is mostly used in measuring the learning outcome, measurement is a process of qualification. It means precision and quantification of a phenomenon or variable. 

According to Bradfield, "Measurement is a process of assigning symbols to the dimension of phenomenon as precisely as possible. 

Measurement is an act or a process that involves the assignment of a numerical index to whatever is being assessed. 

Thus, measurement ascertain the extent or quantity of something. It has an intimate relationships with human beings. It is so closely related that it is rather difficult to say in which aspect of our life it does not exist. We measure the height weight and age of a child, we measure it's intelligence, abilities in various fields and so on. 

Some to those measurement are physical and the tools used are metre, litre, gram, etc. 

Physical measurement is direct, simple and very accurate. Psychological and educational measurements are complex, for they cannot be measured through the system of physical measurement. The measurement of intelligence is expressed in terms of the intelligence Quotient (I.Q) that of scholastic achievement in marks or in grades. 

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Measurement in any field always involves three essentials- 

1. Identifying and defining the quality, attribute or variable that is to be measured. 

2. Determining the set of operation by which the attribute or variable may be made manifest and perceivable, and 

3. Establishing a set of procedure or definitions for translating observations into quantitative statement of degree, extent or amount. 

Needs for measurement in Education:

Measurement is important for solving various educational problem in the following ways:-

1. Measurement of achievement of students in different subject, activities and crafts is most important for the purpose of classification of pupils for promotion, for educational and vocational guidance, for giving prizes, scholarship and for finding out backwardness. 

2. Sex difference in attitude towards religion may be found out by collecting the data and testing it on null hypothesis. 

3. It also helps us in conducting research work and experimentation. 

4. Through statistical methods the difference between the results of two teaching methods can be known and can be tested whether it is significant or not. 

5. Researched in measurement have devised better methods of evaluating the achievement of students defects of subjectively have been minimised and scoring methods has been improved. 

6. For the purpose of educational planning at district level or state level or the central level statistical data may be collected for the progress of education in different fields from time to time. So measurement forms the basis of this progress. 

7. The ratio of the school going children and the total juvenile population in different areas can be known with it's help and more school may be opened accordingly. 

8. The literary percentage of male and female pupils in urban and rural areas may be known on it's basis. 

Dr. Bloom remarks that objective learning process and measurement form the triangle of educational endeavor. So, it may be said that measurement work as a guide for the administrator, research, worker, parents and the teachers. It is also said that science without measurement bear no fruit it being the means and not an end in itself. Suggest does not decide. The educational planning, therefore, without a proper organizations of measurement does not bear any fruit. 

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