Likert Scale
CIA III
Psychological Measurement and Statistics
Likert Scale: A Critical Analysis
By,
Mahika Sharma
Likert Scale: A Critical Analysis
Introduction
The Likert Format arises from the scale for measuring attitudes (Kaplan, & Saccuzzo, 2001), the first of which was originated in 1932 by Rensis Likert (Edmondson, 2005). The rationale behind development of the Likert Scale by Rensis Likert was to measure psychological attitudes in a “scientific” way in 1932 and later in 1934 to expand upon the scaling techniques developed by Thurston (Edmondson, 2005). Since Thurston’s scale requires an elaborate procedure and the usage of judges, Likert Scale was easier to conduct while yielding equally satisfactory reliability (Edmondson, 2005; Anastasi, & Urbina, 2002).
In their most contemporary form Likert scales are a non-comparative scaling technique and are unidimensional (only measure a single trait) in nature (Bertram, 2007). Respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement with a given statement by way of an ordinal scale. Most commonly seen as a 5 point scale ranging from “Strongly Disagree” on one end to “Strongly Agree” on the other with “Neither Agree nor Disagree” in the middle; however, some practitioners advocate the use of 7 and 9 point scales which add additional granularity. Sometimes a 4-point (or other even numbered) scale is used to produce an ipsative (forced choice) measure where no indifferent option is available (Kaplan, & Saccuzzo, 2001).
One of the biggest advantages of Likert Scales is that it does not expect a simple yes or no answer from the respondent, but rather allows for degrees of opinion, and even no opinion at all. Therefore quantitative data can be obtained, which can be analyzed with relative ease (Edmondson, 2005; Anastasi, & Urbina, 2002). Also according to Bertram (2007) Likert scales are simple to construct, more likely to produce a highly reliable scale, and most importantly, easy to read and complete for participants.
Psychological Measurement and Statistics
Likert Scale: A Critical Analysis
By,
Mahika Sharma
Likert Scale: A Critical Analysis
Introduction
The Likert Format arises from the scale for measuring attitudes (Kaplan, & Saccuzzo, 2001), the first of which was originated in 1932 by Rensis Likert (Edmondson, 2005). The rationale behind development of the Likert Scale by Rensis Likert was to measure psychological attitudes in a “scientific” way in 1932 and later in 1934 to expand upon the scaling techniques developed by Thurston (Edmondson, 2005). Since Thurston’s scale requires an elaborate procedure and the usage of judges, Likert Scale was easier to conduct while yielding equally satisfactory reliability (Edmondson, 2005; Anastasi, & Urbina, 2002).
In their most contemporary form Likert scales are a non-comparative scaling technique and are unidimensional (only measure a single trait) in nature (Bertram, 2007). Respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement with a given statement by way of an ordinal scale. Most commonly seen as a 5 point scale ranging from “Strongly Disagree” on one end to “Strongly Agree” on the other with “Neither Agree nor Disagree” in the middle; however, some practitioners advocate the use of 7 and 9 point scales which add additional granularity. Sometimes a 4-point (or other even numbered) scale is used to produce an ipsative (forced choice) measure where no indifferent option is available (Kaplan, & Saccuzzo, 2001).
One of the biggest advantages of Likert Scales is that it does not expect a simple yes or no answer from the respondent, but rather allows for degrees of opinion, and even no opinion at all. Therefore quantitative data can be obtained, which can be analyzed with relative ease (Edmondson, 2005; Anastasi, & Urbina, 2002). Also according to Bertram (2007) Likert scales are simple to construct, more likely to produce a highly reliable scale, and most importantly, easy to read and complete for participants.
References: Anastasi, A., & Urbina, S. (2002). Measuring interests and attitudes. Psychological Testing (7th Ed.). Delhi: Pearson Education Bertram, D Edmondson, D.R. (2005). Liker Scales: A History. The Research Methods Knowledge Base. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing. Goldstein, G., & Hersen, M. (1984). Handbook of Psychological Assessment. New York: Pergamon Press. Jamieson, S. (2004). Likert scales: How to (ab)use them. Medical Education, 38, 1212–1218. Kaplan, R.M, & Saccuzzo, D.P. (2001). Writing and evaluating test items. Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications and Issues (5th Ed.) Singapore: Wadsworth Kim, S Laerhoven, H., Zaag-Loonen, H.J., Derkx, B.H.F. (2007). A comparison of Liker scale and visual analogue scales as response options in children 's questionnaires. Acta Paediatrica, 93(6), 830–835.