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This open access book proposes a conceptual framework for understanding measurement across a broad range of scientific fields and areas of application, such as physics, engineering, education, and psychology. It addresses contemporary issues and controversies within measurement in light of the framework, including operationalism, definitional uncertainty, and the relations between measurement and computation, and describes how the framework, operating as a shared concept system, supports understanding measurement’s work in different domains, using examples in the physical and human sciences. This revised and expanded second edition features a new analysis of the analogies and the differences between the error/uncertainty-related approach adopted in physical measurement and the validity-related approach adopted in psychosocial measurement. In addition, it provides a better analysis and presentation of measurement scales, in particular about their relations with quantity units, and introduces the measurand identification/definition as a part of the "Hexagon Framework" along with new examples from the physical and psychosocial sciences. Researchers and academics across a wide range of disciplines including biological, physical, social, and behavioral scientists, as well as specialists in measurement and philosophy appreciate the work’s fresh and provocative approach to the field at a time when sound measurements of complex scientific systems are increasingly essential to solving critical global problems.
Measurement refers generally to the process of assigning a numeric value to, or ordering characteristics or traits of, entities under study. Measurement is necessary for building and testing theory, specifying problems, and defining goals. It is arguably one of the most important and diffcult tasks in social work research. Social work researchers who are not expert in developing, selecting, and using measures will not be able to contribute maximally to the social work knowledge base. Such knowledge and skills related to measurement ultimately determines the extent to which social work research can effectively inform social policy and social work interventions. This book is to serve as a guide for developing, selecting, and using measures in social work research. In particular, this book provides a detailed review of contemporary validity theory; an update on the major issues of reliability; common errors in measurement of latent variables; and suggestions on measurement of social networks and collectives. An important theme of this book is the focus on the creative potential of measurement - that is, helping social work researchers think about the wide variety of ways that social work concepts can be measured. Reflecting on these differences raises questions about underlying assumptions that in turn inspires creative theoretical insights. Rather than seeing measurement as simply a task to be completed in the research process, we will encourage the reader to think creatively about measurement and theory. This book also addresses the interdependency of measurement and theory construction. In other words, this book covers how measurement and theory are connected in two different ways. First, every measure has its own working theory that relates the measure to the concept being measured. Second, theory construction is dependent on measurement. What we learn using a given measure could be different if a concept was measured in a different way.
"Includes a large number of user-friendly examples that integrate mathematics content and process standards. The step-by-step guidance and explanations in each chapter are beneficial."-Melissa Miller, TeacherRandall G. Lynch Middle School, Farmington, AR "Great activities that are exploratory in nature. A valuable resource."-Carol Amos, Teacher Leader and Mathematics CoordinatorTwinfield Union School, Plainfield, VT Increase students' mathematics achievement with rich problem-solving lessons and activities that are aligned with NCTM standards! Helping teachers envision how math standards can be integrated into the secondary classroom, Key Concepts in Mathematics, Second Edition presents engaging activities and ready-to-use lessons aligned with NCTM content and process standards. This user-friendly book by mathematics educator Timothy J. McNamara is filled with a generous collection of lessons for each of the ten NCTM standards, with many activities that address multiple standards, and numerous practical suggestions for extending the lessons beyond the curriculum. In addition, this updated resource combines standards-based mathematics and technology by incorporating TI-73 Explorer(tm) and TI-83 Plus graphing calculator applications and programs. Each chapter offers: Ready-to-use lessons, hands-on activities, practical suggestions, and an abundance of "good problems" Suggestions for integrating multiple topics and concepts in each lesson Strategies to strengthen student engagement, understanding, and retention by building connections among mathematics topics This exciting guide delivers exactly what is needed for today's standards-based math classroom!
Chemistry 2e is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the two-semester general chemistry course. The textbook provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of chemistry and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. The book also includes a number of innovative features, including interactive exercises and real-world applications, designed to enhance student learning. The second edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Substantial improvements have been made in the figures, illustrations, and example exercises that support the text narrative. Changes made in Chemistry 2e are described in the preface to help instructors transition to the second edition.
This book provides an overview of the application of statistical methods to problems in metrology, with emphasis on modelling measurement processes and quantifying their associated uncertainties. It covers everything from fundamentals to more advanced special topics, each illustrated with case studies from the authors' work in the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE). The material provides readers with a solid understanding of how to apply the techniques to metrology studies in a wide variety of contexts. The volume offers particular attention to uncertainty in decision making, design of experiments (DOEx) and curve fitting, along with special topics such as statistical process control (SPC), assessment of binary measurement systems, and new results on sample size selection in metrology studies. The methodologies presented are supported with R script when appropriate, and the code has been made available for readers to use in their own applications. Designed to promote collaboration between statistics and metrology, this book will be of use to practitioners of metrology as well as students and researchers in statistics and engineering disciplines.
There are many questions about the mathematical preparation teachers need. Recent recommendations from a variety of sources state that reforming teacher preparation in postsecondary institutions is central in providing quality mathematics education to all students. The Mathematics Teacher Preparation Content Workshop examined this problem by considering two central questions: What is the mathematical knowledge teachers need to know in order to teach well? How can teachers develop the mathematical knowledge they need to teach well? The Workshop activities focused on using actual acts of teaching such as examining student work, designing tasks, or posing questions, as a medium for teacher learning. The Workshop proceedings, Knowing and Learning Mathematics for Teaching, is a collection of the papers presented, the activities, and plenary sessions that took place.
