Scale is the ratio between the dimensions of a model and the corresponding dimensions of the actual figure or object. It helps in shrinking vast lands into small pieces of paper, such as a map, and in creating blueprints for buildings and machinery.

Studies developing new scales can be classified as deductive or inductive. Our analysis found that only a minority of scale development studies considered opinions from the target population, which is essential for building content validity.

Definition

A scale is a ratio used to represent the relationship between the dimensions of a model and the corresponding dimensions of an actual figure or object. It is used to shrink or enlarge models in order to help people visualize and work with them. It is often used in blueprints for machinery and architecture. It is also important to understand the concept of scales in data analysis, as different measurement scales have a number of similar properties and can be used to perform a variety of statistical analyses.

Something that is large in magnitude or extent is said to have a high degree of scale. For example, a politician’s corruption is often described as being on a large scale. The term is also used in reference to a range of other things, such as the size of an earthquake or the extent of a crime. Likewise, a musical composition may be described as having a particular scale.

Examples

Scales can be used to measure a wide range of phenomena, including physical dimensions like length and area and psychological characteristics such as anxiety and depression. The scales used in a particular study are usually designed to meet the specific needs of the research and may differ from one another depending on the specific purpose.

Interval scales are characterized by numbers that form a continuum but lack a true zero. For example, the temperatures of Fahrenheit and Celsius are interval scales. However, a respondent’s score on the temperature scale cannot be divided by any other number because no other number is exactly equal to the value of zero.

Ratio scales are quantitative and have a true zero. They allow the researcher to calculate ratios of values, such as a respondent’s years of military experience divided by her age. These scales can also be categorical or ordinal. Several studies have reported that using a longitudinal design during the scale development process can help improve their psychometric properties.

Uses

In art and cinema, scale can be used to create contrast between a figure or object and its surroundings. It can also be used to establish the relative importance of a character in a scene. This technique is known as hyperrealism.

Scale is used in many real-world applications, including making blueprints and scale plans for machinery and architecture. It is also used to shrink vast areas of land down to a small piece of paper, such as a map, or to help designers, architects, and machine-makers work with models of objects that would be too large to hold if they were the actual size.

The limitations of scale include the lack of a clear theoretical basis for the construct and the possible influence of culture on the dimensions of the construct. Future research may need to seek support for constructs from information collected on other measures, such as sociodemographic questionnaires. This approach will reduce the potential for cultural symbolism to influence psychometric results and improve the validity of new measures.

Limitations

Developing a new measure requires a detailed process that ensures theoretical and methodological rigor. This review analyzes current practices in scale development and discusses major limitations that should be considered by future researchers. This includes the use of deductive and inductive approaches to item generation, sample size for psychometric analysis, and the number of items lost during the theoretical and psychometric analyses.

A large percentage of studies lost more than 50% of their initial item pool during the process of EFA and CFA. This indicates that it is important to be careful when using a deductive approach for item generation and to have sufficient participants for psychometric analysis.

Future research in establishing the content validity of new scales should involve not only expert opinions but also those from members of the target population, as this has been shown to increase the confidence in the content of the new measure. Additionally, a greater use of information collected on sociodemographic questionnaires may help in the assessment of convergent and construct validity.