Test scores, measurement, and the use of analysis of variance: an historical overview

J Appl Meas. 2002;3(3):232-42.

Abstract

In order to establish a firmer statistical foundation from which to draw inferences from factorial design study data, transformations of raw scores are occasionally employed in order to make their distributions more generally normal or to provide linearity. To date, few studies have been conducted to determine whether or not raw scores transformed or otherwise constitute measures for the purposes of statistical analysis. In this article, the historical development of the understanding of the term "measurement" by researchers in the social sciences is traced, and the development and use of One and Two-way ANOVA by researchers in the social sciences are presented and evaluated.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance*
  • History, 20th Century
  • Psychometrics / history*
  • Psychometrics / methods
  • Social Sciences / history*