Question

When students at Fairleigh Dickinson University evaluate an instructor's presentation clarity and summary of major points on a five-point scale, this evaluation represents a _____ measurement.

a) Quantitative
b) Qualitative
c) Subjective
d) Objective

Answer 1

Subjective measurements are based on personal opinions and perceptions, and when students rate an instructor's presentation clarity and summary of major points on a scale, it represents a subjective measurement, albeit structured in a numerical form.

Step-by-step explanation:

When students at Fairleigh Dickinson University evaluate an instructor's presentation clarity and summary of major points on a five-point scale, this evaluation represents a subjective measurement. The choice of answers is 'a) Quantitative', 'b) Qualitative', 'c) Subjective', and 'd) Objective'. In this scenario, subjective measurement is most appropriate as it is based on personal opinions and perceptions, which vary from student to student.

Data obtained through such evaluations are not purely quantitative or qualitative because while they do involve numbers (the 5-point scale), the nature of the assessment—clarity and effectiveness of communication—is inherently subjective. However, if we had to lean towards one of the data types, it is more closely related to qualitative data because it captures individual, non-numerical perceptions in a structured numeric form.