TransGeneration and Rating scale: Difference between pages

(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
 
Rating scales used online: Remove redundant not
 
Line 1:
A '''rating scale''' is a set of categories designed to elicit information about a [[quantitative]] attribute in social science. Common examples are the [[Likert scale]] and 1-10 rating scales for which a person selects the number which is considered to reflect the perceived quality of a product.
{{infobox television |
| show_name = TransGeneration
| image = [[Image:Transgenerationpromophoto.jpg|300px|Back:: Director Jeremy Simmons, Producer Thairin Smothers, Gabbie. Front: TJ, Lucas, Raci]]<br><br><center>The cast of TransGeneration<br>Back:: Director Jeremy Simmons, Producer Thairin Smothers, Gabbie. Front: TJ, Lucas, Raci</center>
| caption =
| format = [[Documentary film|Documentary]]
| runtime = 60 Minutes
| creator = [[Jeremy Simmons]] and [[Thairin Smothers]]
| starring = [[Andrea Gabrielle Gibson]]<br>[[Raci Ignacio]]<br>[[Lucas Cheadle]]<br> [[Trent Jackson Jourian]]<br>
| country = [[United States|USA]]
| network = [[Sundance Channel]]
| first_aired = [[September 20]]
| last_aired = [[November 8]], [[2005 in television|2005]]
| num_episodes = 8
| imdb_id = 0461110
 
== Background ==
|}}
 
In [[Psychometrics]], rating scales are often referenced to a statement which expresses an attitude or perception toward something. The most common example of such a rating scale is the Likert scale, in which a person is asked to select a category label from a list indicating the extent of disagreement or agreement with a statement.
'''''TransGeneration''''' is an eight episode [[documentary film]] depicting the lives of four [[transgender]] college students as they attempt to balance college, their social lives, and their current transitions to a new sex. Unlike many other shows about transgender people, TransGeneration attempts to create a more accurate view, focusing less on the medical side of the experience and more on the people as real human beings.
 
The basic feature of any rating scale is that it consists of a number of categories. These are usually assigned integers. For example, an example of the use of a Likert scale is as follows.
TransGeneration is shown on the [[LGBT]] television network [[Logo (TV channel)|LOGO]], broadcasted weekly on the [[Sundance Channel]] from September to November of 2005, and released as a featured film at some festivals and independant theatres.
 
:'''Statement:''' I could not live without my iPod.
== Major characters ==
 
:'''Response options:'''
*'''[[Andrea Gabrielle Gibson]]''' aka Gabbie, born Andrew, is a male to female college student at the [[University of Colorado]] where she majors in computer science. Gabbie has struggled with her identity since high school. She began taking hormones and living as a woman during her freshman year in college. Energetic and upbeat, she is a resident assistant on campus, receiving special accommodation by getting a single room with her own bathroom, becoming actively involved in campus-based [[GLBT]] activities, all the while highly anticipating her upcoming [[sexual reassignment surgery]], for which her parents have agreed to pay.
 
:*1. Strongly Disagree
*'''[[Raci Ignacio]]''', born Roy, is a male to female college student at [[California State University]] on a merit-based scholarship. Born in the [[Philippines]], she moved to the United States at the age of fifteen and is struggling with a hearing impairment, speaking English as a second language, and being away from her mother for the first time. Her transsexuality is less noticeable than the other main characters, so she trys to fit in as a normal girl and is reluctant to reveal her secret.
:*2. Disagree
:*3. Agree
:*4. Strongly Agree
 
It is common to treat the numbers obtained from a rating scale directly as measurements by calculating averages, or more generally any [[arithmetic]] operations. Doing so is not however justified. In terms of the [[levels of measurement]] proposed by S.S. Stevens, the data are ordinal categorisations. This means, for example, that to agree strongly with the above statement implies a more favourable perception of iPods than does to agree with the statement. However, the numbers are not interval-level measurements in Stevens' schema, which means that equal differences do not represent equal intervals between the degree to which one values iPods. For example, the difference between strong agreement and agreement is not necessarily the same as the difference between disagreement and agreement. Strictly, even demonstrating that categories are ordinal requires empirical evidence based on patterns of responses (Andrich, 1978).
*'''[[Lucas Cheadle]]''', born Leah, is a female to male transsexual at the all-female [[Smith College]] in Massachusetts. His best friend is also a female to male transsexual and has been undergoing hormone therapy for several months. Now in his senior year as a neuroscience major, Lucas is beginning to feel that it is time to start the physical side of his transition as well, by taking testosterone injections. While his mother and brother are supportive, he is afraid to tell his father, who had divorced and moved away since Lucas was nine.
 
More than one rating scale is required to [[measurement|measure]] an attitude or perception due to the requirement for statistical comparisons between the categories in the [[polytomous Rasch model]] for ordered categories (Andrich, 1978). In terms of [[Classical test theory]], more than one question is required to obtain an index of internal reliability such as [[Cronbach's alpha]] (Cronbach, 1951) which is a basic criterion for assessing the effectiveness of a rating scale and, more generally, a psychometric instrument.
*'''[[Trent Jackson Jourian]]''' (aka TJ), born Tamar, is a female to male transsexual at [[Michigan State University]]. He is a graduate student from Cyprus on a [[Fulbright Scholarship]], currently pursuing a degree in Student Affairs Administration. Outgoing and invovled, he has openly expressed his male identity since he was a young child and is very active in the transgender community on campus. Unlike the others, however, TJ has no support from his family over his transition. As he plans to visit home over the summer break, he realizes that he must confront his family for the final time, and may never be able to return home again.
 
== ExternalRating linksscales used online ==
* [http://www.sundancechannel.com/transgeneration/ Official page at SundanceChannel.com]
* [http://www.23hq.com/wow Transgeneration photo gallery]
* [http://www.logoonline.com/shows/dyn/transgeneration/series.jhtml Page on LOGO]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461110/ Page on IMDB]
 
Rating scales are used widely online in an attempt to provide indications of consumer opinions of products. Examples of sites which employ ratings scales are [[IMDb]], [[Epinions.com]], [[Internet Book List]], [[Yahoo! Movies]], [[Amazon.com]], [[BoardGameGeek]], [[TV.com]] and [[Ratings.net]]. The [[Criticker]] website uses a rating scale from 0 to 100 in order to obtain "personalised film recommendations".
 
In almost all cases, online rating scales only allow one rating per user per product, though there are exceptions such as ''Ratings.net'', which allows users to rate products in relation to several qualities. Most online rating facilities also provide few or no qualitative descriptions of the rating categories, although again there are exceptions such as ''Yahoo! Movies'' which labels each of the categories between F and A+ and BoardGameGeek, which provides explicit descriptions of each category from 1 to 10. Often, only the top and bottom category is described, such as on ''IMDb'''s online rating facility.
[[Category:Documentary television series]]
 
[[Category:2000s TV shows in the United States]]
With each user rating a product only once, for example in a category from 1 to 10, there is no means for evaluating internal [[reliability (statistics)|reliability]] using an index such as [[Cronbach's alpha]]. It is therefore impossible to evaluate the [[validity]] of the ratings as measures of viewer perceptions. Establishing validity would require establishing both reliability and accuracy (i.e. that the ratings represent what they are supposed to represent).
 
Another fundamental issue is that online ratings usually involve convenience [[sampling (statistics)|sampling]] much like television polls, i.e., they represent only the conglomeration of those inclined to submit ratings.
 
Sampling is one factor which can lead to results which have a specific bias or are only relevant to a specific subgroup. To illustrate the importance of such factors, consider an example. Suppose that a film's marketing strategy and reputation is such that 90% of its audience are attracted to the particular kind of film; i.e. it does not appeal to a broad audience. Suppose also that the film is very popular among the audience that does see the film and, in addition, that those who feel most strongly about the film are inclined to rate the film online. This combination may lead to very high ratings of the film which do not generalize beyond the people who actually see the film (or possibly even beyond those who actually rate it).
 
Qualitative description of categories is an important feature of a rating scale. For example, if only the points 1-10 are given without description, some people may select 10 rarely whereas other may select the category often. If, instead, "10" is described as "near flawless", the category is more likely to mean the same thing to different people. This applies to all categories, not just the extreme points. Even with category descriptions, some may be harsher raters than others. Rater harshness is also a consideration in marking essays in educational contexts. [http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:o1l_qRDI9QwJ:www.cambridgeesol.org/rs_notes/rs_nts13.pdf+rater+harshness+references&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4].
 
These issues are also compounded when aggregated statistics such as averages are used for lists and rankings of products. User ratings are at best [[levels of measurement|ordinal]] categorizations. While it is not uncommon to calculate averages or means for such data, doing so cannot be justified because in calculating averages, equal intervals are required to represent the same difference between levels of perceived quality. The key problems with aggregate data based on the kinds of rating scales commonly used online are as follow:
*Averages should not be calculated for data of the kind collected.
*It is usually impossible to evaluate the reliability or validity of user ratings.
*Products are not compared with respect to explicit, let alone common, criteria.
*Only users inclined to submit a rating for a product do so.
*Data are not usually published in a form that permits evaluation of the product ratings.
 
==References==
 
* Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. ''Psychometrika, 16'', 297-333.
* Andrich, D. (1978). A rating formulation for ordered response categories. ''Psychometrika'', 43, 357-74.
 
==See also==
*[[Voting system]]
*[[Rotten Tomatoes]]
*[[Metacritic]]
 
==External links==
[http://www.rasch-analysis.com/ How to apply Rasch analysis]
 
[[Category:Psychometrics]]