Measurement is the assignment of numbers to things.
In almost all research, everything has to be reduced to numbers eventually. Precision and exactness in measurement are vitally important. The measures are what are actually used to test the hypotheses. A researcher needs good measures for both independent and dependent variables. Measurement consists of two basic processes called conceptualization and operationalization , then an advanced process called determining the levels of measurement , and then even more advanced methods of measuring reliability and validity .