Validity and Reliability in Research

• Validity and reliability are important considerations.

Validity

• Validity denotes the extent to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure.

Content Validity

• Content validity means the individual items of a test represent what one actually wants to assess.

Face Validity

• Face validity, also known as logical validity, involves an analysis of whether the instrument utilizes a valid scale.
• Face validity is determined by a researcher looking at the features of the instrument.
• Instrument features to be considered include font size/typeface, spacing, paper size, and other details that do not distract respondents answering the questionnaire.

Construct Validity

• Construct validity is the extent to which a test measures a theoretical construct or concept it is intended to measure.

Criterion-Related Validity

• Criterion-related validity assesses an instrument’s validity by comparing its scores with another criterion already known to measure the same trait or skill.

Concurrent Validity

• Concurrent validity is the extent to which the results of a test or measurement align with those of an established test conducted at the same time.

Predictive Validity

• Predictive validity is the extent to which a procedure allows an accurate predictions about a subject's future behavior.

Reliability

• Reliability refers to the consistency of measurements.
• A reliable test produces similar scores across conditions and situations.
• Conditions include different evaluators and testing environments.

Test-Retest Reliability

• Test-retest reliability suggests that subjects tend to obtain the same score when tested at different times.

Split-Half Reliability

• Split-half reliability, sometimes referred to as "internal consistency", indicates that subjects’ scores on some trials consistently match their scores on other trials.

Interrater Reliability

• Interrater reliability involves having two raters independently observe/record specified behaviors during the same time period.
• Target behavior refers to the specific behavior the observer is looking to record.

Alternate Forms Reliability

• Alternate forms reliability is also known as parallel-forms reliability.
• It’s is obtained by administering two equivalent tests to the same group of examinees.
• Items are matched for difficulty on each test.
• The time frame between giving the two forms should be as short as possible.

Explore validity and reliability in research. Learn about content, face, construct, and criterion-related validity. Understand how these concepts ensure accurate measurement in research instruments.