reliability and validity in nursing research

Internal consistency assesses the correlation between multiple items in a test that are intended to measure the same construct.

Ensure that all questions or test items are based on the same theory and formulated to measure the same thing.

The results of the two tests are compared, and the results are almost identical, indicating high parallel forms reliability.

Both groups take both tests: group A takes test A first, and group B takes test B first. The questions are randomly divided into two sets, and the respondents are randomly divided into two groups. If all the researchers give similar ratings, the test has high interrater reliability.Ī set of questions is formulated to measure financial risk aversion in a group of respondents. Then you calculate the correlation between their different sets of results. To measure interrater reliability, different researchers conduct the same measurement or observation on the same sample. This is especially important when there are multiple researchers involved in data collection or analysis. When designing the scale and criteria for data collection, it’s important to make sure that different people will rate the same variable consistently with minimal bias. Reliable research aims to minimize subjectivity as much as possible so that a different researcher could replicate the same results.

People are subjective, so different observers’ perceptions of situations and phenomena naturally differ. In an observational study where a team of researchers collect data on classroom behavior, interrater reliability is important: all the researchers should agree on how to categorize or rate different types of behavior. You use it when data is collected by researchers assigning ratings, scores or categories to one or more variables, and it can help mitigate observer bias. Interrater reliability (also called interobserver reliability) measures the degree of agreement between different people observing or assessing the same thing.

Remember that changes or recall bias can be expected to occur in the participants over time, and take these into account.When planning your methods of data collection, try to minimize the influence of external factors, and make sure all samples are tested under the same conditions.When designing tests or questionnaires, try to formulate questions, statements, and tasks in a way that won’t be influenced by the mood or concentration of participants.You devise a questionnaire to measure the IQ of a group of participants (a property that is unlikely to change significantly over time).You administer the test two months apart to the same group of people, but the results are significantly different, so the test-retest reliability of the IQ questionnaire is low.

Reliability and validity in nursing research