Introduction
Reliability is the extent to which an assessment tool produces stable and all way consistent results regardless the time and frequency the research is carried out. There are four types of reliability as far as Human Services Research is concerned. They include:
Test-retest reliability
This reliability entails a measure that is obtained by administering the same test twice over a given period to a group of people. The scores of the related time say A or B, in this case, can be correlated to evaluate the test for stability over time. An example of this reliability is when for instance, a test is designed to assess learning in psychology and the second results indicate correlation and stability of the research study.
Internal consistency
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It is useful because different observers will not interpret the answers the same way. In this scene, some may differ and therefore give different opinions over the same issue. An example of inter-rater reliability is when different raters evaluate the degree to which particular portfolio meet specific art standards. It is thus worth to note that this kind of reliability is sufficient to use in cases of art and not Math.
Parallel forms reliability
This is a kind of reliability found upon administering different versions of assessment to the same group of people (Morse at al 2002). Scores from both versions can then be correlated to evaluate the consistency of the results. An example of such is when you conduct an assessment of critical thinking, and then you create a large set of items before splitting them again.
In the same line of reliability is the factor of validity. This is how effective a test measures what is supposed to be measured. Like reliability, there are types of validity as illustrated below:
Sampling
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Their efficient and purpose, however, differ from one another. Some of these methods include questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews. The use of questionnaires, for instance, gathers information from people in a nonthreatening way thus being the most preferred among the other.
Interviews, on the other hand, are used to understand fully someone’s impression or even learn about their answers in the questionnaires. Although they are time-consuming, reliable data is collected by the researchers. Consequently, this information is accurate and valid to the people the research should assist.
Nevertheless, there is the use of document review as a method and tool. This tool ensures a researcher collects and gathers information when he or she wants an impression of how strategy operates without interrupting the same strategy.
Importance of validity and reliability of data collection tools
Collected data should be satisfactory for the researchers and the targeted group of individuals. When the data collection tools and methods are valid and reliable, one is sure that the collected data and information is then right and dependent (Read, 2013). Moreover, the validity of collection tools ensures accurate data collection hence satisfying the whole
Construct Validity: Construct validity refer to how well a measure actually measures the construct it is intended to measure. It is related to the measure capturing the major dimension of the concept under study (Polit& Beck, 2010). The more abstract the concept, the more difficult it is to establish construct validity. Known group validation typically involves demonstrating that some scale can differentiate members of one group from another. The procedures in known group technique consist of an instrument being administered to be high and low on the measured concept.
Replicability and generalizability are important considerations when analyzing research findings. Result replicability measures the extent to which results will remain the same when a new sample is drawn, while generalizability refers to the ability to generalize the results from one study to the population (Guan, Xiang, & Keating, 2004). If results are not replicable they will not be generalizable. Replicability is important because it determines whether results are true or a fluke. Measures of replicability can be obtained using either external or internal methods. External replicability analysis requires redrawing a completely new sample and replicating the study. Internal replicability analysis involves procedures used to investigate replicability within the current study sample (Zientek & Thompson, 2007). Although only external analysis can provide definitive answers regarding result replicability, a flawed assessment of result replicability via internal analysis is still better than conjecture (Thompson, 1994).
These concerns are the problem of 'generality ' and the problem of 'extent '. Before these concerns can be understood, we need to understand the two forms of belief forming processes, namely, belief forming process 'type ' and belief forming process 'token '. A 'type ' is a form of belief forming process whereas a 'token ' is individual sequence of events that lead to a certain belief formation. In other words a token is an instance of type. Between them only belief forming process type is repeatable and hence can be used for reliability test.
Where Criterion-referenced assessment is measured on what the learner can do for example a Btec level 1 is a pass or fail.
Method used in collecting information includes qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data is used to determine the history of the community; quantitative data such as windshield survey, focus group and one on one interview were also included because both sources were important for the past and current information of the community (Stamler & Yiu, 2012, p.221).
Hogan and Cannon (2003) defined reliability as the consistency of a measure regardless of what it’s measuring, which may vary, however validity is based on whether a psychological test is measuring what it’s intending to measure. Reliability and validity will be assessed on the measure used in this report, using Cronbach’s alpha. This removes items not measuring what the scale measures thus increasing the consistency of items. Cronbach’s alpha takes all the items into and considers various ways to split them to give an accurate value for the measure’s internal reliability (Howitt and Cramer, 2011).
It is extremely vital to use an appropriate language and let the participant know that you are fully engage and listening carefully to the response. The strength of the interviewer-participant relationship is perhaps the most important aspect of a qualitative research. The quality of this relationship likely affects participants’ self disclosure, including the depth of information they may share about their experience of a problem. In general, the interview requires tremendous amount of knowledge and responsibility, practice and experience. To conduct such interviews, one must posses’ tremendous knowledge as well as the ability to clearly communicate
A few types of reliability include: test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, and interrater reliability. Test-retest reliability is the measure of whether a procedure yields the same results when originally tested and when retested at a later time. A test would not be considered reliable if the results were not stable after multiple retests. Furthermore, internal consistency reliability describes the requirement that the different sections of a test yield consistent results. For instance, if a test is administered to assess depression, each section of the test must be relevant to depression.
Evaluate solutions on the basis of quality, acceptability, and standards: solutions should be judged on two major criteria: how good they are, and how acceptable they will be to those who have to implement them.
Validity refers to how well a test or rating scale measures what it is supposed to measure (Kluemper, McLarty, & Bing, 2015). Some researchers describe validation as the process of gathering evidence to support the types of inferences intended to be drawn from the measurements in question. Researchers disagree about how many types of validity there are, and scholarly consensus has varied over the years as different types of validity are incorporated under a single heading one year and then separated and treated as distinct the next (Kluemper, McLarty, & Bing, 2015). In this case, there are some advantages to predictive validation design. Despite these advantages, may companies prefer to use concurrent design.
... tested in the same manner for a specified purpose in order to maintain consistency and validity within results.
Validity is the most important requirement of all. A test must actually measure what it is intended to measure. (Content validity-the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest and Predictive validity- the success with which a test predicts behavior it is designed to predict)
, Parallel or alternate forms of reliability, correlation that indicates a consistency of scores of individuals within the same group on two alternate but equivalent forms of the same test taken at the same time. An example of such, is when our student body takes a test that is worth 100 points we have the same questions, but they may be two different tests. Such as, a test A and a Test B. Crombach’s alpha, internal consistency reliability statistic calculated from the pairwise correlations between items on the measure. For instance, it will always be less than 1 and the closer it is to 1, the more reliable the scale, which can work together in an effort to measure the same
It is important to note that high reliability of scores does not guarantee that those scores are a valid representation of the construct they are intended to measure. Reliability does not guarantee validity; however, it does determine how valid scores obtained from an instrument can be. The upper limit of the validity coefficient can be determined by taking the square root of the reliability
Data collection is a process by which you receive useful information. It is an important aspect of any type of research, as inaccurate data can alter the results of a study and lead to false hypothesis and interpretations. The approach the researcher utilizes to collect data depends on the nature of the study, the study design, and the availability of time, money and personnel. In addition, it is important for the researcher to determine whether the study is intended to produce qualitative or quantitative information.