Internal Consistency Of Measure Reliability example essay topic

Validity These two terms, reliability and validity, are often used interchangeably when they are not related to statistics. When critical readers of statistics use these terms, however, they refer to different properties of the statistical or experimental method. Reliability is another term for consistency. If one person takes the same personality test several times and always receives the same results, the test is reliable. A test is valid if it measures what it is supposed to measure. If the results of the personality test claimed that a very shy person was in fact outgoing, the test would be invalid.

Reliability and validity are independent of each other, a measurement maybe valid but not reliable, or reliable but not valid. Suppose your bathroom scale was reset to read 10 pounds lighter. The weight it reads will be reliable (the same every time you step on it) but will not be valid, since it is not reading your actual weight. Reliability Reliability is a very important part of any research; without it the research itself would not be worth the paper it would be written on. Researchers depend on good reliable information to conduct researches. Reliability ensures that no misinformation is included in a research.

Reliability in a research means error free, therefore letting other researchers come to the same results by using the same methods. It is the consistency of your measurement or the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used under the same condition with the same subjects. There are four ways that reliability can be estimated: Test-Retest Reliability, Parallel-Form Reliability, Inteitem Consistency Reliability, and Internal Consistency of Measures. Test-Retest Reliability is used to assess the consistency of a measure from one time to another. In this approach there is no influence of the first measurement on the second one. In this situation reliability stays consistent as long as the same method is used to gather data.

Parallel-Form Reliability is used to assess the consistency of the results of two test constructed in the same manner from the same content domain. For example using two surveys using the same format to gather data. Inteitem Consistency Reliability is a test of consistency of respondents' answers to all the items in a measurement. Per our text, the most popular test of inteitem consistency reliability is the Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Cronbach's alpha measures how well a set of items (or variables) measures a single uni-dimensional latent construct.

When data have a multidimensional structure, Cronbach's alpha will usually be low. Technically speaking, Cronbach's alpha is not a statistical test - it is a coefficient of reliability (or consistency). (UCLA Academic Technology Services) Internal Consistency of Measure Reliability means good internal reliability is demonstrated by consistency among the data collection, analysis, and the interpretation. Reliability is a very part of any research without it the research cannot be valid.

The main idea associated with research reliability is to have good consistent data and or methods of gathering data. Being consistent will ensure the reliability of a research.

Bibliography

Research and Evaluation For Business, Marilyn K. Pelosi, Theresa M. Sandier, Uma Se karan, (2002) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. UCLA Academic Technology Services, What does Cronbach's alpha mean? , web Validity & Reliability of Research, Geni Gowan. web.