Posted: February 28th, 2023
Quality measurement in research is essential. Measurement involves assigning numbers to concepts, objects, events or situations following a set of rules derived by the researcher through instrumentation or the use of tools for measurement. These measurements should be accurate and consistent. Chapter 16 in Gray & Groves (2021) explains the way that validity and reliability can be achieved.
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Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measurement tool over time and across different conditions or contexts. In other words, if a measurement tool is reliable, it should produce consistent results when used repeatedly to measure the same thing under similar conditions. For example, if a researcher uses a scale to measure weight, the scale should produce the same weight measurement each time it is used to weigh the same object. There are different ways to assess reliability, such as test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and internal consistency reliability. These methods assess different aspects of reliability, such as whether the results are consistent over time, across different raters or observers, or across different items on the same scale.
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