Embedded Files
What is Validity?
Validity in research refers to how well the results among the study participants represent true findings among similar individuals outside of the study (Pantino & Ferreira, 2018). When discussing the meaning of validity issues, it refers to a barrier or feature of the research design that jeopardizes the validity of the study. There are two main domains of validity in research: internal and external (Pantino & Ferreira, 2018).
Internal Validity can be described as the extent to which the results of the study answer the question without bias.
(VeryWell/ Bailey Mariner)
External Validity is described as the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other contexts.
Threats to Internal Validity
Threats to Internal Validity
Attrition: Participants drop out of the study before the study is completed
Confounding: A situation where changes of an outcome variable may have resulted from an outside variable
Diffusion: Results of one group transferring to another through talking or observing one another
Experimenter Bias: An experimenter behaves in a different way with different study groups, potentially impacting the results of the study
Instrumentation: the "priming" of participants of a study in which can cause the participants to react differently to what they would have prior to
Historical Events: a change in something like a political leader or the occurrence of a natural disaster may influence the outcome of studies that occur over a longer period of time
Testing: testing participants repeatedly using the same measures may ultimately influence outcomes
(Cuncic, 2022)
Threats to External Validity
Threats to External Validity
Pre and post-test effects: when the cause-and-effect relationship disappears without the added pre and post-tests
Sample Features: when a feature of the study sample used was ultimately responsible for the effect, thus causing the findings to have limited generalizability
Selection Bias: the differences between groups or study participants that may influence the outcome of the study
Situational Factors: factors such as location, noise, time of day, or researcher characteristics that could influence the study participants and impact the findings of the study
(Cuncic, 2022)
The Delphi method is considered a reliable design since the panel of experts is composed of reliable experts who are assessing the problem. Despite this, there is always the potential for issues with validity!
Which threats to validity could occur when using the Delphi method?
Attrition could occur if members decide they no longer want to be a part of the research in between the rounds of questionnaires
Diffusion could occur if participants influence one another's opinions based upon the provided responses
Experimenter Bias could occur if the facilitator behaves a certain way or speaks their thoughts to the participants
Testing could occur if participants find the questionnaires repetitive
Selection Bias could occur if the facilitator chose certain experts based on bias reasoning
Situational Factors could occur in situations if a nurse just finished a shift and it tired but needs to complete questionnaires, the participants may rush to answer the questionnaire and not read the questions thoroughly
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse