Educational Research Methods
A site to support teaching and learning...
Validity
Validity normally means being sure that you are finding out about what you think you are finding out about. For example asking teachers (rather than independent observers) to rate their own teaching is more likely to produce valid ratings of their self perceptions of their teaching than of their teaching itself!
Construct validity refers to whether a test or scale measures what it is intended to measure.
Validity tends to be associated with positivistic research that looks to make objective knowledge claims. Some commentators feel that alternative notions (such as trustworthiness or authenticity) are more useful in interpretive research.
However, it is also possible to build validity checks into interpretivist studies. For example, in interviews there are techniques for checking the researcher’s interpretations of what research participants are telling them.
Some researchers also talk about catalytic validity, which is more about the ethical justification for research.
This is a personal site of Keith S. Taber to support teaching of educational research methods.
(Dr Keith Taber is Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.)
2017
