Tips and recommendations 

When can you say that the questionnaire is valid?

Leia Doyle

When can you say that the questionnaire is valid?

A survey has face validity if, in the view of the respondents, the questions measure what they are intended to measure. A survey has content validity if, in the view of experts (for example, health professionals for patient surveys), the survey contains questions which cover all aspects of the construct being measured.

How do you test the internal validity of a questionnaire?

This type of internal validity could be assessed by comparing questionnaire responses with objective measures of the states or events to which they refer; for example comparing the self-reported amount of cigarette smoking with some objective measure such as cotinine levels in breath.

How do you validate a research questionnaire?

Validating a Survey: What It Means, How to do It

  1. Step 1: Establish Face Validity.
  2. Step 2: Run a Pilot Test.
  3. Step 3: Clean Collected Data.
  4. Step 4: Use Principal Components Analysis (PCA)
  5. Step 5: Check Internal Consistency.
  6. Step 6: Revise Your Survey.

What does the face validity of a questionnaire not involve?

Face validity involves the expert looking at the items in the questionnaire and agreeing that the test is a valid measure of the concept which is being measured just on the face of it. Face validity is often said to be very casual, soft and many researchers do not consider this as an active measure of validity.

Is construct validity the same as internal validity?

Internal Validity refers to those factors that are the reason for affecting the dependent variable. Construct Validity refers to the type in which the construct of the test is involved in predicting the relationship for the dependent type of variable.

What is lack of validity?

The term validity refers to whether or not the test measures what it claims to measure. If a test has poor validity then it does not measure the job-related content and competencies it ought to. When this is the case, there is no justification for using the test results for their intended purpose.

What is the weakest form of validity?

As face validity is a subjective measure, it’s often considered the weakest form of validity.

Why are questionnaires usually low in validity?

Lack of reliability may arise from divergence between observers or instruments of measurement such as a questionnaire or instability of the attribute being measured, which will invariably affect the validity of such questionnaire.

What are the two main disadvantages of using questionnaires?

10 Disadvantages of Questionnaires

  • Dishonest answers.
  • Unanswered questions.
  • Differences in understanding and interpretation.
  • Hard to convey feelings and emotions.
  • Some questions are difficult to analyze.
  • Respondents may have a hidden agenda.
  • Lack of personalization.
  • Unconscientious responses.