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9 - Reliability

from Part II - Important Methodological Considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2024

By
Tenko Raykov
Edited by
John E. Edlund  and
Austin Lee Nichols
John E. Edlund
Affiliation:
Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
Austin Lee Nichols
Affiliation:
Central European University, Vienna
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Summary

This chapter is concerned with reliability as a key indicator of measurement quality in behavioral and social science research. It commences with a discussion of the basics and a definition of the reliability coefficient. The following section deals with the meaning, interpretation, and utility of the reliability concept. Subsequently, the focus is on the evaluation of reliability as well as its discrepancy from the popular coefficient alpha that has been widely used for a number of decades as an index related to reliability. The large-sample behavior of the alpha and scale reliability estimates is then discussed, as is the relationship between the reliability coefficient and that of standardized reliability. The conclusion points out the limitations of the procedures for reliability evaluation discussed in the chapter.

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The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Volume 2: Performing Research
 , pp. 189 - 210
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Reliability
  • Edited by John E. Edlund, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, Austin Lee Nichols, Central European University, Vienna
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Online publication: 12 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000796.010
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  • Reliability
  • Edited by John E. Edlund, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, Austin Lee Nichols, Central European University, Vienna
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Online publication: 12 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000796.010
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Reliability
  • Edited by John E. Edlund, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, Austin Lee Nichols, Central European University, Vienna
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Online publication: 12 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000796.010
Available formats
×