Measurement essays

Measurement essays Reliability can be established empirically by means of repeated trials. In other words, the selected measuring procedure is subjected to a number of trials, and if the results are the same for each trial, reliability is established (Kiefer, 1997). This also means that persons other than the initial researcher can replicate the measuring procedure and still produce the same results. There is therefore no doubt that any conclusions, theories or claims emanating from the research are based upon Although reliability can be established in empirical terms, Kiefer (1997) warns that inherent difficulties may still arise with this aspect of measurement. The ideal is to measure exactly the issue at the heart of the experiment. The difficulty arises when such focus becomes challenging with the introduction of elements other than those being measured. This frequently occurs when the study area is situated in a natural or social setting. When the focus of study and measurement is for example something as complex as human behavior, it is unlikely that exactly the same result will be obtained each time. In this case the measuring device is the researcher's observations. Because the researcher is human, such observations are subject not only to flaw, but to multiple interpretations. Thus, although more consistent and more empirical than validity, reliability still offers its own set of challenges to the measuring Validity is a still more difficult concept to pin down. Whereas reliability is concerned with the processes and instruments by which research is conducted, validity is concerned with the finished research. The question here is therefore focused more broadly, and concerns the accuracy with which a study reflects the concept being studied. Validity therefore aims to establish the success of measurement, while reliabili ...