Abstract
The objective of this study was to conduct a research synthesis of validation practices based on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, and NCME, Standards for educational and psychological testing. American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC, 1999) in a random selection of 50 articles published in 2011 or 2012 in two premier assessment journals, Psychological Assessment and the European Journal of Psychological Assessment. Commonalities and differences in findings between the journals were identified. Reliability evidence was reported in similarly high percentages of studies from both journals, with internal consistency being the most commonly reported type of evidence. Internal structure and relations to other variables sources of validity evidence were strongly favored in our sample of studies, with little to no evidence presented related to test content, response processes, or consequences of testing. Weaknesses in validation practice and reporting are identified and recommendations for improvement are provided.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
To be referred to henceforth as The Standards.
- 2.
A reference list of the 50 articles randomly selected from PA and EJPA may be requested from the first author.
- 3.
Percentages in this section do not sum to 100 % as some studies may have included multiple language versions of a measure, used more than one sample, or collected data from more than one country.
References
American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), & National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
Barry, A. E., Chaney, B. H., Piazza-Gardner, A. K., & Chavarria, E. A. (2014). Validity and reliability reporting practices in the field of health education and behavior: a review of seven journals. Health Education & Behavior, 41, 12–18.
Chuma, J., & Mahadun, P. (2011). Predicting the development of schizophrenia in high-risk populations: Systematic review of the predictive validity of prodromal criteria. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199, 361–366. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.110.086868.
Cizek, G. J., Rosenberg, S. L., & Koons, H. H. (2008). Sources of validity evidence for educational and psychological tests. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 68, 397–412. doi:10.1177/0013164407310130.
Cizek, G. J., Bowen, D., & Church, K. (2010). Sources of validity evidence for educational and psychological tests: A follow-up study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70, 732–743. doi:10.1177/0013164410379323.
Crocker, L., & Algina, J. (1986). Introduction to classical and modern test theory. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
de Vet, H. W., AdÒr, H. J., Terwee, C. B., & Pouwer, F. (2005). Are factor analytical techniques used appropriately in the validation of health status questionnaires? A systematic review on the quality of factor analysis of the SF-36.Quality of Life Research, 14, 1203–1218. doi:10.1007/s11136-004-5742-3.
Green, C. E., Chen, C. E., Helms, J. E., & Henze, K. T. (2011). Recent reliability reporting practices in psychological assessment: Recognizing the people behind the data. Psychological Assessment, 23, 656–669. doi:10.1037/a0023089.
Helmerhorst, H. F., Brage, S., Warren, J., Besson, H., & Ekelund, U. (2012). A systematic review of reliability and objective criterion-related validity of physical activity questionnaires. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 103. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-103.
Helms, J. E., Henze, K. T., Sass, T. L., & Mifsud, V. A. (2006). Treating Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients as data in counseling research. The Counseling Psychologist, 34, 630–660. doi:10.1177/0011000006288308.
Hogan, T. P., & Agnello, J. (2004). An empirical study of reporting practices concerning measurement validity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64, 802–812. doi:10.1177/0013164404264120.
Hogan, T. P., Benjamin, A., & Brezinski, K. L. (2000). Reliability methods: A note on the frequency of use of various types. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60, 523–531. doi:10.1177/00131640021970691.
Hubley, A. M. (2014). Discriminant validity. In A. C. Michalos (Ed.), Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp. 1664–1667). Dordrecht: Springer.
Hubley, A. M., & Zumbo, B. D. (1996). A dialectic on validity: Where we have been and where we are going. Journal of General Psychology, 123, 207–215.
Hubley, A. M., & Zumbo, B. D. (2011). Validity and the consequences of test interpretation and use. Social Indicators Research, 103, 219–230. doi:10.1007/s11205-011-9843.4.
Hubley, A. M., & Zumbo, B. D. (2013). Psychometric characteristics of assessment procedures: An overview. In K. F. Geisinger (Ed.), APA handbook of testing and assessment in psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 3–19). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.
Jonson, J. L., & Plake, B. S. (1998). A historical comparison of validity standards and validity practices. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58, 736–753. doi:10.1177/0013164498058005002.
Meier, S. T., & Davis, S. R. (1990). Trends in reporting psychometric properties of scales used in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 37, 113–115. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.37.1.113.
Mihura, J. L., Meyer, G. J., Dumitrascu, N., & Bombel, G. (2013). The validity of individual Rorschach variables: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the comprehensive system. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 548–605. doi:10.1037/a0029406.
Qualls, A. L., & Moss, A. D. (1996). The degree of congruence between test standards and test documentation within journal publications. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 56, 209–214. doi:10.1177/0013164496056002002.
Schroeder, R. W., Twumasi-Ankrah, P., Baade, L. E., & Marshall, P. S. (2012). Reliable digit span: A systematic review and cross-validation study. Assessment, 19, 21–30. doi:10.1177/1073191111428764.
Singh, J. P., Desmarais, S. L., & Van Dorn, R. A. (2013). Measurement of predictive validity in violence risk assessment studies: A second‐order systematic review. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 31, 55–73. doi:10.1002/bsl.2053.
Slaney, K. L., Tkatchouk, M., Gabriel, S. M., & Maraun, M. D. (2009). Psychometric assessment and reporting practices: Incongruence between theory and practice. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 27, 465–476.
Slaney, K. L., Tkatchouk, M., Gabriel, S. M., Ferguson, L. P., Knudsen, J. R. S., & Legere, J. C. (2010). A review of psychometric assessment and reporting practices: An examination of measurement-oriented versus non-measurement-oriented domains. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25, 246–259. doi:10.1177/0829573510375549.
Thompson, B., & Snyder, P. A. (1998). Statistical significance and reliability analyses in recent Journal of Counseling & Development research articles. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76, 436–441.
Traub, R. E. (1994). Reliability for the social sciences. London: Sage.
Vacha-Haase, T., Ness, C., Nilsson, J., & Reetz, D. (1999). Practices regarding reporting of reliability coefficients: A review of three journals. The Journal of Experimental Education, 67, 335–341. doi:10.1080/00220979909598487.
Vacha-Haase, T., Kogan, L. R., & Thompson, B. (2000). Sample compositions and variabilities in published studies versus those in test manuals: Validity of score reliability inductions. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60, 509–522. doi:10.1177/00131640021970682.
Vacha-Haase, T., Henson, R. K., & Caruso, J. C. (2002). Reliability generalization: Moving toward improved understanding and use of score reliability. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62, 562–569. doi:10.1177/0013164402062004002.
Van Remoortel, H., Giavedoni, S., Raste, Y., Burtin, C., Louvaris, Z., Gimeno-Santos, E., et al. (2012). Validity of activity monitors in health and chronic disease: A systematic review. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 84. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-84.
Whittington, D. (1998). How well do researchers report their measures? An evaluation of measurement in published educational research. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58, 21–37. doi:10.1177/0013164498058001003.
Wilkinson, L., & The APA Task Force on Statistical Inference. (1999). Statistical methods in psychology journals: Guidelines and explanations. American Psychologist, 54, 594–604.
Willson, V. L. (1980). Research techniques in AERJ articles: 1969 to 1978. Educational Researcher, 9, 5–10. doi:10.2307/1175221.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hubley, A.M., Zhu, S.M., Sasaki, A., Gadermann, A.M. (2014). Synthesis of Validation Practices in Two Assessment Journals: Psychological Assessment and the European Journal of Psychological Assessment . In: Zumbo, B., Chan, E. (eds) Validity and Validation in Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 54. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07794-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07794-9_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07793-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07794-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)