Assessing Content Validity: An Extension to Lawshe’s Method

• In Event: Analyzing Elements of Survey Design: Examinations of Validity and Response Options

Abstract

This paper extends Lawshe’s (1975) method of calculating indices and inferential tests for candidate items’ content validity from judges’ ratings. The extension includes incorporation of the calculations into software that have heretofore necessitated tables for the original dichotomous scoring and extends this binomial method for dichotomous judges’ decisions to a multinomial method for ordinal decisions. An example is provided with an illustration of the increased statistical power afforded. An easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet that accomplishes all calculations from the binomial or multinomial perspective is available to all who wish it.

Authors

• John D. Morris, Florida Atlantic University

• Mary G. Lieberman, Florida Atlantic University

• Maria D. Vásquez-Colina, Florida Atlantic University