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Cronbach’s alpha is certainly among the most used statistics in the social
sciences, but many students and researchers don’t really know what it tells us
– or how to interpret it. Fortunately, Chad Marshall wrote a wonderful intro-
duction to Cronbach’s Alpha, below. Chad Marshall is currently a DBA stu-
dent in the Mitchell College of Business at the University of South Alabama. If
you have any questions about Cronbach’s Alpha, you can email me (Dr. Matt
C. Howard – MHoward@SouthAlabama.edu) or Chad Marshall
Dr. Matt C. Howard
(CJM1423@JagMail.SouthAlabama.edu).
I perform (1) statistically- and
methodologically-sound re-
search on (2) health and well-
being, (3) personality, and (4)
Overview
computer-based training and
development. Cronbach’s alpha (Cronbach, 1951), also known as coefficient alpha, is a
measure of reliability, specifically internal consistency reliability or item
Noteworthy Posts interrelatedness, of a scale or test (e.g., questionnaire). Internal consistency
About refers to the extent that all items on a scale or test contribute positively towards
Blog measuring the same construct. As such, internal consistency reliability is
relevant to composite scores (i.e., the sum of all items of the scale or test).
Statistics Help
Also important to note, reliability pertains to the data, not the scale or test mea-
Courses sure. The simplified formula for Cronbach’s alpha is a follows:
CV
α = (N · c̄) / [v̄ + (N – 1) · c̄]
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Introduction to Cronbach’s Alpha – Dr. Matt C. Howard https://mattchoward.com/introduction-to-cronbachs-alpha/
Cronbach’s alpha has several benefits for researchers including the ability to
be used for dichotomous and continuously scored variables. Compared to
other strategies for estimating reliability that require samples taken at two dif-
ferent points in time (e.g., test-retest reliability or parallel reliability), Cronbach’s
alpha can be calculated using a single sample. This is particularly beneficial
for
constructs where shifts in responses may occur (e.g., states). With respect to
other measures of internal consistency (e.g., split-half reliability), Cronbach’s
alpha provides the average of all possible split-half, rather than forcing the
researcher to only select one for analysis.
The major concern with Cronbach’s alpha is its assessment when the number
of scale or test item are large. Hair, Black, Babin, and Anderson (2010) warn
that
researchers should place more rigorous requirements on scales with large
numbers, because increasing the number of items on a scale, even without
changing the intercorrelations, will result in an increase of the alpha value.
Research by Cortina (1993) suggests that scales with over 20 items can have
a Cronbach’s alpha above 0.70 even when item intercorrelations are very
small
Coefficient Interpretation
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Introduction to Cronbach’s Alpha – Dr. Matt C. Howard https://mattchoward.com/introduction-to-cronbachs-alpha/
Conclusion
References
Cho, E., & Kim, S. (2015). Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha: Well Known but
Poorly Understood. Organizational Research Methods, 18(2), 207.
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple
guide and reference. 11.0 update (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate
data analysis: Pearson College Division.
Lance, C. E., Butts, M. M., & Michels, L. C. (2006). The Sources of Four
Commonly Reported Cutoff Criteria: What Did They Really Say?
Organizational Research Methods, 9(2), 202.
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Introduction to Cronbach’s Alpha – Dr. Matt C. Howard https://mattchoward.com/introduction-to-cronbachs-alpha/
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