© C.

Thatchinamoorthy Phd Scholar 2016

 Meaning

 Definition

 Types

 Factors influencing

 Improve of test

© C.Thatchinamoorthy Phd Scholar 2016

 Reliability is one of the important characteristics of
any test.

 It refer to the precision or accuracy of the

measurement of score.

 Reliability refers to the stability of a test measure or

protocol.

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 Rosenthal(1991): Reliability is a major concern when
a psychological test is used to measure some attribute
or behaviour.

 Anastasi (1968): Reliability refers to the consistency

of scores obtained by the same individuals when re-
examined with test on different occasions, or with
different sets of equivalent items, or under other
variable examining conditions.

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 Three important types

◦ Test –Retest Reliability

◦ Split – half or Internal Consistency Reliability

◦ Parallel forms reliability or Equivalent - forms

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 In test –retest reliability the single form of the test is
administered twice on the same sample with a
reasonable time gap.

 In this way two administration of the same form of

the two independent sets of scores.

 The two sets, when correlated, give the value of the

reliability coefficient.

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 Same Test
Same Sample
Different Times

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 Measure instrument at two times for multiple
persons.

 Compute correlation between the two measures.

 Assumes there is no change in the underlying trait

between time 1 and time 2.

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 Contributing factors:
◦ (1) Clear instructions for administrators, research
participants, and raters

◦ (2) Tasks/questions in participants’ first language or

target language at appropriate level of difficulty

◦ (3) Unambiguously phrased tasks/questions

 Other name Internal Consistency reliability

 It indicates the homogeneity of the test

 This method the test is divided into two equal or

nearly halves

 Common way of this test is the odd-even method

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar
 Indicates that subjects’ scores on some trials
consistently match their scores on other trials
 Contributing factors:
◦ (1) Careful item writing, guided by item specifications

◦ (2) Field test and item analysis

◦ (3) Construction of tests with reference to item performance

 This reliability various names such as,

◦ Alternative- forms reliability

◦ Equivalent –forms reliability

◦ Comparable – forms reliability

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

 The alternative forms technique to estimate reliability
is similar to the test retest method, except that
different measures of a behaviour (rather than the
same measure) are collected at different times.

 If the correlation between the alternative forms is

low, it could indicate that considerable measurement
error is present, because two different scales were
used.

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar

© Thatchinamoorthy, PhD scholar
 Contributing factors:
◦ (1) Thedevelopment of equivalent forms from specifications
that describe tool content

◦ (2) Trial of tools before data collection to ensure

equivalence
 Group Variability

 Guessing by the examinees

 Environmental Conditions
 When the group of examinees being tested is
homogenous in ability, the reliability of the test scores
is likely to be lowered.

 But when the examinees vary widely in their range of

ability, that is, the group of examinees is a
heterogeneous one, the reliability of the test scores is
likely to be high.
 Guessing in a test is an important source of
unreliability.

 In two alternative response options there is a 50 %

chance of answering the items correctly on the basis of
the guess.
 Testing environment should be uniform

 Arrangement should be such that light, sound, and

other comforts are equal and uniform to all the
examinees.

 Otherwise it will tend to lower the reliability of the test

scores
 The group of examinees should be heterogeneous, that
is, the examinees should vary widely in their ability or
trait being measured.
 Items should be homogenous.
 Test should preferably be a longer one.
 Items should be discriminatory ones.
 C.Thatchinamoorhy (2015-16) Class Notes, AEX 812-
Advances in designs and techniques in Social Science
Research (2+1)

 Dr.T.Rathakrishnan (2009). Advances & Challenges in

Agricultural Extension & Rural Development.

 Rosenthal, R. and Rosnow, R. L. (1991). Essentials of

Behavioral Research: Methods and Data Analysis. Second
Edition. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, pp. 46-65

 http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/mtmmmat.htm

© Taylor & Francis 2014

 C.Thatchinamoorthy,
I Ph.D. Agricultural Extension,
Department Agricultural Extension,
Faculty of Agriculture
Annamalai University
Annamalainagar .
tmthatchupeaceful@gmail.com

© Taylor & Francis 2014