Validity and Reliability of Research Instruments in Public Administration

    Abstract

    Reliability and validity remain appropriate concepts for attaining rigor in both qualitative and quantitative research. Few or not many researchers in public administration always salvage responsibility for reliability and validity by implementing verification strategies integral and self-correcting during the conduct of inquiry which promote the attainment of rigor using strategies inherent within each quantitative and qualitative design, and moves the responsibility for incorporating and maintaining reliability and validity from external reviewers’ judgments to the investigators themselves. This study clarifies the meaning and use of reliability and validity in both quantitative and qualitative research paradigm in public administration. The study also contributes to knowledge creation on how meeting validity and reliability demand of research affects its outcome and acceptability. In pursuit of this aim the paper relied on qualitative technique as its methodology. Threatening or risk factors that may affect validity and reliability of research outcomes were appraised. However, the research paper revealed that the trustworthiness, universality, acceptability of any research findings in public administration lies in the researcher’s capacity to meet the validity and reliability needs of the research exercise as any data collected with invalid or unreliable instrument eventually renders the research outcome unacceptable. The study concludes by recommending some possible strategies to enhance validity and reliability in public administration (social research).

    Keywords: Research instrument, Validity, Reliability, Public administration, Quantitative research, Qualitative research 

    DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/fujpam.2024.v3i02.012

    Download the article:

    author/Mela, K., Agustine, J. & Jim, G.K.

    journal/FUJPAM Vol. 3, No. 2 

    Pages