Construct validity

Definition: When used in the context of measurement and testing, construct validity refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to be measuring. In fields that study hypothetical unobservable entities, construct validation is essentially theory testing, because it involves determining whether an objective measure (a questionnaire, lab task, etc.) is a valid representation of a hypothetical construct (i.e., conforms to a theory ). When used in a broader sense about a research study, or a claim, conclusion, or observed effect in a research study, construct validity concerns the extent to which the sampling particulars used in the study (participants, settings, treatments, and dependent variables) map onto the higher order constructs the study, the claim, the conclusion is about. According to Shadish et al. (2002), construct validity can be defined as “the degree to which inferences are warranted from the observed persons, settings, and cause and effect operations included in a study to the constructs that these instances might represent” (p. 38). When used in a broader sense about a research study, or a claim, conclusion, or observed effect in a research study, construct validity concerns the extent to which the sampling particulars used in the study (participants, settings, treatments, and dependent variables) map onto the higher order constructs the study, the claim, the conclusion is about. According to Shadish et al. (2002), construct validity can be defined as “the degree to which inferences are warranted from the observed persons, settings, and cause and effect operations included in a study to the constructs that these instances might represent” (p. 38).