Research Design: Internal and External Validity - Essay Example

Internal validity essentially says that the study is measuring what it sets out to examine, while external validity says how useful the answers are to more than just one sample, circumstance, or process. In designing a study, the aim is to achieve good internal and external validity.

With regard to my research and Chapter 8 of Lee and Lings (2008), the research achieves both internal and external validity. In terms of internal validity, the study set out to highlight the past mistakes of the marketing strategies. This was comprehensively addressed thereby giving the research a substantial amount of internal validity. Another aim of the research was to suggest new ideas backed up by evidence for future marketing strategies. Again the research achieved this thereby lending credence to the fact that it achieved the internal validity a great deal. It

The external validity also plays out significantly in this research. The data was primarily collected through questionnaires. The information was collected from a sample of people in Bangkok who visit fashion retail stores. The 364 participants targeted by the research are deemed very representative, therefore, giving it external validity. This comes about in the sense that the researcher can manipulate the findings in such a way as to make them apply across the board. The respondents issued with the questionnaires represent the entire population and not just themselves.

It is, therefore, very clear that this research shows both internal and external validity. This is what any effective research aims to achieve and this research is no exception. In the research design, therefore, the research is rich in both internal validity, achieving its aims, and external validity, applying to the entire universe of study. The research, therefore, gives a clear reflection of the differences in internal and external validity (Lee & Lings, 2008).