Social Research Methods - Case Study Example

There are various reliability measures which include observer reliability, test reliability, parallel reliability, and consistent reliability. This involves the efforts to establish where their observations are consistent with the others, example a study involving the interview of two individuals then there is a need to compare the two observations and establish whether the results from both observations are consistent and therefore reliable.In test reliability we try to establish the correlation between studies undertaken in two time periods, it is evident from research that given the same sample and undertake the study after a short time period than the higher the correlation but if we took the same sample and the have a longer time period then the lower the correlation.

This involves testing reliability using any set of questions that tend to yield same results, in a study questions can be split into two where the second part tends to establish the same results as the first part, this way the similarities will help establish whether the results are consistent and reliable.This involves establishing a single measure of consistency on a group of participants at the same time and try to establish whether the results are consistent, this helps in determining whether a study undertaken on the group will be consistent.

All the above methods are used in establishing whether the results of a study are reliable or not, however, the methods have their strength and weakness but they are important in determining reliability.The validity can be defined as the best approximation of truth of inference, however, the validity of a study does not depend on the use of good study design or even use of good samples in the study. Validity measure is divided into four including conclusion validity, internal validity, construction validity and finally external validity.

Conclusion validity involves comparing the results of the study and the conclusion, for example, if in a study we want to establish the relationship that exists between variable A and B and that A causes B then if we conclude that A causes B then the results are valid.