Testing of a new instrument demonstrates that it has a high degree of internal consistency. What does this indicate to the nurse researcher?
A) The instrument is appropriate to use to measure a single concept.
B) The instrument has low measurement error and high error variance.
C) More refinement of the instrument is necessary before it can be applied.
D) The instrument is valid, but the reliability has yet to be determined.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a new instrument demonstrates a high degree of internal consistency, it indicates that the different items or questions on the instrument are measuring the same underlying concept consistently. This means that the instrument is appropriate to use to measure a single concept or construct. Internal consistency is a measure of the extent to which different items on an instrument are related to each other, and is usually assessed using Cronbach's alpha or a similar statistic. A high degree of internal consistency indicates that the items are measuring the same thing, which is an important aspect of construct validity. It does not necessarily mean that the instrument has low measurement error or high error variance, or that more refinement is necessary, although these issues may need to be addressed separately. Reliability is a related but distinct concept from internal consistency, and refers to the consistency of measurement over time or across different raters.

Testing of a New Instrument Demonstrates That It Has a High