Question

What does reliability in the context of an assessment instrument refer to?

a) The degree of consistency with which the instrument measures the attribute
b) The less variation an instrument produces in repeated measurements of an attribute, the higher is its reliability
c) An instrument can be said to be reliable if its measures accurately reflect the true measures of the attribute under the question
d) Stability aspect
e) Internal consistency
f) Equivalence

Answer 1

Reliability refers to the consistency of measurement from an assessment instrument. It encompasses inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Reliability does not guarantee validity, which is about measurement accuracy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Reliability in the context of an assessment instrument refers to the degree of consistency with which the instrument measures the attribute. There are different types of reliability, including:

• Inter-rater reliability: The level of agreement among different observers.
• Internal consistency: How well items on an instrument that are intended to measure the same concept actually correlate with each other.
• Test-retest reliability: The stability of the instrument's measurements over time.

Reliability ensures that if the same study or assessment were to be conducted again under the same circumstances, the results would be replicated. However, it's important to note that reliability does not equate to validity, which refers to how accurately an instrument measures what it intends to. A reliable measure is consistent, but it may not necessarily be valid—that is, measuring what it's supposed to.