Use of Validity, Suitability and Reliability in Post-Graduate Agricultural Education Research in Eswatini
Keywords:
Agricultural Education, post-graduate, reliability, suitability, validityAbstract
Validity, suitability and reliability are essential techniques to ensure that research results or findings are authentic, truthful, credible, or believable, yet, there is scanty empirical research conducted on these research techniques. In Eswatini, there is no study that has been conducted on research validity, suitability and reliability. Therefore, the study sought to determine the use of validity, suitability and reliability by post-graduate Agricultural Education students in Eswatini. The design of the study was content analysis employing desk review in data collection. The content analysis protocol was peer reviewed by five colleagues from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, at the University of Eswatini. Descriptive statistics using frequencies and percentages, and narrative analysis were used in data analysis. Findings of the study revealed that the master’s degree students in Agricultural Education were addressing issues related to validity and reliability; but not suitability. The students were also found wanting in doing a pilot study in quantitative research; and trustworthiness in qualitative research. The study concluded that the students were trained to addressed issues of measurement error more in quantitative than qualitative research. The researcher recommended that the master’s degree programme must capacitate the students in face validity, suitability and pilot study.
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