Sociology – Paper 1 – Methods of research | e-Consult

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measurement – whether the same instrument would produce similar results under identical conditions. Example: A questionnaire on social attitudes yields comparable scores when administered to the same group on two occasions (test‑retest reliability).

Strategy to improve reliability: pilot the instrument and refine ambiguous items, or use standardized scales with established reliability coefficients.

Validity concerns the extent to which a tool measures what it claims to measure. Example: An interview schedule intended to assess “social cohesion” actually captures respondents’ opinions on local services, indicating low construct validity.

Strategy to improve validity: employ multiple methods (e.g., surveys, observations, and interviews) to triangulate data, ensuring the construct is captured from different angles.