1. RESEARCH IN ADULT EDUCATION
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
PRESENTED BY
DOREEN
D’AMICO
N ATA L I E
JACOVELLI
TERESA VIDAL

2. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
To expand knowledge in a field
To close gaps in knowledge

3. TYPES OF RESEARCH
Basic Research
Satisfies intellectual interest
Applied Research
Directed at solving an immediate
or practical problem

4. RESEARCH IN ADULT EDUCATION
 Add to the knowledge base of AE
 Apply in AE for improved practice
With limited research in AE, adult educators have had
to rely on research from Education (pedagogy) and
from the Social Sciences (psychology and
sociology).
“The creation of a body of knowledge in adult education
through systematic and disciplined inquiry has
lagged…”
(Darkenwald & Merriam, p. 25)

5. PAST RESEARCH IN AE
Adult Literacy at Michigan State ,Penn State, Georgia State, Rutgers, Univ.
of Penn, and National Center for Family Literacy
Adult Development and Learner Persistence at Harvard
Multiple Intelligence and Staff Education at World Education
GED at Brown & Georgia Universities
Research
ESL at American Institutes for
Adult Basic Education at Harvard and Abe Associates Inc.
Teaching & Learning at Rutgers University
Associates Inc.
Leadership at Abt
Assessment at Center for Literacy Studies & University of Tennessee

6. TYPES OF RESEARCH
Quantitative Research
• Begins with a predetermined hypothesis.
• Emphasis on facts and causes
• Uses objective measurement to gather numeric data that can
be used to prove/disprove the hypothesis.
• Reported statistically
Qualitative Research
• Focuses on the bigger picture, can raise further questions.
• Looks at data in context (real life situations), in specific setting
to group. Includes: interviews, observations.

7. QUALITY OF RESEARCH
Important for credibility.
 Answers questions:
 “Can I trust the findings?”
 “Can I generalize these findings?”
Uses accepted standards of
Reliability
Validity

8. RELIABILITY IS CONSISTENCY
More relevant in quantitative studies.
The extent to which findings are repeatable.
 The extent to which a measure, procedure or
instrument yields the same result on repeated
studies.
Reliability is a number between -1 and +1.

9. RELIABILITY IN QUALITATIVE STUDIES
Reliability concerns measurement which is not a
part of qualitative research.
“…in qualitative paradigms the terms
Credibility, Neutrality or
Confirmability, Consistency or Dependability
and Applicability or Transferability are to be
the essential criteria for quality.” (Lincoln &
Guba, 1985)

10. VALIDITY IS ACCURACY
Validity is the degree to which a study
accurately reflects or assesses the
specific concept that the researcher is
attempting to measure.

11. VALIDITY IS IMPORTANT
“…in that it indicates to the research
consumer how accurately cause was
established and future events can be
predicted.” (Merriam & Simpson, 2000, p. 58)
Validity of a study is determined by two
measures: internal and external.

12. IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:
 Gather data for a long time.
 Conduct member checks (talk with
participants) - take data back to participants
to see if interpretations "ring true" to them.
 Peer/Colleague examination - ask others if
findings sound plausible.

13. IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:
 Statement of researcher's
experience, assumptions, biases
 Look for reference material.
 "Audit Trail" - notes researcher should detail how
data was collected, how the categories were
derived and how decisions were made. Guba &
Lincoln (as cited in Merriam & Simpson, 2000)

14. IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:
Triangulate
Use of a combination of research methods in a
study, both qualitative and quantitative
Use of multiple investigators
Use of multiple sources of data
Use of multiple methods to check findings

15. REFERENCES
Darkenwald, G. G., & Merriam, S. B. (n.d.). Adult
Education, Foundations of Practice.
Golafshani, N. (2003, December). Understanding Reliability and
Validity in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report, 8 (4), 597607.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly
Hills, CA: Sage.
Merriam, S. B., & Simpson, E. L. (2000). A Guide to Research for
Educators and Trainers of Adults (Second ed.). Malabar, Florida:
Krieger Publishing Company.
Mortensen, J. (2001). Current Research in Adult Learning and
Literacy. Retrieved October 2013, from National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php@id=296.html