BB#2 Relability and Validity

Please post your responses to the following questions:

Test A: 40 items Description: Measure of self-esteem Scales: Total Score, General Self-Esteem, Social Self-Esteem, Personal Self-Esteem Reliability: Test-retest r = .81; coefficient alphas for the Total Score, General Self-Esteem, Social Self-Esteem, Personal Self-Esteem scales are .75, .78, .57 and .72, respectively. Validity: Content— developed construct definitions for self-esteem, developed table of specifications, wrote items covering all content areas, used experts to evaluate items. Convergent— correlated with Coopersmith’s Self-Esteem Inventory (r = .41). Discriminant— correlated with Beck Depression Inventory (r = .05). Factor analysis revealed that the three subscales (General Self-Esteem, Social Self-Esteem, Personal Self-Esteem) are dimensions of self-esteem. Homogeneity— correlations between the scales indicate the General scale correlated with the Social scale at .67, the Personal scale at .79, and the Total scale at .89.

Test B: 117 items Scales: Global self-esteem, competence, lovability, likability, self-control, personal power, moral self-approval, body appearance, body functioning, identity integration, and defensive self-enhancement. Reliability: Test-retest for each scale ranges from .65 to .71. Coefficient alphas range on each scale from .71 to .77. Validity: Content— based on a three-level hierarchical model of self-esteem. Convergent— correlated with the Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory (r = .25) and with the Eysenck Personality Inventory (r = .45). Discriminant— correlated with Hamilton Depression Inventory (r = .19).

a. Given this technical information, which of the above instruments would you select?

b. What additional information would you want to have to make your decision?

Support your thread with at least 2 citations and include Christian worldview or biblical themes were appropriate. Each reply must also include at least 1 citation from class or outside materials.

Submit two (2) replies of 200–250 words

Classmate Jessica: Given the technical information, my instrument of choice would be Test A. First, in contrast to Test B, Test A contains a description of what the test is actually measuring. Second, when looking at the scales for Test A, one can see that all of the scales are related and tend to stay consistent over time. In contrast, Test B has a much longer list of scales that lack consistency over time and aren’t closely related. Test B also suffers from construct-irrelevant variance which means the scales in Test B are by definition too general and are comprised of a set of variables that are too varying to contribute to validity (Sheperis, Drummond & Jones, 2020). Next, Test A has a reliability coefficient of .81 which signifies that this test is high in reliability. Test B has a range of reliability coefficients from .65 to .71 which signifies that it has a moderate to acceptable level of reliability, but not as high as Test A. When looking at the validity of both tests, it is obvious that Test A contains a high level of homogeneity that Test B lacks. Finally, in terms of content validity, Test A provides a more thorough explanation of their process, whereas Test B is unspecific. All of the steps that contribute to establishing content validity are usually provided in instrument manuals which happens to be the case for Test A, but not Test B (Sheperis et al., 2020). 

Regarding additional information, I would want to know, for both Test A and B, how much time elapsed between the first and second test. Carryover and practice effects can occur if the time in-between tests is too short, whereas, intervening experiences or maturation can occur if the time in-between tests is too long (Sheperis et al., 2020). 

Proverbs 11:14 states that “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14, King James Version). Jennifer McCarron, in her thesis, discusses this and the importance of integrating secular knowledge with biblical truth in order to be an effective counselor (McCarron, 2004). Essentially, wise counselors know how to read and understand the research done by other counselors. In other words, clients are helped by counselors who consider the research of Christian and secular counselors alike because more research lends itself to more information and knowledge.

References

King James Version. Biblegateway.com

McCarron, J. M. (2004). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1158&context=honors

Sheperis, C. J., Drummond, R. J., & Jones, K. D. (2020) Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Classmate Brianna: In looking at these two tests, I would choose Test A. Although it encloses 40 items – almost a third of what Test B has – I see it having a greater reliability and validity, because of the higher coefficients ranging closer to .72-.89.. Because this test is measuring self-esteem, I would want to have a deeper understanding as to what self-esteem means and looks like to those being tested, as well as what are the influencing factors that are either increasing or decreasing self-esteem. In addition, I would also like to know how devout one is to a particular religion or to spirituality, in general.

As a Christian, personally speaking, I find that my self-esteem is quick to significantly decrease when I become spiritually anemic. When I experience minimal intimacy within my relationship with God, my self-esteem is drastically affected. Thus, the belief in God or, for those with different religions and spiritual practices, the belief in a being higher than their own self may influence the measure of one’s self-esteem. I would also like to know about any potentially influential ailments, such as anxiety, depression, etc.

Finally, I would like to know what the cultural backgrounds and ethnicities, as well as ages, are of those a part of the test. While this may be slightly derailing from the initial purpose of the test, it could potentially reveal if there is any cultural or ethnical influences in one’s self-esteem, as well as if age significantly affects self-esteem.