HESI Nursing Research II
HESI Nursing Research II ( 54 Questions)
A researcher is assessing the reliability of a new instrument that was constructed to measure pain perception following cardiac catheterization.
The Cronbach's alpha obtained from a pilot study of the tool was 0.35. Which evaluation does the alpha value indicate?
Cronbach's alpha is a measure of internal consistency, not inter-rater reliability. Inter-rater reliability assesses the degree of agreement between different raters or observers, which is not applicable in this context.
This is the correct answer. A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.35 indicates poor internal consistency for the instrument. In other words, the items in the tool do not consistently measure the same underlying construct (pain perception). A low alpha value suggests that the items in the instrument may not be reliably measuring the intended concept and that revision may be necessary to improve the tool's consistency.
The statement "The tool will consistently measure pain perception in clients" is not supported by the low Cronbach's alpha value of 0.35. A low alpha suggests that the tool does not demonstrate consistent measurement of pain perception.
Cronbach's alpha does not provide information about the presence of inverse relationships among items on the scale. It assesses internal consistency, which is about the degree to which items on the scale are interrelated and measure the same construct. A low alpha indicates poor internal consistency but does not specifically indicate the presence of inverse relationships.
Choice A rationale:
Cronbach's alpha is a measure of internal consistency, not inter-rater reliability. Inter-rater reliability assesses the degree of agreement between different raters or observers, which is not applicable in this context.
Choice B rationale:
This is the correct answer. A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.35 indicates poor internal consistency for the instrument. In other words, the items in the tool do not consistently measure the same underlying construct (pain perception). A low alpha value suggests that the items in the instrument may not be reliably measuring the intended concept and that revision may be necessary to improve the tool's consistency.
Choice C rationale:
The statement "The tool will consistently measure pain perception in clients" is not supported by the low Cronbach's alpha value of 0.35. A low alpha suggests that the tool does not demonstrate consistent measurement of pain perception.
Choice D rationale:
Cronbach's alpha does not provide information about the presence of inverse relationships among items on the scale. It assesses internal consistency, which is about the degree to which items on the scale are interrelated and measure the same construct. A low alpha indicates poor internal consistency but does not specifically indicate the presence of inverse relationships.