Younas Ahtisham, Porr Caroline
School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
Nurse Res. 2018 Dec 6;26(3):14-19. doi: 10.7748/nr.2018.e1585. Epub 2018 Oct 31.
While questionnaires and scales are some of the simplest methods of collecting data, their development requires a rigorous process. In recent years, several new questionnaires and scales have been developed. Although various papers have outlined how to develop questionnaires, their use in survey research, as well as how to ensure their validity and reliability, the actual development of scales - including the generation of items, scaling, the testing of validity and reliability, and refinement of the scale - is missing in the literature.
To outline a systematic and rigorous process for developing scales for survey research and to differentiate between three interchangeably used terms: scale, questionnaire and inventory.
Developing a valid and reliable scale is daunting because of the challenges associated with the conceptualisation, contextualisation and operationalisation of the phenomenon of interest. Researchers should use multiple approaches at each step of development to tackle these challenges.
This paper provides a step-by-step approach to developing scales by providing explicit instructions and practical examples. This six-step process can enable nurse researchers to develop a scale applicable to their study's intended population, which is also valid and reliable for measuring the phenomenon of interest.
Rigorous nursing research demands that instruments be valid and reliable measures. Systematic development of scales is key to ensuring that nurse researchers accurately measure abstract concepts when conducting surveys with a given population. This paper is a first step in addressing the gap in the methodological literature and will contribute to greater rigour in research.
虽然问卷和量表是收集数据的一些最简单的方法，但其开发需要一个严格的过程。近年来，已经开发了几种新的问卷和量表。尽管各种论文已经概述了如何开发问卷、它们在调查研究中的使用以及如何确保其有效性和可靠性，但量表的实际开发过程——包括项目生成、量表制定、效度和信度测试以及量表完善——在文献中却缺失。
概述一种用于调查研究的量表开发的系统且严格的过程，并区分三个可互换使用的术语：量表、问卷和调查表。
由于与感兴趣现象的概念化、情境化和操作化相关的挑战，开发一个有效且可靠的量表令人生畏。研究人员在开发的每个步骤都应使用多种方法来应对这些挑战。
本文通过提供明确的说明和实际示例，提供了一种逐步开发量表的方法。这个六步骤过程可以使护士研究人员开发出适用于其研究目标人群的量表，该量表在测量感兴趣的现象时也是有效且可靠的。
严谨的护理研究要求工具是有效且可靠的测量方法。量表的系统开发是确保护士研究人员在对特定人群进行调查时准确测量抽象概念的关键。本文是解决方法论文献中差距的第一步，并将有助于提高研究的严谨性。
