Which reliability concept concerns consistency of results across test items regardless of wording?

Which reliability concept concerns consistency of results across test items regardless of wording?

• A. Internal reliability
• B. External reliability
• C. Cronbach's alpha
• D. Factor analysis

Answer: (A)

Internal reliability refers to how consistently items on a test measure the same underlying construct. When items are worded differently but tap the same idea, their responses should move together, producing a coherent overall score. This cross-item consistency is what internal reliability captures. Cronbach's alpha is the common statistic used to quantify this type of reliability, reflecting how well the items hang together. External reliability concerns score stability across time or across different forms, not the consistency among items within a single test. Factor analysis examines the structure among items to identify underlying dimensions, rather than focusing on how consistently items relate to the same construct. So, consistency of results across test items regardless of wording is internal reliability.

Internal reliability refers to how consistently items on a test measure the same underlying construct. When items are worded differently but tap the same idea, their responses should move together, producing a coherent overall score. This cross-item consistency is what internal reliability captures. Cronbach's alpha is the common statistic used to quantify this type of reliability, reflecting how well the items hang together. External reliability concerns score stability across time or across different forms, not the consistency among items within a single test. Factor analysis examines the structure among items to identify underlying dimensions, rather than focusing on how consistently items relate to the same construct. So, consistency of results across test items regardless of wording is internal reliability.