SCALE VALIDITY - A COMPUTER CONTENT-ANALYSIS APPROACH

This article presents a computer content analysis approach to the prob lem of assessing the validity of Likert scales used in survey research . The wording of questions that make up a scale communicates meaning t o the respondent in order to acquire relevant responses that, when com bined, serve to measure some concept. Traditionally, beyond informal j udgments of face validity, investigators examine responses of a sample of subjects to scale questions in order to determine if expected rela tionships and structure are found. The content analysis procedure prop osed here directly examines the wording of scale questions to see if e xpected meanings, relationships, and structure are found in order to a ssess the validity of a scale. Possibilities of this approach are illu strated using two previously analyzed sets of scales: alienation and p erception of police and crime.