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Issues and approaches to estimating interrater reliability in nursing research
Author(s) -
Goodwin Laura Driscoll,
Prescott Patricia A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770040308
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , inter rater reliability , reliability (semiconductor) , estimation , psychology , nursing research , meaning (existential) , statistics , computer science , reliability engineering , nursing , medicine , mathematics , psychotherapist , developmental psychology , engineering , rating scale , physics , systems engineering , quantum mechanics , power (physics)
Following a general discussion of the meaning of and need for reliability estimates, four different approaches to the estimation of interrater reliability are discussed: correlational techniques, comparison of means, percentage of agreement, and generalizability theory techniques. Data from a nursing research project are used to illustrate the method and to interpret reliability estimates obtained by each approach. The estimates vary widely, from a low of .03 (using a percentage of agreement technique), to a high of .68 (using a correlational approach). The usefulness and advantages of generalizability theory techniques, which afford the most comprehensive and complex means of assessing reliability, are emphasized.