A Typology of Threats to Construct Validity in Item Generation

Abstract

We review the literature on item generation and develop a typology of common threats to construct validity related to poor item generation practices. The typology is based on the literature on item generation, which suggests that these are practices to avoid in the construction of survey items. The threats are categorized as scale-centered or context-centered, and might occur in either item construction or in the meaning drawn by the respondent. By wording items to avoid these pitfalls researchers may be able to improve the construct validity of their studies.