
What is the difference between internal and external validity?
Introduction
Internal and external validity are important ideas in research, but they refer to different parts of the research process.
Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study’s findings can be attributed to the independent variable being studied and not to other factors (Westreich et al., 2019). In other words, internal validity is the degree to which a study’s design and methods ensure that the observed effects of the independent variable are not due to confounding variables or other sources of error. Internal validity is essential because, with it, the results of a study may accurately reflect the effects of the independent variable being studied.
External validity, on the other hand, refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to other populations, settings, and situations. In other words, external validity is the degree to which the results of a study can be applied to people, places, or conditions beyond the study’s specific context (Westreich et al., 2019). External validity is essential because, without it, the results of a survey might not apply to other people or places.
In short, internal validity means that the study results are correct and reliable. External validity, on the other hand, is how well those results can be used in other situations or with different groups of people… Click Here to Order this paper.
