Validation of a scale measuring research methodological competencies in postgraduate

Abstract

Methodological competence is crucial for research-oriented graduate programs; hence the need to have data collection instruments that meet the quality standards for its measurement, including the attributes of reliability and validity. This paper describes the design, construction, and validation process of an instrument that allows to measure such construct. In order to do this, a scale was developed following a mixed method. In the qualitative phase teachers were interviewed from the different graduate programs in the state of Sonora, Mexico, to identify the abilities that every researcher must have regardless of the discipline in which he or she works; furthermore, a literature review was made to complement these findings. Afterward, in the quantitative phase the scale was designed considering the indicators of the previous phase; it was administered to the students of the different graduate programs oriented to the training of researchers in the state of Sonora, and its validity and reliability was determined. As a result, the initial scale consisted of 30 items, but after the reliability and factorial structure analysis an instrument of 23 items was obtained. Likewise, the confirmatory factor analysis suggested a four-factor model and showed that the scale is empirically adequate for the measurement of the construct: X² = 417.08, p = .000; CMIN/DF = 1.92; CFI= .95; GFI= .90; NFI= .91; RMSEA = .054, SRMR=.0478. It is concluded that the scale fulfills the appropriate metric properties for the measurement of the construct