PROVAL: A Comprehensive Protocol for Developing Validation Studies

Validity is a fundamental aspect of psychological assessment because it examines the extent to which interpretations of the scores produced by an instrument support its intended purpose. While validation studies are frequently conducted, they often emphasize specific phases or validation methods, such as pilot testing or expert judgments, while neglecting current additional sources of validity evidence that could improve an instrument's psychometric properties. This limitation is partly due to a lack of detailed easy-to-use guidelines, which make validation processes inaccessible to non-expert researchers and practitioners. Additionally, the traditional focus on quantitative methods often overlooks the potential benefits of complementary approaches to validation that will help people design more comprehensive validation studies.

To address these challenges, the present study introduces PROVAL, a nine-step protocol designed to guide researchers in conducting validation studies.

PROVAL promotes a reflective approach to help researchers and practitioners identify and prioritize the most important sources of validity evidence for their specific validation requirements.

An illustrative application of PROVAL is presented, demonstrating its usefulness in optimizing resources and ensuring instruments effectively fulfill their intended purposes.