Social Validity Measurements in Classroom Intervention for Students with ADHD

Abstract

Whereas social validity is an important aspect of interventions, this study reviewed how the concept of social validity has been applied in intervention studies, especially those that are implemented to support kids with ADHD. Interventions with good social validity are more likely to be implemented by educators and be accepted by students. Existing summative research suggests that social validity data is not a primary interest of most researchers, and only about one-third of the intervention studies included social validity as an outcome measurement. While measurement of acceptance of the intervention is usually included in the studies, there was a lack of attention paid to evaluating the interventions short-term goals and long-term outcomes. Among the stakeholders, the interventionists and teachers are the primary informants for social validity data, whereas student feedback is often left uncollected. Future research should address the concern of social validity better, using multiple measurements and collecting more comprehensive data from different stakeholders.