Validation of the Individual Reaction Gestalt Version IV Observer Instrument

Abstract

The problem was to examine the validity and reliability of the observer system instrument known as Individual Reaction Gestalt Version IV (IRG IV). Its purpose is to measure human involvement from a multidimensional perspective. The population (N = 21) consisted of students enrolled in Boston University in 3 selected subject areas (mathematics, drama, and a class in human movement). Data were collected using systematic observation (IRG IV), self-report measures, and participant interviews over a 4-week period. Each lesson was videotaped with the tapes to be used to investigate the content and construct validity and interobserver reliability. To establish the degree of correspondence between IRG IV and self-report measures, critical incidents were used. Coefficients were calculated by forming a ratio of agreed responses to the total number of responses per critical incidents. Interviews, observers' codings, and participant responses to the self-report critical incidents were the three points triangulated in the data analysis. Results indicated IRG IV could accurately describe verbal and nonverbal levels of involvement with cognitive behaviors as defined in the study. As a check of the instrument's objectivity, 5 volunteers, who had no prior knowledge of IRG IV, performed "live" interpretations of previously coded lessons in each subject area. These live interpretations were compared to the observers' codings, and high agreement coefficients were obtained. Interobserver reliability was obtained by comparing the matrices of the two observers and computing the ratio of agreed responses to total observations. High interobserver agreement was found for each lesson and for the selected critical incidents.