Validity of Instruments, Appropriateness of Designs and Statistics in Articles in Nigerian Education Journals

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to appraise the validity of research instruments, the appropriateness of the research designs and the statistics used for data analyses in articles published in education journals in Nigeria. Currently, higher institutions in Nigeria tend to prefer articles published in foreign/international journals. Some researchers in the country also question the validity of some of the articles published in local journals. Appropriate research designs, valid instrument and appropriate use of statisticals tools are some of the indices that make research results credible and dependable. To assess these important variables, three questions were posed. Journal articles published in Nigeria education Journals for last five years were selected through accidental sampling technique. Then purposive sampling technique was used to select 132 empirical studies. Empirical studies were selected because they are the studies that lend themselves to use of designs, data collection with instruments and statistical analysis of data. Appraisal guides for instrument, design and statistics were used to assess the articles. The results showed that 67% of the articles were carried out with appropriate research designs, and in 78% of the articles, appropriate statistics were applied in data analyses. However, only 36% of the instruments used for the study would generate data that can lead to valid interpretation of the results. Programmes that will enhance knowledge and stills of researchers to improve the quality of research based publications are recommended. Institutions of higher learning can help their staff in this direction.