A Content Validity Study of the Water Training Institute Curriculum

Content validity methods, such as matching matrices, have been used to assist in the design and evaluation of training programs. In the present study, the Water Training Institute (WTI) curriculum was evaluated using a content validation approach. The purpose of the study was to identify topics that were being under-emphasized, over-emphasized, or receiving the correct amount of emphasis in the curriculum. A Job Knowledge Survey was developed and administered to subject matter experts to determine the importance of topics to the jobs that WTI graduates would most likely enter after graduation; the importance ratings were used as the criterion for the study. Subject matter experts in a Course Content Workshop indicated the amount of emphasis placed on each topic in four WTI courses. Matching matrices plotting job importance against course emphasis were created for each of the four target jobs for WTI graduates. These matrices did not identify any hits (i.e., topics receiving correct amount of emphasis). However, there were a number of deficiencies that were near hits. These findings will assist WTI in developing future courses and in redesigning their currently offered courses.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Psychology

Year

2010

Author dc:creator

• Turner, Alicia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Elizabeth Shoenfelt (Director), Dr. Reagan Brown, Dr. Jacqueline Pope-Tarrence

• Water Training Institute (WTI)
• job knowledge inventory
• psychological tests
• employment tests
• prediction of occupational success
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/167

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1168