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Do College Student Surveys Have Any Validity?
- The Review of Higher Education
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 35, Number 1, Fall 2011
- pp. 45-76
- 10.1353/rhe.2011.0034
- Article
- Additional Information
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Using standards established for validation research, I review the theory and evidence underlying the validity argument of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). I use the NSSE because it is the preeminent survey of college students, arguing that if it lacks validity, then so do almost all other college student surveys. I find that it fails to meet basic standards for validity and reliability, and recommend that higher education researchers initiate a new research agenda to develop valid college student surveys.