Testing the Content Validity of Questionnaires: The Role of the Think-Aloud Protocol

Abstract

This chapter explores the application of the think-aloud protocol as a validation tool for assessing the content of research tools, a questionnaire as an example. This validation technique involves participants verbalizing their thoughts while completing a task. The chapter offers a practical example of the use of the think-aloud to enhance the content of a questionnaire on Tunisians' attitudes towards the uses of English, the reasons behind using English, and the promotion of the status of English in higher education. The results revealed several issues in word choice, sentence structure and question formulation demonstrating that the think-aloud protocol can be effectively used to refine questionnaire content.