The search for validity evidence in the development of instruments in speech therapy: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

To identify in the literature the use of psychometry in Speech Therapy, besides the processes used in the search for validity evidence for the instruments in that field.

Research strategy:

The databases investigated were MEDLINE (accessed via PubMed), LILACS, Scopus, and SciELO. The descriptors used were “Validation studies,” “Validity of tests,” “Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences,” and “Valid” (followed by a truncation element) in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Selection criteria:

The review included studies that performed some type of validation of tests in Speech Therapy. The survey found 296 papers, 48 of which were included. Most studies were published by international journals in Speech Therapy and with broad-age-group samples.

Results:

The main area assessed by the instruments was language (20 studies), followed by audiology (13 studies). The year with the highest number of publications was 2014 and the main type of search for validity evidence was based on the internal structure.

Conclusion:

The principles of search for validity evidence are still scarcely used for instruments in Speech Therapy. However, most studies were developed in recent years, which shows the current trend for focusing on the need for enhancing the instruments.

Keywords:
Speech, language and hearing sciences; Psychometrics; Validation studies; Validity of tests; Evaluation