Abstract:
In Uganda and other countries, many academic research projects are carried out in
various disciplines e.g., health, social, behavioral sciences, etc., especially for an
academic award. Data gathering to measure the attributes of the study is sometimes
carried out by applying instruments with incomplete scale development although a
large amount of technical literature on scale theory and development exists.
Experts in psychometrics advise researchers to use existing and validated instruments
suited for an attribute or construct for measurement in one’s research project to
obtain reliable and valid data or undertake the comprehensive and scientifically
rigorous process of developing an instrument to use for one’s research project. This
observational and documentary study has addressed the knowledge and practical gaps
in scale development while carrying out scientific inquiry informed by the fundamental
concepts in psychometrics theory which is often not a part of graduate training in
Uganda’s institutions of higher learning.