Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

Internal Consistency: Do we really know what it is and How to Assess It?
Wei Tang, Ying Cui, Oksana Babenko

Abstract
The term “internal consistency” of a test has been used widely but defined controversially in the field of psychometrics. In theoretical and practical research, internal consistency has had different meanings, such as homogeneity, average interitem correlation, general factor saturation, and internal consistency reliability. Lack of an explicit definition of internal consistency has posed difficulties in concept use and interpretation of results as well as hampered the development of new and better indices for measuringit. Building on the review of various meanings and measures of internal consistency, the present study attempts to provide an explicit definition of internal consistency, together with recommendations of appropriate measures for assessing it.

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