On the adequacy of the experimental approach to construct validation: the case of advertising literacy

Given the significant number of the studies conducted to explore construct validity, adopting various approaches, and the paucity of the studies that employed the experimental approach to validation, the current study was aimed at exploring the adequacy of the experimental approach to construct validation, drawing upon advertising literacy as the construct of the researchers’ concern. To this end, the researchers pursued the experimentation, test administration, and validation phases, respectively. To identify the effect of the experimentation, an independent samples t-test was run; there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups. The closing phase was devoted to verification of the construct validity of the test. Hence, it was referred to the divergence of scores on the test of advertising literacy and a midterm examination of general English proficiency. The results indicated a low correlation between the two sets of scores. Therefore, it could be argued for the desirable degree of construct validity. Accordingly, the adequacy of the approach is evidentially verified.