Integral evaluation instrument of development in rural communities: Construct validation and reliability

Abstract

This article studies the construct validity and reliability of the instrument "analytical rubric for the comprehensive diagnosis of development levels in rural communities". The instrument was applied to 351 inhabitants of rural communities, using exploratory factorial analysis. Findings show that the factorial model consisted of four dimensions: i) organizational, economic-environmental, and educational access conditions; ii) infrastructure; iii) governance; and iv) social and cultural conditions, which account for over 58% of the differences. Regarding reliability, an optimal value was obtained globally (Cronbach's alpha: 0.800) and was also significant across all dimensions. The article concludes that the instrument accurately measures the objective construct, demonstrating its usefulness in using local populations' perceptions to provide valid and reliable assessments of development levels in rural communities.