Editing Cronbach's alpha (section)

{{Short description|Statistical measure of reliability}} 
{{confusing|date=May 2023|talk=Talk:Cronbach's_alpha#"Common misconceptions" section is misleading}}

'''Cronbach's alpha''' (Cronbach's <math>\alpha</math>), also known as '''tau-equivalent reliability''' (<math>\rho_T</math>) or '''coefficient alpha''' (coefficient <math>\alpha</math>), is a [[reliability coefficient]] and a measure of the [[internal consistency]] of tests and measures.<ref name=c1951>{{cite journal|last=Cronbach|first=Lee J.|title=Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests|journal=Psychometrika|publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC|volume=16|issue=3|year=1951|doi=10.1007/bf02310555|pages=297–334| hdl=10983/2196|s2cid=13820448|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name=c1978>{{cite journal|last=Cronbach|first=L. J.|year=1978|title=Citation Classics|journal=Current Contents|volume=13|pages=263|url=http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1978/A1978EQ39200002.pdf|access-date=2021-03-22|archive-date=2022-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120235644/http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1978/A1978EQ39200002.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Cho>{{cite journal|last=Cho|first=Eunseong|title=Making Reliability Reliable|journal=Organizational Research Methods|publisher=SAGE Publications|volume=19|issue=4|date=2016-07-08|issn=1094-4281|doi=10.1177/1094428116656239|pages=651–682| s2cid=124129255}}</ref> It was named after the American psychologist [[Lee Cronbach]]. 

Numerous studies warn against using Cronbach's alpha unconditionally. Statisticians regard reliability coefficients based on [[structural equation modeling]] (SEM) or [[generalizability theory]] as superior alternatives in many situations.<ref name="Sijtsma">{{cite journal|first=K.|last=Sijtsma|title=On the use, the misuse, and the very limited usefulness of Cronbach's alpha|journal=Psychometrika|volume=74|issue=1|pages=107–120|date=2009|doi=10.1007/s11336-008-9101-0|pmid=20037639|pmc=2792363}}</ref><ref name="GY">{{cite journal|last1=Green|first1=S. B.|last2=Yang|first2=Y.|title=Commentary on coefficient alpha: A cautionary tale|journal=Psychometrika|volume=74|issue=1|pages=121–135|date=2009|doi=10.1007/s11336-008-9098-4|s2cid=122718353}}</ref><ref name="RZ">{{cite journal|last1=Revelle|first1=W.|last2=Zinbarg|first2=R. E.|title=Coefficients alpha, beta, omega, and the glb: Comments on Sijtsma|journal=Psychometrika|volume=74|issue=1|pages=145–154|date=2009|doi=10.1007/s11336-008-9102-z|s2cid=5864489}}</ref><ref name="ChoKim">{{cite journal|last1=Cho|first1=E.|last2=Kim|first2=S.|title=Cronbach's coefficient alpha: Well known but poorly understood|journal=Organizational Research Methods|volume=|issue=2|pages=207–230|date=2015|doi=10.1177/1094428114555994|s2cid=124810308}}</ref><ref name="RM">{{cite journal|last1=Raykov|first1=T.|last2=Marcoulides|first2=G. A.|title=Thanks coefficient alpha, we still need you!|journal=Educational and Psychological Measurement|volume=79|issue=1|pages=200–210|date=2017|doi=10.1177/0013164417725127|pmid=30636788|pmc=6318747}}</ref><ref name="c2004">{{cite journal|last1=Cronbach|first1=L. J.|last2=Shavelson|first2=R. J.|title=My Current Thoughts on Coefficient Alpha and Successor Procedures|journal=Educational and Psychological Measurement|volume=64|issue=3|pages=391–418|date=2004|doi=10.1177/0013164404266386|s2cid=51846704}}</ref>