Content validity exercises for nursing students.

In instrument development, the assessment of content validity is a critical step. However, content validation often is given superficial and cursory attention. Because the procedure involved in assessing content validity is not addressed in depth in research textbooks, nursing students may not fully understand or appreciate the intricacies required in this crucial process. The purpose of this article is to share some content validity exercises the author has developed for use with both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. These exercises involve an instrument, entitled the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale, which the author is currently developing.