Master's thesis tourism and Local Food and Beverages

Chapter3. Methodology 
The method employed in the present research was descriptive and quantitative. 
3.1 Instrumentation 
3.1.1 Data collection instrument 
The instrument used to collect the data was a questionnaire which was 
developed and modified by the researchers. 
Questions are divided into five ranks based on Likert scale ranging from that is including: 
very little, little, medium, much and very much. The questionnaire had three parts. In the first 
part the purpose of the research was explained for the participants in order to become familiar 
with the subject. The second part contained the research questions. And at the end there were 
some questions regarding the demographic characteristics of the respondents. At first, 410 
questionnaires were distributed among the respondents. While analyzing, about 30 were out 
of consideration and reported as missing data. So the ultimate number of questionnaires was 
380. 
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Chapter 3. Methodology 
3.1.2 Validity & reliability 
- 
Validity 
"Validity is the extent to which a construct measures what it is supposed to measure. 
Validation, in general, involves consulting a small sample of typical respondents and/or 
experts to pass judgment on the suitability of the items (indicators) chosen to represent the 
construct" (Hair et al, 2007, P. 246). 
In this study, validity was determined by in-depth literature review. Next, the instruments 
were examined by a group of academic experts to ensure the content and face validity. 
Twenty experts including supervisor and managers of the restaurants were asked to edit and 
improve the questions to enhance its constructional and content validities. They offered their 
suggestions and amendments to the questionnaire based on the suggested perspectives. 
- 
Reliability 
"Reliability is concerned with the consistency of the research findings"(Hair et al, 2007, P. 
241). 
The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by Cronbach' Alpha. The Crobach' Alpha 
was above .80 for the tests conducted. It demonstrated that the instrument used was reliable. 
The present test is made up of 12 items. A single question was reported on a qualitative basis 
(question 4) and the rest followed Likert scale. Therefore, the researchers validated the 
reliability of the test based on 11 questions. The result of the pilot study was equal to 87.6% 
Cronbach'Alpha. 
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Chapter 3. Methodology