Ecological content validation of the Information Assessment Method for parents (IAM-parent): A mixed methods study

- The Information Assessment Method (IAM) allows program users to document perceived outcomes of program-related information.
- The IAM help evaluators and planners to assess programs with information retrieval or delivery via websites, email alerts and apps for instance.
- Ecological content validation methods help program planners and evaluators adapt the IAM for any program or audience.
- With a mixed methods design, we adapted the IAM items to assess parents' perspectives of online parenting information.

This mixed methods study content validated the Information Assessment Method for parents (IAM-parent) that allows users to systematically rate and comment on online parenting information. Quantitative data and results: 22,407 IAM ratings were collected; of the initial 32 items, descriptive statistics showed that 10 had low relevance. Qualitative data and results: IAM-based comments were collected, and 20 IAM users were interviewed (maximum variation sample); the qualitative data analysis assessed the representativeness of IAM items, and identified items with problematic wording. Researchers, the program director, and Web editors integrated quantitative and qualitative results, which led to a shorter and clearer IAM-parent.