When to use this
Use this when a validated questionnaire contains reverse-worded items or a justified scoring rule.
Why it matters
Incorrect direction or scoring can make reliability and relationships misleading.
Step-by-step instructions
1. Confirm the original response scale.
2. Mark the variable as reverse coded.
3. Preview the recoding rule and resulting values.
4. Apply it to create a new working version.
5. Review the construct's approved indicators.
6. Preview a mean or sum score and document missing-data handling before approval.
Expected outputs
A versioned transformation record and, when approved, a new working dataset version.
How to interpret the results
Check that higher scores have the intended meaning after recoding. Composite scores are only meaningful when the measurement rationale supports them.
Common mistakes
Do not reverse code based only on a negative-looking name. Do not mix scales with different ranges without a specified rule.
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