the extent to which a measurement tool or instrument appears, at first glance, to measure what it is intended to measure. It is based on a subjective judgment by users, experts, or stakeholders about whether the items in the tool “look like” they assess the intended construct. Although face validity can help establish initial credibility, it does not provide statistical evidence of actual validity.
Example
A questionnaire designed to measure “test anxiety” asks about symptoms such as “feeling nervous before exams” and “trouble sleeping before a test.” On the surface, these items clearly relate to test anxiety, so researchers and participants might agree it has face validity — it “looks like” it measures test anxiety.