ABSTRACT
Ethnic identity is essentially subjective, a sense of belonging, a definition of self and one’s own group in relation with others. Due to historical factors of fear associated with “official surveys” and questions of citizenship, employment, and ethnic identity, participant reactivity is an important element to consider. Participants often thought the surveys were primarily about gathering the stories and traditions of Kyrgyzstan rather than testing for ethnic identity and gender. Empirical validity is the most common means of assessing measurement validity providing proof that results should be consistent with measures of other related constructs or surveys/measures of similar construct and/or results should be inconsistent with unrelated measures of unrelated constructs/surveys. The nature of the variables, or indicators, listed is nominal variables, allowing for qualitative classification and for quantitative measurement. The power of the research to support results/inferences is highly dependent on the quality of the data collection and the assurance of validity.
