Content and face validity of the education conditionality and impact instrument for conditional cash transfers in zakat distribution: insights from Malaysian experts

Purpose The study aims to determine the content and face validity of the education conditionality and impact instrument for conditional cash transfers in zakat distribution (EDCI-ZCCT) measurement instrument. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI) and modified Kappa statistic (K) for content validity and face validity ratio (FVI) for face validity. Ten experts in Malaysia from diverse fields – academia, industry research and zakat management – were selected to evaluate 16 items for relevance (content validity) and clarity (face validity). Findings The findings indicate that the instrument demonstrates high content and face validity, with strong agreement among the experts. The 16 items of the EDCI-ZCCT instrument achieved strong content validity, with CVR values ranging from 0.800 to 1.000, I-CVI between 0.900 and 1.000, an S-CVI of 0.988 and Kappa values from 0.899 to 1.000. The I-FVI clarity scores ranged from 1.000 to 0.900, with an average S-FVI/Ave of 0.969. Research limitations/implications These results confirm the instrument’s relevance, clarity and appropriate, with all 16 items retained and one additional item added based on expert feedback. Practical implications The validated EDCI-ZCCT instrument provides policymakers and zakat institutions with a practical, evidence-based tool to design, implement and evaluate education-conditional cash transfer programs, promoting accountability, educational attainment and human capital development among asnaf beneficiaries. Originality/value The originality of this research is associated with the validation of the CCT instrument for zakat distribution, with a specific focus on the education dimension, which has not been previously explored.