What is another name for Cronbach's alpha?

Cronbach's alpha is commonly referred to as the "alpha coefficient." This term emphasizes its function in measuring internal consistency reliability of a set of items or questions within a test or scale. Internal consistency is crucial for ensuring that various items intended to measure the same construct are yielding similar results, indicating they are capturing the same underlying variable.

While "reliability index" and "consistency measure" are terms that may relate to its purpose, they do not specifically denote Cronbach's alpha. Similarly, although it is related to the concept of correlation, calling it a "correlation coefficient" does not accurately represent its purpose or function, as Cronbach's alpha is not solely a measure of correlation between variables, but rather gauges how closely related a set of items is as a group. Thus, the designation of "alpha coefficient" is the most precise alternative name for it.