I am not sure what you mean by sample size issues. But in addition to face validation and content validation (on the latter see the classic Carmines, Edward G. and Richard A. Zeller (1979): Reliability and Validity Assessment. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications), you could do a principal component analysis or exploratory factor analysis in order to see on how many components the items are loading in what way (on the difference between PCA and EFA, see the chapter in Tabachnik and Fidell’s book on statistics). A confirmatory FA could be done when you have clear expectations about the number of factors and loadings. The Carmines and Zeller book also gives you advice on reliability measurement, which is relevant as well when constructing a new scale.