Can We Trust Children’s Self-Reports? Examining Socially Desirable Responses in Elementary School Surveys
Self-report surveys are extensively utilized in educational research to understand students’ perceptions and experiences. However, younger child.
- Pub. date: August 15, 2025
- Online Pub. date: July 01, 2025
- Pages: 349-357
- 39 Downloads
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Abstract:
Self-report surveys are extensively utilized in educational research to understand students’ perceptions and experiences. However, younger children, particularly those in elementary school, may exhibit a tendency to provide socially desirable responses, potentially compromising the data quality. This study examined the prevalence and impact of socially desirable responses in self-report surveys administered to elementary school students. A total of 1,024 students from grades 4 and 5 in five elementary schools participated in the study. Socially desirable responses were measured using detection items embedded within questionnaires. The findings indicate that (a) more than 20% of elementary school students demonstrated socially desirable responses; (b) female students and those with higher academic achievement were more likely to provide socially desirable responses; (c) socially desirable responses skewed the sample distribution by inflating mean scores and reducing standard deviations; and (d) while internal correlations within scales remained relatively stable, external validity, as reflected in correlations between self-reports and academic performance metrics, was significantly affected after adjusting for socially desirable responses. These results underscore the importance of addressing socially desirable responses when interpreting self-report data from young students. The study concludes with practical recommendations for improving the validity of self-report surveys in educational research.
Keywords: Elementary school, Likert scale, self-report surveys, social desirability bias.
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