NCJ Number
252887
Journal
EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT Volume: 78 Issue: 1 Dated: 2018 Pages: 80-102
Date Published
2018
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study illustrates the problem of invalid respondents in a sample (N = 52,012) from 323 high schools who provided self-reports in a statewide assessment of school climate.
Abstract
Self-report surveys are widely used to measure adolescent risk behavior and academic adjustment, with results having an impact on national policy, assessment of school quality, and evaluation of school interventions; however, data obtained from self-reports can be distorted when adolescents intentionally provide inaccurate or careless responses. In the current study, two approaches for identifying invalid respondents were applied, and contrasts between the valid and invalid responses revealed differences in means, prevalence rates of student adjustment, and associations among reports of bullying victimization and student adjustment outcomes. The results lend additional support for the need to screen for invalid responders in adolescent samples. (publisher abstract modified)