Impostor Self-Concept Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents – ISF-KJ (English Version)

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Findings:

All ten respondents chose the answer option “Sometimes true” for item 1. They were asked to explain their answers in more detail, with the reasons in all ten cases matching the selected answer option. The respondents explained that they occasionally doubted that they could perform well, but that this was not very often the case:

• “Sometimes I get a bit excited and nervous when I have to give a presentation or read out a story, for example.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade)
• “Sometimes I get a bit nervous because I want to get a good grade in my exams, and I don't know if it will work.” (TP07, 9 Jahre, 4th grade)
• “I'm usually well prepared, but sometimes one thinks, ‘Hmm, can I do this now?’ You also never know exactly what will be asked. So, you can sometimes be unsure.” (TP08, 10 years, 5th grade)
• “Sometimes I think that I haven't learned enough or that I will forget everything again.” (TP02, 11 years old, 6th grade)
• “Sometimes I'm afraid that I'll mess up in subjects that I'm actually good at too.” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade)

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The majority of the respondents answered item 2 with “Never true” (n = 6) or “Sometimes true” (n= 3) and explained that they perceive the situations mentioned in the item as positive rather than negative or would only avoid them in certain cases. There were no differences in terms of the respondents' gender:

• “I actually think competitions are cool, I enjoy them. In sport, for example. And I often participate in lessons too.” (TP07, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Never true)
• “I really enjoy giving presentations, for example. And I don't see competitions as something where you're judged, but rather as something where you can prove yourself.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade, answer: Never true)
• “So my understanding is that if I speak up in class, I'm afraid of saying something wrong. That's sometimes true.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “Actually, I don't really avoid these situations, just sometimes. I was thinking about oral grades, for example, speaking up in math class.” (TP02, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Sometimes true)

Respondent 04 (10 years old, 5th grade) chose the answer option “Often true” and explained that she would find some of the situations given as examples unpleasant, but not others. When answering the item, she referred to those situations that she tries to avoid:

• TP04: “I don't always try to avoid these situations, but more often. For example, when someone wants to race me. Or situations in general where someone says, 'I bet I can do better than you'.”
• INT: “But you said you like to speak up in class?”
• TP04: “Yes, but you're not judged there. They don't say 'you're so bad', they just say 'that's right' or 'that's wrong'.”

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To prevent respondents from leaving the item unanswered because they rarely or never get good grades, we recommend rephrasing it in the same way as item 13 and adding the aspect of “good performance”:

Although I have often had good grades or performed well, I am afraid that I will not be able to meet the expectations of others in the future.
[Obwohl ich schon oft gute Noten hatte oder gute Leistungen gezeigt habe, habe ich Angst, in Zukunft die Erwartungen von anderen nicht erfüllen zu können.]

However, this does not solve the problem that this item cannot be used to distinguish people who do not suffer from impostor syndrome from people who do not achieve good grades or performance. This would require an additional response category (e.g. "I don't often get good grades or perform well").

Revised version:
Although I've often achieved good grades or good performance, I'm afraid that I won't be able to meet other people's expectations in the future.
[Obwohl ich schon oft gute Noten hatte oder gute Leistungen erreicht habe, habe ich Angst, in Zukunft die Erwartungen von anderen nicht erfüllen zu können.]

Findings:

The majority of the respondents answered item 3 with "Never true" (n = 5) or "Sometimes true" (n = 4) and explained that they did not feel that others had too high expectations of them and/or that it was not a bad thing if they did not always meet the expectations of others:

• “I'm never actually afraid that I won't be able to do something at all. And even if I do, it's not so bad as long as I've made an effort. [...] I thought about the expectations of my parents or friends.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade, answer: Never true)
• “I know that if I get a bad grade, it's mostly just attention deficit and that I can actually do it. I've thought about my parents' expectations. I usually get very good grades, so they don't expect anything more from me.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Never true)
• “I usually get good grades, but when I'm given a mental arithmetic task, I always have to think about it for a long time. And then someone might say, 'you got good grades at school, why can't you do that math'. I'm a bit scared of that.” (TP10, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “You sometimes think that it could happen that you no longer meet your parents' expectations. But 'often' wouldn't fit. I've only once brought home a grade that my parents weren't happy with. So I don't think that will change much in the future.” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade, answer: Sometimes true)

Respondent 05 (13 years old, 7th grade) left the item unanswered and explained that the presupposition "Although I have often gotten good grades" (currently) did not apply to her:

• “I never actually get good grades or only rarely. That's why I can't answer that very well, I think. [...] I would leave the question open in a written questionnaire. [...] I got good grades in elementary school; I wasn't afraid of not being able to meet expectations.”

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The majority of the respondents (n = 7) answered item 4 with "Never true" and justified this by saying that they talk openly with their friends or parents about their own strengths and weaknesses and that those therefore know that they are not perfect:

• “I’m actually so honest with everyone that they don't believe I'm better than I actually am. That's why it's not really possible.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade)
• “They know I'm not perfect. So, I'm not perfect. That wouldn't be bad.” (TP02, 11 years old, 6th grade)
• “I am relatively open with my friends, and they know how good or less good I am.” (TP05, 13 years, 7th grade)

The three respondents who answered “Sometimes true” (TP08) or “Often true” (TP09, TP10) did not interpret the phrase "that I'm not as good" in relation to their performance or ability, but as “finding someone good” or “being good friends with someone”:

• “So I wasn't [thinking that] they would discover that I'm not so good. But that they would find someone else better and no longer want to be friends with you.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “I thought that my friends might think that you are different from what they thought, for example, or that you have changed. And that they wouldn't really want to be friends with you anymore.” (TP10, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Often true)
• “You always think that you unconsciously behave differently with different people. And when they realize that it's not like that or that you're not what they thought you were, they don't want to have anything more to do with you. That's not the case with my best friend, but it is with people you haven't known that well or that long, so they notice that you're not what they expect you to be.” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade, answer: Often true)

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The respondents only used the left half of the response scale to answer item 5. The three respondents who answered "Never true" stated that they remembered good performances more often and tried to suppress the bad performances: 

• “I can remember things better when I've done well. The feeling of success is something you like. You tend to try to suppress the other things so that you don't even think about them.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade)
• “You tend to remember the good things better. You forget the bad things more quickly. You suppress them, I would even say.” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade) 

The seven respondents who chose the answer option "Sometimes true" justified their choice by saying that they could remember both good and bad performances:

• “Sometimes I can remember things where I didn't do something so well. But almost never. That's why I ticked sometimes. [...] I try to think more about things where I did well. Those are nicer memories than when something is bad.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade)
• “Sometimes I can remember situations better that weren't so good, but sometimes I can also remember situations where I did something well.” (TP06, age 9, 4th grade)
• “I rather remember the first class test in which I got an A. For example, I don't even remember for which class test I got the C-minus. I remember the good performances more than the bad ones. I wouldn't answer 'never' because I also remember the bad grades from time to time. It's not as if I would forget them completely.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade)

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With one exception (TP01), all respondents answered item 6 with "Never true" and explained that they did not find it uncomfortable to be praised by others, but that on the contrary it was a nice feeling to receive recognition for good performance:

• “I'm one of the best at school. A lot of people say that I'm really good and that they'll never manage to be as good. But I don't find that uncomfortable.”(TP07, 9 years old, 4th grade)
• “I definitely don't feel uncomfortable when I'm praised. I just think it's great.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade)
• “I am always happy when others praise me. That's something nice.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade)

Respondent 01 explained that, depending on the social context, it can sometimes be uncomfortable to be praised in front of others:

• “For example, if it would have been much more important for a friend to be praised and it's not so important to me, but she notices it, then it doesn't feel so nice. In a race in PE class, for example.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade)

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Slightly more than half of the respondents (n = 6) answered item 7 with "Never true", while two respondents each selected the answer options "Sometimes true" and "Often true". The respondents were asked to explain their answers in more detail, whereby the reasons in all ten cases matched the selected answer option and increasing frequencies corresponded to an overall more self-critical attitude:

• “For example, if I misspell just one word in a homework assignment, it's not the end of the world.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade, answer: Never true)
• “The most important thing is that you got most of it right. If you did almost everything right and only made a few inattention mistakes, then that's still great.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade, answer: Never true)
• “When I have to fill in a sheet at school and then some things are wrong, I sometimes think I haven't understood everything at all.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “I once painted a picture, for example, and I made a small mistake. But it looked really bad to me because I had imagined it differently in my head. And then I thought everyone would notice and I'd done everything wrong. That's not always the case, but it often is.” (TP10, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Often true)

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Half of the respondents (n = 5) answered item 8 with "Sometimes true", while two respondents selected the answer option "Never true" and three selected the answer option "Often true". The respondents were asked to explain their answers in more detail, and in most cases the respondents' explanations matched the selected answer option, which means that increasing frequencies reflected higher expectations of themselves:

• “I don't expect so much from myself. It's not a bad thing if you get a bad grade. A C is actually enough for me. And then I'm happy about Bs and As.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Never true)
• “I usually just accept the grade I get in class tests. That's the best I can achieve. I couldn't do any better, even if I studied for another two years.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “I have comparatively high expectations of myself. In English, a grade like a B+ is already bad for me. Of course, it always depends on how high your own expectations are” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “'Always true' would be too much. I was thinking about school grades or that I once thought I was really good at triathlon. I was sure I would finish first, but then I finished last.” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade, answer: Often true)

Respondent 01 misinterpreted the direction of the answer scale or had difficulty fitting her answer into the answer scale due to the negation in the statement. According to her explanation, she should have selected "Sometimes true" rather than "Often true":

• “I actually do my job well most of the time. Sometimes I'm not, but actually almost always in a way that I'm a satisfied with my performance.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade, answer: Often true)

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The respondents used the full range of the scale to answer item 9, with the majority of respondents (n = 6)opting for the "Never true" answer option. The respondents were asked to explain their answers in more detail, with the reasons in all ten cases matching the selected answer option and increasing frequencies reflecting the perception that they were not actually as good as the grades suggested:

• “My grades are not as good as I would like them to be. But I think I can do quite a lot” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade, answer: Never true)
• “Most of the time I have good grades and also the feeling [of being good]. Sometimes I get a good grade that I didn't expect. Where I thought I would get a worse grade. But that doesn't happen that often.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “I've been getting good grades more often recently, but I'm not actually that good. That's often true for me” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Often true)
• “I don't always get good grades, but most of the time I do. But I also often think that I'm bad at school.” (TP02, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Always true)

One respondent noted that the presupposition "I often get good grades..." did not apply to her. She then answered the item for the hypothetical situation that she would often get good grades:

• “I don't often get good grades. But if I did, I'd rather be happy about it and think that I'm quite good.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade, answer: Never true)

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The respondents only used the left half of the response scale to answer item 10 and answered half with "Never true" and half with "Sometimes true". The five respondents who answered "Never true" stated that they were very self-confident:

• “I'm not afraid that I'm doing anything wrong.” (TP04, 10 years, 5th grade)
• “I'm actually not afraid of new tasks. If I can do something well and then a new topic comes along, I tend to think that I will be able to do it well.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade)
• “I am actually very self-confident.” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade)

The five respondents who answered "Sometimes true" explained that they were sometimes unsure whether they would be able to understand new topics or solve unknown tasks without making mistakes:

• “Sometimes I feel like I'm failing at new tasks. But not most of the time.” (TP06, age 9, 4th grade)
• “When things come up in class that I don't really understand or don't know how to do, I sometimes think that I can't do it. That's why I would say 'sometimes true'.” (TP07, 9 years old, 4th grade)
• “Sometimes I'm a bit scared and nervous, but not that often. For example, when I got good grades in my first English tests and then one comes along where the tasks are more difficult. Then I do get nervous.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade)

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The respondents only used the left half of the response scale to answer item 11, answering half with "Never true" and half with "Sometimes true". The five respondents who answered "Never true" either explained that they were not afraid of not being able to do something or that they would not say of themselves that they could only do a little:

• “I'm never actually afraid of it. I don't think it's bad if my friends notice that I can't do something. Today, for example, I was riding a unicycle, and I couldn't do it at all or not as well as my friend. But I didn't care. And so did she.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade)
• “I'm not actually bad, so nobody can notice how little I can do.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade)
• “I can't do that little. That's why you don't actually have to be afraid of it. So actually 'never'.“ (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade)

The five respondents who answered “Sometimes true” explained that it is sometimes uncomfortable when you can't do something and others notice it:

• “That's only true sometimes, but only in one subject, math. I wouldn't care with my friends, but with others in my class, boys or something, I would.” (TP02, 11 years, 6th grade)
• “I was thinking about situations such as when I try out a sport that a friend does. And then it's like I can't do it at all or don't understand anything. That is then uncomfortable.“ (TP10, 11 years old, 6th grade)

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Four respondents each answered item 12 with "Never true" and "Sometimes true", two with "Often true". The respondents' reasons corresponded to the selected answer option in all ten cases. Respondents who answered "Never true" said that they were among the best students in their class and those who answered "Sometimes true" explained that their classmates were better than them in some subjects or topics, but also worse in others:

• “I'm one of the best in class and I always finish quickly. I also have a good report card.” (TP07, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Never true)
• “Well, that would perhaps only be the case if you were ill for a week, for example. But if you've covered all the lesson material, then not.” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade, answer: Never true)
• “Sometimes there are topics that I don't understand so well or things that others are better at, e.g. running faster. But maybe I am better at balancing.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Sometimes true)
• “Some can do more, others less than me. I'm in the middle. I would say 'Sometimes true'.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Sometimes true)

The two respondents who answered "Often true" stated that many of their classmates were better than them:

• “I know that many people can do more in class than I can. It always depends on the subject. Three out of four times, the others are better than me, so not 'always'. But that's not a problem either.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade)
• “For example, one of my friends is really good at drawing and painting. I'm often jealous of that. Or others are also really sporty.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade)

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The majority of respondents (n = 8) answered item 13 with “Never true”, while one respondent each selected “Sometimes true” (TP01) and “Often true” (TP10). Except for respondent 10, the respondents showed a homogeneous understanding of the item and in all cases the reasons given by the respondents matched their answers. Respondents who answered “Never true” stated that they had great confidence in their abilities:

• “For example, if I'm good at running in PE class and then there's the long jump, then I'm confident that I'm good at that too.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade)
• “My parents always say there's nothing you can't do. It's just things you've never practiced before. I know that I could actually do anything and I'm actually confident enough to do pretty much anything.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade)

Respondent 1 explained that she doubts her abilities from time to time and therefore answered “Sometimes true”:

• “Most of the time, I know that I can do something well. But sometimes I don't trust myself to do things properly.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade)

Respondent 10 (11 years old, 6th grade) interpreted the phrase “I don't have any confidence in myself” not as “having confidence in my own abilities”, but as “having the confidence to do something” and was unsure whether the item referred to the school or out-of-school context. In the end, the out-of-school context seemed more appropriate for the wording, which is why she answered, “Often true” and explained that she often did not dare to do things and quickly became afraid:

• TP10: “Does that refer to the school or in general?”
• INT: “How would you understand it?”
• TP10: “I would rather understand it as not referring to school. Outside of school, I can think of more situations where I don't have the confidence to do something. At school, for example, I don't have the confidence to put my hand up. Apart from that, there are lots of things that some people take for granted, but which I don't trust myself to do or where I quickly become afraid. For example, if I'm watching a movie that's too thrilling for me, I don't want to continue watching it. Even though I know it's just a movie. But then it's too scary for me.”
• INT: “What if you had only thought about situations at school?”
• TP10: “That's like question 10. It's never actually the case that I don't have the confidence to put my hand up, for example.”

As with item 9, respondent 03 noted that the presupposition “Although I have often achieved good grades [...]” did not apply to her. She then answered the item from the perspective of the few situations in which she had received good grades:

• “Again, it says something about the good grades. In the cases where I achieved good grades or performances, I thought I could do much better. So rather the exact opposite [of this statement].” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade, answer: Never true)

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We recommend simplifying the language of the item:

When I am praised for something, I find it hard to believe that I can be as good again the next time.
[Wenn ich für etwas gelobt werde, fällt es mir schwer zu glauben, dass ich beim nächsten Mal wieder so gut sein kann.]

Revised version:
When I am praised for something, I have great doubts that I can be as good again the next time.
[Wenn ich für etwas gelobt werde, habe ich große Zweifel daran, dass ich beim nächsten Mal wieder so gut sein kann.]

In addition, the order of items 13 and 14 was swapped, as both items relate to doubts.

Findings:

The respondents only used the left half of the response scale to answer item 14: Three answered, “Never true” and seven answered “Sometimes true”. The three respondents who answered “Never true” explained that good performance and praise would encourage them to feel that they could be as good again next time:

• “When I am praised, it encourages me to be as good again next time.” (TP03, 12 years old, 7th grade)
• “I have no doubts about my ability. I would think I would be just as good again. I don't assume that I'll unlearn things.” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade)

Those who answered “Sometimes true” stated that they sometimes doubted that they could continue to achieve very good grades or perform very well:

• “Most of the time, when I'm praised, I think I'll do just as well or better next time. But if I'm very good in one topic, for example, and then another topic comes up, maybe in math, where I know I'm not so good at. Then I start to doubt it.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade)
• “If I once gave a presentation at school and it was very good and then a few months later I have to give another one on a different topic, then I think to myself that it might be difficult to get such a good grade again.” (TP10, 11 years old, 6th grade)
• “For example, if you get a good grade in a subject that you're not good at, then you think that it won't be like that again next time.” (TP09, 13 years old, 8th grade)

Respondent 06 stated that she was unfamiliar with the phrase “having doubts”, but interpreted the item as intended:

• “Doubt means that you don't know exactly whether it will be the same next time, doesn't it? I don't know that for sure. But I would say 'Sometimes it's true', in sport for example.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade)

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Almost all respondents answered item 15 with “Never true” (n = 8). One respondent answered, “Sometimes true” and one left the item unanswered (TP06). The respondents' explanations pointed out two problems with the item. Three respondents stated that it was unclear to them what the statement was getting at. One of the respondents left the item unanswered:

• “What does ‘I often believe that I have deceived my teacher about my abilities’ mean? [...] Maybe that you didn't write something yourself, but copied it from someone else? I don't know, I would leave that open now. Otherwise, I might mark the wrong answer.” (TP06, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: No answer)
• “I don't understand this: ‘I often believe that I have deceived my teachers about my abilities’. Does this mean that you don't put your hand up in class and then get a good grade in the test? Then I would say 'never'. I actually always put my hand up in class.” (TP07, 9 years old, 4th grade, answer: Never true)
• “I must think about this one a bit. I find this the most difficult of all the questions. The teachers actually like me, I don't pretend anything to them. [...] I think it's about whether you're pretending to your teachers or not. Someone who really only tries to impress teachers, who pretends to please them, would certainly answer 'Always true'.” (TP05, 13 years old, 7th grade, answer: Sometimes true)

Six of the remaining seven respondents interpreted the item to mean that the teachers had deceived themselves and not that they had deceived the teachers:

• “I didn't really understand that. I understood it to mean that if you couldn't do something before but then learned a lot, you suddenly could do it and that surprised the teacher.” (TP01, 8 years old, 3rd grade, answer: Never true)
• “I understand that, for example, I got a bad grade and then a good one. And my teachers then thought that I was rather bad, and after the good grade they no longer think that.” (TP02, 11 years old, 6th grade, answer: Never true)
• “I have never thought about that, that my teachers were wrong about my abilities.” (TP08, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Never true)

Respondent 04 was the only one to interpret the item as being about whether she herself had deceived the teacher. However, even this respondent could not imagine how deception could take place in the context of an assessment:

• “I think that if I've done something and the teachers have corrected everything correctly, then it can't be better than I was. So, I can't have deceived them.” (TP04, 10 years old, 5th grade, answer: Never true)

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