Multi-Item Scale:

Item Text:

Different Answer Format Tested:

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.”

Recommendations:

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.]