Multi-Item Scale:
Item Text:
Item 4: I'm afraid that other people who are important to me will one day discover that I'm not as good as they think I am. [Ich habe Angst, dass andere Personen, die mir wichtig sind, eines Tages entdecken, dass ich nicht so gut bin, wie sie glauben.]
Different Answer Format Tested:
Nein
Findings:
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)
Recommendations:
To avoid misinterpretation of the item, we recommend replacing the term “good” with a clearer term (e.g. “high performing” or “smart”).
Revised version:
I'm afraid that other people who are important to me will one day discover that I'm not as smart as they think I am.
[Ich habe Angst, dass andere Personen, die mir wichtig sind, eines Tages entdecken, dass ich nicht so schlau bin, wie sie glauben.]
Revised version:
I'm afraid that other people who are important to me will one day discover that I'm not as smart as they think I am.
[Ich habe Angst, dass andere Personen, die mir wichtig sind, eines Tages entdecken, dass ich nicht so schlau bin, wie sie glauben.]