Multi-Item Scale:

Item Text:

Different Answer Format Tested:

Findings:

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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