The Effects of Social Desirability on Students’ Self-Reports in Two Social Contexts: Lectures vs. Lectures and Lab Classes

Abstract

Attempts to detect socially desirable responding bias have mainly focused on studies that explore sensitive topics. However, researchers concur that the sensitive character of the survey could be affected by the social context within which the research is conducted. Little research has been reported worldwide investigating the potential effects of social desirability on students’ self-reports, considering the social context within which the survey is conducted. In this paper, we investigate the potential effects of social desirability on students’ self-reports in two social contexts within which the survey was conducted. More specifically, with a sample of 111 Greek students, we explored the effects of social desirability on students’ attitudes towards statistics in two cases: when the questionnaire was administered to participating students after attending (a) lectures and (b) both lectures and laboratory classes. Only in the second case were the items’ attitudes toward statistics associated with a score of socially desirable responding; moreover, social desirability accounted for the relationship between attitudes toward statistics and perceived competence in mathematics. Implications and limitations are also discussed.

Keywords

• sensitive topics
• measurement bias
• common method biases
• attitudes towards statistics
• higher education
• survey research