Self-report questionnaires: Can they collect accurate information?

Abstract

Many researchers argue that participants do not respond truthfully on self-report quesitionnaires. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine whether self-report questionnaires can be valid answering two questions. The first question, "Are Nigerians dishonest on self report questionnaires" was answered using empirical data that showed that most Nigerians are honest even on topics that are highly controversial. The second question, " Can self-report questionnaires be valid for some psychological variables, or is there a more valid method of measurement" was answered using theory of test and measurement. The paper concluded that self-report questionnaires can collect accurate information, and suggests four strategies for obtaining truthful responses on self-report questionnaires.