The Effects of Signed and Unsigned Questionnaires for Both Sensitive and Non-Sensitive Items

摘要

This study assessed the effects of signing and not signing questionnaires on items that were rated as not sensitive and on other items that were rated as sensitive. The subjects were 668 first classmen (seniors) at the US Military Academy who responded to a mailed questionnaire covering a variety of different areas. One-third of the respondents were told not to sign, and the other two-thirds were instructed to sign their questionnaires. Ratings of item sensitivity were obtained from five professional members of the Office of Institutional Research, US Military Academy. The seven most sensitive items and seven of twenty-eight judged to have no sensitivity were selected for this study. Chi square tests showed that there were no significant difference for any of the items between the respondents who signed and those who did not sign their questionnaires. It was concluded that the responses, despite variation in item sensitivity, were not influenced by signing or not signing questionnaires.