title: Differential responding to positive and negative items: the case of a negative item in a questionnaire for course and faculty evaluation.
abstract: Previous factor-analytic studies of self-rating scales have yielded a factor on which negatively worded items loaded separately. The present study investigated the existence for such a factor in a questionnaire for course and teacher evaluation which included one negative item. The questionnaire was administered in 1,095 university classes. Two factors emerged, an exclusively positive-item factor and another factor on which the single negative item and one positive item loaded. It was suggested that both items of Factor 2 were ambiguous and may identify tendencies such as acquiescence, random responding, and response sets.
authors.affiliation: College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*