An Item and Factor Analysis of Danish,Lebanese and United States College Students' Responses to the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Abstract

Arabic, Danish and English versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were administered to college students in Lebanon, Denmark and the United States. There were 200 Lebanese, 150 Danes and 200 Americans, each group divided evenly on the basis of sex. The mean raw scores of the Danes, Americans and Lebanese were 9.59, 12.45 and 19. 11, respectively. Separate item analyses yielded a total of 27 common items which correlated significantly with total score in all three groups. Correlations between item rankings across groups ranged from. 53 to. 79 with considerable agreement in the placement of items in the extreme ranks. The factor analyses produced factors which were only moderately similar across groups. It was inferred that the overall findings of the study support the use of the Marlowe-Crowne scale for estimating social desirability with both Danish and Lebanese college students. Sampling limitations, however, mitigate against the uncritical use of the scale within these cultures without further study.

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