Self-report data is the most commonly used type of data in HR evaluation. Self-reports can offer personality data, attitudes, and perceptions and can provide information to measure the effectiveness of HRD or other programs. Information collected this way, whether through interviews or questionnaires, can be useful and meaningful. However, two serious problems can occur when relying on self-report data:

If both reports in a before-and-after evaluation come from the same person at the same time, conclusions may be questionable. The respondents may be more concerned about being consistent in their answers than accurate. Respondents may report what they think the researcher wants to hear, rather than the truth. For example, employees may be fearful or embarrassed to admit that they learned nothing in a training program. In addition, there can be what is referred to as a response shift bias, in which respondents’ perspectives of their skills before training change during the training program and affect their after-training assessment.

Self-report data can be useful in HRD evaluation, but relying on self-report data alone can be problematic. Depending on the question being asked, direct observation by trained observers, tests, or simulations can often yield better, more conclusive information than self-reports. Also, response rates to voluntary surveys is often quite low, even in organizational settings.