NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ914086
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Feb
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1644
EISSN: N/A
Rotation Criteria and Hypothesis Testing for Exploratory Factor Analysis: Implications for Factor Pattern Loadings and Interfactor Correlations
Schmitt, Thomas A.; Sass, Daniel A.
Educational and Psychological Measurement, v71 n1 p95-113 Feb 2011
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has long been used in the social sciences to depict the relationships between variables/items and latent traits. Researchers face many choices when using EFA, including the choice of rotation criterion, which can be difficult given that few research articles have discussed and/or demonstrated their differences. The goal of the current study is to help fill this gap by reviewing and demonstrating the utility of several rotation criteria. Furthermore, this article discusses and demonstrates the importance of using factor pattern loading standard errors for hypothesis testing. The choice of a rotation criterion and the use of standard errors in evaluating factor loadings are essential so researchers can make informed decisions concerning the factor structure. This study demonstrates that depending on the rotation criterion selected, and the complexity of the factor pattern matrix, the interfactor correlations and factor pattern loadings can vary substantially. It is also illustrated that the magnitude of the factor loading standard errors can result in different factor structures. Implications and future directions are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 1 note.)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A