Factor analysis

The Strategic Planning Attitude Scale: A Study of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

by Halil Eksi

Nuri BALOĞLU, Engin KARADAĞ, Hasan KARAMAN
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
8 (2) • May 2008 • 429-437

The aim of this study was to develop a scale measuring attitudes toward strategic
planning for primary and... more The aim of this study was to develop a scale measuring attitudes toward strategic
planning for primary and secondary school administrators. In the research, 498 school
administrators (77 females, 421 males; 140 principles, 56 vice and 302 assistant administrators)
consisted of the sampling group in three districts of Istanbul/Turkey
according to the three different income levels. Study was completed at eight steps:
(i) items were consisted, (ii) the study of content validation , (iii) the study of itemtotal
point and item-remainder correlations, (iv) defining item-discrimination, (v)
defining structure validation [(a) exploratory factor analysis, (b) confirmatory factor
analysis (vi) defining Cronbach Alpha coefficient, (vii) correlations between sub-scales
and (viii) the level of confidence was explained with the method of test retest.
Item- total point and item-remainder correlations of the scale were found to be statistically
significant. Item discrimination index was significant at the level of p < .01
for all items and they were found significant for sub and top 27% group meanings.
As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, it was observed that the scale had a five-
factor structure. The subscales are named as (i) Organizational Development, (ii)
Distrust, (iii) Productivity, (iv) Efficiency and (v) Resistance. Factor loadings of the
sub-scales ranged from .41 to .87. Self value of scale was 20.33 and percent of variance
explained was 58.11. Result of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the value
of chi-square (X2) and level of statically meaningful were enough for model suggested.
Cronbach alpha coefficients of subscales ranged from .72 to .94 and for the
total scale, it was .82. The test-retest coefficients ranged from .70 to .87. Findings
showed that the scale had high internal consistency and validity in measuring the attitudes
of school administrators towards strategic planning.

The factorial analysis of Parental Authoritative Questionnaire in a sample of college young adults

by Mariana Gonçalves-Boeckel

The Scales of Psychological Well-being: A Study of Validity and Reliability

by Halil Eksi

Ahmet AKIN
Educational Sciences: Th eory & Practice
8 (3) • September 2008 • 741-750

Th is study investigated the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Scales of
Psychological... more Th is study investigated the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Scales of
Psychological Well-being (Ryff , 1989a). Th e sample of the study consists of 1214 university
students. Results of language equivalency showed that correlations between the
Turkish and English forms were .94 for autonomy, .97 for environmental mastery, .97 for
personal growth, .96 for positive relations with others, .96 for purpose in life, and .95 for
self-acceptance. Th e total variance explained was 68% and factor loadings ranged from .30
to .94. Fit index values of the model were RMSEA=.072, NFI=.97, IFI= .98, RFI=.97,
CFI=.98, GFI=.93, and SRMR=.062. Internal consistencies varied between .87 and .96
and test-retest reliability coeff icients ranged between .78 and .97 for six subscales. Th ese
results demonstrate that the scale is a valid and reliable instrument.

Assessing Instructional Leadership: A Longitudinal Study Of New Principals

by Gavin Brown

co-authored with Dr. Constance Chai, The University of Auckland.

We are grateful to Prof. Viviane Robinson, The University of Auckland, for giving us access to the SALTAL data and for assistance with earlier drafts of the paper.

Current Citation: Brown, G. T. L., & Chai, C. (2012, accepted). Assessing instructional leadership: A longitudinal study of new principals. Journal of Educational Administration, 50(6).

Purpose. The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Self Assessment of Leadership of... more Purpose. The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Self Assessment of Leadership of Teaching and Learning (SALTAL) inventory in conditions of repeated administration.
Research Methods/Approach. In 2006 and 2007 nearly all of New Zealand’s newly appointed school principals participated in an 18 month induction program (First Time Principals). The SALTAL self-report was administered in three waves (i.e., before FTP, after 2 residential courses, and at the end of the FTP) to two cohorts. This voluntary survey was completed all three times by 55% (n=86) and 44% (n=85) of 2006 and 2007 participants respectively. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis evaluated the stability of the SALTAL factor structure for each of the six administrations. Longitudinal curve modeling evaluated the linear effect of time on SALTAL responses.
Findings. Responses to SALTAL were statistically equivalent across all six administrations. The longitudinal model was statistically invariant between cohorts. Initial scores were inversely correlated with changes over time. Increased time had a significant effect on SALTAL scores.
Implications for Research and Practice. The SALTAL has demonstrable stability in eliciting response in repeated administration and is useful for studying the impact of leadership development programs.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Educators’ Attitudes Toward Educational Research Scale

by Halil Eksi

Mehmet Ali OZTURK
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 11(2) • Spring • 737-747

This article reports results of a confirmatory factor analysis performed to cross-validate the factor structure of the... more This article reports results of a confirmatory factor analysis performed to cross-validate the factor structure of the Educators’ Attitudes Toward Educational Research Scale. The original scale had been developed by the author and revised based on the results of an exploratory factor analysis. In the present study, the revised scale
was given to 564 PreK-12 in-service educators (teachers, school counselors, administrators, etc.) working at schools in a big mid-Western city in the US. The scale had 29 Likert-type items intended to measure eight dimensions
of the variable (at least three items per dimension). Obtained fit indices indicated a good fit between the data and the hypothesized factor structure. All parameter estimates were acceptable. Since there were no established variables in the literature to serve as criterion variables in the measurement of educators’ attitudes toward educational research, data were collected on three variables (years of experience as an educator, research
methods courses taken, and use of sources to learn about research findings) predicted to be correlates of this construct. To examine which ones might serve as criterion variables, analyses were performed to correlate these variables with subscale scores from the Educators’ Attitudes Toward Educational Research Scale. Regarding
the results of these correlational analyses, there was a high level of agreement between the present study and the previous exploratory factor analytic study which also looked at the same correlations, measuring the related
variables in the same way as the present study did.

Dietary patterns and risk of oral cancer: a factor analysis study of a population in Jakarta, Indonesia

by Rosnah Binti Zain

A matched case-control, hospital-based study of oral cancer was conducted in Jakarta population. The sample included... more A matched case-control, hospital-based study of oral cancer was conducted in Jakarta population. The sample included 81 cases and 162 controls. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between dietary pattern and oral cancer in a Jakarta population using factor analysis. Dietary data were collected using food frequency questionnaire and factor analysis was performed on 15 food groups resulting in four principle factors/components being retained. The first factor "preferred" was characterized by fast food, fermented food, canned food, snacks high in fat and sugar, cooked and raw vegetables, and seafood. The second factor labeled "combination" was loaded by the intake of dairy product, red meat, white meat and fruits. The third factor labeled "chemical related was loaded by processed food and monosodium glutamate and the fourth principle component consisted of drinks and grain was labeled as "traditional". The conditional logistic regression was done using STATA 8 to obtain the odds ratio (OR) of highest tertile of each component retained from factor analysis and the ORs were then adjusted with risk habits. The consumption the highest tertile of the "preferred" pattern increased the risk of oral cancer by two-times compared to the lowest tertile of consumption [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.17; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-4.50]. The chemical related" pattern showed higher risk of about threefold (aOR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.18-5.54), while the "traditional" pattern showed an increased of risk by twofold (aOR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.01-4.41). In contrast, the "combination" pattern displayed protective effects in relation to oral cancer (aOR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.24-1.00). This finding suggests that factor analysis may be useful to determine the diet pattern of a big set of food type and establish the correlation with oral cancer. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dietary consumptions pattern and risk of oral cancer: A Malaysian scenario

by Rosnah Binti Zain

Introduction: The risk of cancer has been extensively investigated with the intake of single food items but food... more Introduction: The risk of cancer has been extensively investigated with the intake of single food items but food consumption in an individual is usually complex, made up by combinations of different food items. This study aims to identify dietary patterns of Malaysians, and establishing relationship between dietary pattern and oral cancer risk. Methods A hospital-based, case-control study was conducted on 300 Malaysians who seek treatment at participating hospitals between January 2003 and December 2010. The subjects consisted of 150 cases and 150 controls that were matched for gender, age (5 years) and ethnicity. Dietary intake was measured using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Factor Analysis (FA) was performed to identify dietary consumptions pattern based on the intake of nine major food groups. Logistic Regression was done to compute the odds ratio (OR) for the components retained by FA. Results: FA had identified four patterns that accounted for 69.4% of total variability within the sample. The first pattern labeled as ‘modern’ was loaded with processed foods and snacks intakes whereas the second pattern ‘prudent’ was characterized by the intakes of fruits and vegetables. The third pattern ‘traditional’ consisted of beverages and starches intakes while the fourth pattern ‘combination’ was loaded with intakes of dairy foods, fermented foods and meat/byproducts. A significant reduced risk was found for ‘prudent’ (aOR 0.42, 95%CI: 0.21–0.83, p < 0.05), whereas a significant increased risk was found for both ‘traditional’ (aOR 2.06, 95%CI: 1.05–4.02) and ‘combination’ (aOR 3.45, 95%CI: 1.75–6.77, p < 0.05) pattern. Discussion: These findings suggest that intake of ‘prudent’ pattern may confer protection against oral cancer risk of up to 58% whereas the highest consumption of both ‘traditional’ and ‘combination’ pattern may induce twice and thrice the risk of oral cancer. FA was also found to be a useful tool to identify dietary pattern and its relationship with oral cancer.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale in Turkish University Students and Community Members

by Mithat Durak

Key Words: Emotional approach coping, Emotional expression, Emotional processing, Confirmatory factor analysis, Reliability, Validity, Multi-group comparisons

To evaluate emotional approach coping, including the dimensions of emotional processing and emotional expression, the... more To evaluate emotional approach coping, including the dimensions of emotional processing and emotional expression, the Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EACS) is frequently used. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of situational EACS among Turkish participants (n = 557), including university students (n = 283) and community members (n  = 274). The results revealed that a two-factor model showed significant goodness of fit for confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, multi-group comparisons based on sample groups (university students and community members) and gender groups demonstrated no significant differences between the constrained and unconstrained models. In addition to sufficient reliability of the EACS, the concurrent and discriminant validity of the scale were supported by association of the EACS with state anxiety and social desirability. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Andriotis, K. and Vaughan, D.R. (2003). Urban Residents’ Attitudes Towards Tourism Development: The Case of Crete. Journal of Travel Research, 42(2): 172-185.

by Konstantinos Andriotis

This article focuses on the identification and explanation of the attitudes of a sample of urban residents toward... more This article focuses on the identification and explanation of the attitudes of a sample of urban residents toward tourism development on Crete and their grouping with respect to these attitudes. Urban residents of Crete are quite strong in their support for tourism. However, the residents are not homogenous in their perceptions of tourism development. Education and employment in tourism were found to be the major single factors affecting the attitudes of residents of the island. A segmentation procedure based on attitude statements produced three clusters: the Advocates (identified by their high appreciation of tourism benefits), the Socially and Environmentally Concerned (characterized by a consensus toward the environmental and social costs from tourism expansion), and the Economic Skeptics (who showed lower appreciation of tourism’s economic benefits). The findings of the study are discussed with reference to the social exchange and the social representations theories and the conclusions of the study are provided.

Keywords: urban residents’ perceptions and attitudes; single and multiple factors; social exchange theory; social representations; Crete.

Andriotis, K., Agiomirgianakis, G. and Mihiotis, Α. (2008). Measuring Tourist Satisfaction - A Factor-Cluster Segmentation Approach. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14(3): 221–235.

by Konstantinos Andriotis

http://jvm.sagepub.com/content/14/3/221.short

Tourist satisfaction has been considered as a tool for increasing destination competitiveness. In an attempt to gain a... more Tourist satisfaction has been considered as a tool for increasing destination competitiveness. In an attempt to gain a better understanding of tourists’ satisfaction in an island mass destination this study has taken Crete as a case with the aim to identify the underlying dimensions of tourists’ satisfaction, to investigate whether tourists could be grouped into distinct segments and to examine the differences between the segments and their sociodemographic and travel arrangement characteristics. A segmentation procedure based on destination dimensions produced three clusters: the ‘Higher-Satisfied’; the ‘In-Betweeners’; and the ‘Lower-Satisfi ed’. The implications and the conclusions of the study are provided in relation to the marketing of the island of Crete.

Keywords: cluster, factor analysis, satisfaction, segmentation, sociodemographic characteristics, Crete

Quantifying Regalia: A Contextual Study into the Variations and Significance of Egyptian Royal Costume Using Relational Databases and Advanced Statistical Analyses

by Amy Calvert

published in 'Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane', 2009

Derivation of Theory by Means of Factor Analysis or Tom Swift and His Electric Factor Analysis Machine

by J Armstrong

Published in The American Statistician, 21 (December), 1967, 17-21

Problems in the use of factor analysis for deriving theory are illustrated by means of an example in which the... more Problems in the use of factor analysis for deriving theory are illustrated by means of an example in which the underlying factor are known. The actual underlying model is simple and it provides a perfect explanation of the data. While the factor analysis "explains" a large proportion of the total variance, it fails to identify the known factors in the model, The illustration is used to emphasize that factor analysis, by itself, may be misleading as far as the development of theory is concerned. The use of a comprehensive, and explicit à priori analysis is proposed so that there will be independent criteria for the evaluation of the factor analytic results.

On the Interpretation of Factor Analysis

by J Armstrong

Published in Psychological Bulletin, 70 (5), 1968, 361-364.

The importance of the researcher’s interpretation of factor analysis is illustrated by means of an example. The... more The importance of the researcher’s interpretation of factor analysis is illustrated by means of an example. The results from this example appear to be meaningful and easily interpreted. The example omits any measure of reliability or validity. If a measure of reliability had been included, it would have indicated the worthlessness of the results. A survey of 46 recent papers from 6 journals supported the claim that the example is typical, two-thirds of the papers provide no measure of reliability. In fact, some papers did not even provide sufficient information to allow for replication. To improve the current situation some measure of factor reliability should accompany applied studies that utilize factor analysis. Three operational approaches are suggested for obtaining measures of factor reliability: use of split samples, Monte Carlo simulation, and a priori models.

Tom Swift and His Electric Regression Analysis Machine: 1973

by J Armstrong

Published in Psychological Reports, 36, 1975, 806.

Short review of the electric regression analysis method of Tom Swift. Short review of the electric regression analysis method of Tom Swift.

Medidas de simplicidad y de ajuste factorial: Un enfoque para la evaluación de escalas construidas factorialmente

by Cesar Merino

Factor analysis

A very simple structure is sought when using factor analysis to develop measurement scales. The present article is... more A very simple structure is sought when using factor analysis to develop measurement scales. The present article is about the SIMLOAD program; it computes measures of factor simplicity for rows and columns of loading matrices (usually the factor pattern) as well as some overall measures. These include Kaiser’s (1974) index of factor simplicity for variables (rows), Fleming’s scale fit index for factors (columns), Bentler’s (1977) scale-free matrix measure, and hyperplane counts. Routine use of these measures is recommended for multifactor scale development. The measures may also be useful in more general factor applications, and in confirmatory as well as exploratory analysis. SIMLOAD additionally computes factor scale intercorrelations, scale alpha coefficients, including alpha when item removed, and sorted loadings for ease of interpretation.

Variations in Effective Classroom Practices: Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Working Paper ECP / 08

by Elaine Regan

Ko, J., Sammons, P., Kington, A., Regan, E., Day, C., 2008. Variations in Effective Classroom Practices: Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Working Paper ECP / 08 [online], Nottingham: University of Nottingham. Available at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/educationresearchprojects/effectiveclassroompractice/resources.aspx [31 Jul 2008].

Extracting logical perceptual space for robot learning using factor analysis

by Wai-keung Fung

Co-authored with Y. H. Liu. Published in IROS 2000.

Factor analysis has been employed for data analysis in behavioral sciences for decades. In this paper, we propose to... more Factor analysis has been employed for data analysis in behavioral sciences for decades. In this paper, we propose to employ it in robot behavior studies so that important underlying factors that affect the decision-making in robot behavior actions can be extracted. Causal relationships among physical (observed) and logical (unobserved) perceptual dimensions are constructed. Factor analysis provides a simple mean for us to understand what the sensors data, that construct the robot behavioral perceptual space S, are measuring (logical perceptual space extraction). Learning can thus be conducted based on the logical dimensions of the perceptual space, which usually has much lower dimensionality than the original physical perceptual space, of robot behaviors. Analysis of simulated obstacle avoidance behavior is presented

Components of mindfulness in patients with chronic pain

by Miles Thompson

McCracken, L., & Thompson, M. (2009). Components of Mindfulness in Patients with Chronic Pain. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31(2), 75-82. doi: 10.1007/s10862-008-9099-8

Methods of mindfulness are gaining increasing popularity within the behavioral and cognitive therapies and appear... more Methods of mindfulness are gaining increasing popularity within the behavioral and cognitive therapies and appear helpful for a range of clinical problems. The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive and behavioral processes underlying mindfulness. One hundred fifty patients seeking treatment for chronic pain completed a battery of questionnaires, including the 15-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown and Ryan, J Pers Soc Psychol 84:822–848, 2003). Preliminary analyses supported reliability and validity of the MAAS for patients with chronic pain. A confirmatory factor analysis provided incomplete support for a singe factor structure from the items of the MAAS. In turn, an exploratory factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution: Acting with Awareness, Present Focus, Responsiveness, and Social Awareness. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that the Acting with Awareness and Present Focus subscales were significantly related to measures of patient emotional, physical, and social functioning. Further research that explores and validates models of mindfulness-based processes is recommended.

Identifying robust and sensitive frequency bands for interrogating neural oscillations

by Alexander Shackman

Shackman*, A. J., McMenamin*, B. W., Maxwell, J. S., Greischar, L. L. & Davidson, R. J. (2010). Identifying robust and sensitive frequency bands for interrogating neural oscillations. Neuroimage, 51, 1319-1333.

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in using neural oscillations to characterize the mechanisms supporting... more Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in using neural oscillations to characterize the mechanisms supporting cognition and emotion. Oftentimes, oscillatory activity is indexed by mean power density in predefined frequency bands. Some investigators use broad bands originally defined by prominent surface features of the spectrum. Others rely on narrower bands originally defined by spectral factor analysis (SFA). Presently, the robustness and sensitivity of these competing band definitions remains unclear. Here, a Monte Carlo-based SFA strategy was used to decompose the tonic (“resting” or “spontaneous”) electroencephalogram (EEG) into five bands: delta (1–5 Hz), alpha-low (6–9 Hz), alpha-high (10–11 Hz), beta (12–19 Hz), and gamma (N21 Hz). This pattern was consistent across SFA methods, artifact correction/rejection procedures, scalp regions, and samples. Subsequent analyses revealed that SFA failed to deliver enhanced sensitivity; narrow alpha sub-bands proved no more sensitive than the classical broadband to individual differences in temperament or mean differences in task-induced activation. Other analyses suggested that residual ocular and muscular artifact was the dominant source of activity during quiescence in the delta and gamma bands. This was observed following threshold-based artifact rejection or independent component analysis (ICA)- based artifact correction, indicating that such procedures do not necessarily confer adequate protection. Collectively, these findings highlight the limitations of several commonly used EEG procedures and underscore the necessity of routinely performing exploratory data analyses, particularly data visualization, prior to hypothesis testing. They also suggest the potential benefits of using techniques other than SFA for interrogating high-dimensional EEG datasets in the frequency or time–frequency (event-related spectral perturbation, event-related synchronization/desynchronization) domains. KEY WORDS: principal components analysis (PCA); exploratory factor analysis (EFA); blind source separation (BSS); resting neural activity; resting EEG; frontal alpha asymmetry; frontal EEG asymmetry.

Empirical identification of the major facets of Conscientiousness

by Carolyn MacCann

MacCann, C., Duckworth, A. L., & Roberts, R. D. (2009) Empirical identification of the major facets of Conscientiousness. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 451-458

Conscientiousness is often found to predict academic outcomes, but is defined differently by different models of... more Conscientiousness is often found to predict academic outcomes, but is defined differently by different models of personality. High school students (N = 291) completed a large number of Conscientiousness items from different models and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the items uncovered eight facets: Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Cautiousness, Task Planning, and Perseverance. Correlations between these facets and the BFI revealed that all facets related strongly to Conscientiousness. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by relationships between facets and academic outcomes such as grade-point-average, disciplinary infractions, and attainment of academic honors. Compared to BFI Conscientiousness, Industriousness and Perfectionism showed significantly stronger prediction of absenteeism and cognitive test scores, respectively. Results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of facet scores, the interpretation of personality scores for selection, and the development of intervention programs.