Parallel Analysis

Courage has seen an explosion of research in all branches of psychology, and the most popular measure is Norton and Weiss's the courage measure (CM). Despite widespread use, limited investigations into its psychometric properties and validity have been performed. To ensure the strength of findings drawn from the scale, the current study performs a theoretical, psychometric, and empirical analysis of the CM. The results demonstrate that the CM has theoretical concerns stemming from the operational definition of courage used during its creation, and may not actually measure courage. Also, the CM was shown to consist of two dimensions separated by regular and reverse coding. Next, the scale demonstrated slight concerns with method effects, and its construct validity was analyzed. Together, the results demonstrate that the CM would benefit from the removal of reverse coded items, and may actually gage persistence despite fear rather than courage.

A análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) é um conjunto de técnicas estatísticas amplamente utilizadas nas pesquisas em Psicologia. Durante sua execução, diversas decisões precisam ser tomadas a fim de se obter uma estrutura fatorial adequada. O presente artigo tem por objetivo discutir alguns dos principais aspectos desta técnica, apresentando estudos atualizados sobre o tema. Diferenças entre análise fatorial exploratória e análise de componentes principais, retenção e rotação fatorial, tamanho da amostra ideal, importância da variância explicada e a confiabilidade da solução fatorial são alguns dos tópicos discutidos. Aponta-se para o fato de que todas as decisões a serem tomadas durante a execução de uma análise fatorial exploratória não podem ser arbitrárias e subjetivas, mas devem ser pautadas em critérios teóricos e metodológicos claros. Este estudo pretende auxiliar pesquisadores da área da Psicologia a realizarem AFEs com maior discernimento teórico e metodológico. Palavras-chave: análise fatorial exploratória; rotação; retenção; tamanho amostral; análise paralela.

Açımlayıcı faktör analizinden en önemli kararlardan biri faktör sayısını belirlemektir. Bunun için birçok yöntem geliştirilmiş olsa da paralel analiz, hala en çok önerilen ve kullanılan yöntemler arasında yer almaktadır. Sıklıkla kullanılması birçok modifikasyonun yapılmasına ve analizle ilgili araştırmaların yoğunlaşmasına neden olmuştur. Bu araştırmada açımlayıcı faktör analizinde kullanılan faktör çıkarma yöntemlerinin paralel analiz sonuçlarına etkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmış ve Monte Carlo simülasyon çalışması gerçekleştirilmiştir. İki kategorili veri setleriyle gerçekleştirilen simülasyon çalışmasında ortalama faktör yükü, madde sayısı, ölçme modeli, örneklem büyüklüğü ve kullanılan korelasyon matrisi koşulları manipüle edilmiştir. Paralel analizde uygulanan en küçük kalıntı, temel bileşenler, temel eksenler, en çok olabilirlik, ağırlıklandırılmamış en küçük kareler, en küçük ki-kare ve optimal paralel analizde uygulanan en küçük rank faktör çıkarma yöntemleri karşılaştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda tetrakorik korelasyon matrisiyle gerçekleştirilen optimal paralel analiz yönteminin uygulandığı en küçük rank yönteminin en iyi sonucu verdiği gözlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte ortalama faktör yükü .70 olan koşullarda Pearson korelasyon matrisiyle gerçekleştirilen analizlerde tüm yöntemler yeterli performans gösterirken tetrakorik korelasyon matrisinin kullanılmasıyla paralel analiz uygulanan temel bileşenler ve optimal paralel analiz uygulanan en küçük rank yöntemleri hariç diğer yöntemlerin çok sayıda faktör çıkardığı söylenebilir. Araştırma bulgularına göre tetrakorik (polikorik) korelasyon matrisiyle en küçük rank yöntemiyle optimal paralel analizin kullanılması önerilmektedir.

The decision of how many factors to retain is a critical component of exploratory factor analysis. Evidence is presented that parallel analysis is one of the most accurate factor retention methods while also being one of the most underutilized in management and organizational research. Therefore, a step-by-step guide to performing parallel analysis is described, and an example is provided using data from the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Recommendations for making factor retention decisions are discussed.

Self-regulated learning has been a widely researched subject for decades in educational psychology. Different instruments have been developed to understand learners' self-regulated learning in a specific subject domain. This study developed a measurement scale to assess English-as-a-foreign-language learners' self-regulatory capacity in English language learning and further examined the effects of gender on English-as-a-foreign-language learners' self-regulatory capacity. A series of psychometric analyses including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and full structural equation modeling were undertaken to answer the research questions raised. The findings suggest that the scale can attain high reliability and strong validity in two different samplings, and the underlying construct of self-regulation in English language learning is shown to be multidimensional with a significant impact by gender. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are further put forward in light of the research findings.

This study was framed within a quantitative research methodology to develop a concise measure of calculus self-efficacy with high psychometric properties. A survey research design was adopted in which 234 engineering and economics students rated their confidence in solving year-one calculus tasks on a 15-item inventory. The results of a series of exploratory factor analyses using minimum rank factor analysis for factor extraction, oblique promin rotation, and parallel analysis for retaining extracted factors revealed a one-factor solution of the model. The final 13-item inventory was unidimensional with all eigenvalues greater than 0.42, an average communality of 0.74, and a 62.55% variance of the items being accounted for by the latent factor, i.e., calculus self-efficacy. The inventory was found to be reliable with an ordinal coefficient alpha of 0.90. Using Spearman' rank coefficient, a significant positive correlation ρ(95) = 0.27, p < 0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the deep approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy, and a negative correlation ρ(95) = −0.26, p < 0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the surface approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy. These suggest that students who adopt the deep approach to learning are confident in dealing with calculus exam problems while those who adopt the surface approach to learning are less confident in solving calculus exam problems.

Teacher) efficacy) is) an) important) debatable) subject) concerning) its) definition) and) measure.) The) purpose) of) this) study) was) to) evaluate) the) construct) and) convergent) validity)of)TschannenJMoran)and)Hoy)(2001)'s)'Teacher)SelfJEfficacy)Scale)(TSES)'.)The) study) used) the) short) version) (12Jitem)) TSES) scale) and) Teacher) Efficacy) Scale) (TSE)) developed)by)Gibson)and)Dembo)(1984))as)an)alternative)measure.)Total)412)inJservice) public) school) teachers) from) four) provinces) of) Pakistan) were) selected) including) 242) (58.74%))female)and)170)(41.26%))male)teachers.)The)results)show)that)Principal)Axis) Factoring) yielded) three) factors,) accounting) for) 64%) of) the) total) variance.) The) factor) loading)ranged)from).50)to).89.)Communalities)were)in)the)range)of)0.54)to)0.77)with)an) average) of) 0.64.) There) was) significant) a) correlation) between) two) efficacy) measures,) r(410))=).58,)p)<).001.)Parallel)analysis)using)1000)sets)of)simulated)data)also)suggested) three)factors)of)the)TSES)measure)for)inJservice)teachers.)Female)teachers)tend)to)have) higher) sense) of) efficacy) than) male) teachers.) The) findings) of) this) study) provide) useful) information) about) to) psychometric) properties) of) teacher) efficacy) scale) which) further) encourages) researchers) to) revise) teacher) efficacy) scale) for) more) reliable) and) valid) measurement.))