Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Human Behavior Rating Scale: A Rural Population

Abstract

The construct validity of Eaves' Human Behavior Rating Scale (HBRS) was investigated. The HBRS is a scale with 91 Likert-type items designed to measure five factors: arousal (persistence and curiosity), affect (externalizing and internalizing), and cognition. Forty-four teachers of Grades 6, 7, and 8 from two low socioeconomic and rural southern counties completed the HBRS for 320 of their students. Three parcels were submitted for analysis for each of the five dimensions. A five-factor, then a two-factor, solution were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. A principal-axis factor analysis was employed and an oblique promax rotation was applied. The results supported the five-factor solution with 90.2% of the total variance accounted for when compared to the two-factor solution which recovered 73.4% of the total variance. Intercorrelations between factors ranged from .15 to .76 for the five-factor solution.