Assessing the Quality and Appropriateness of Factor Solutions and Factor Score Estimates in Exploratory Item Factor Analysis

Abstract

This article proposes a comprehensive approach for assessing the quality and appropriateness of exploratory factor analysis solutions intended for item calibration and individual scoring. Three groups of properties are assessed: (a) strength and replicability of the factorial solution, (b) determinacy and accuracy of the individual score estimates, and (c) closeness to unidimensionality in the case of multidimensional solutions. Within each group, indices are considered for two types of factor-analytic models: the linear model for continuous responses and the categorical-variable-methodology model that treats the item scores as ordered-categorical. All the indices proposed have been implemented in a noncommercial and widely known program for exploratory factor analysis. The usefulness of the proposal is illustrated with a real data example in the personality domain.