Steps in Factor Analysis:
The Correlation Matrix
Inter-correlation
Correlation matrix : scanning p-value < 0.05,
Correlation matrix: look for multicollinearity (variables highly
correlated – R>0.9) and singularity (perfectly correlated)
Determinant: >0.00001 (no multicollinearity)
Anti-image correlation matrix
Assess sampling adequacy of each variable
MSA<0.5 is inadequate: exclude the variable
Look at the diagonal element of anti-image correlation matrix if KMO
is not OK!
Department of StatisticsIda Rosmini Othman
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Steps in Factor Analysis:
Factor Extraction
Kaiser’s criterion
Retain factors with eigen values > 1
Scree plot
use point of inflexion (find point at which the shape of the curves
changes direction and becomes horizontal)
retain factors above elbow
Parallel Analysis
Compare the eigenvalues from FA and simulation using Monte Carlo
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Steps in Factor Analysis:
Factor Extraction
Which Rule?
Use Kaiser’s criterion when
less than 30 variables & communalities after extraction>0.7
sample size>250 and mean communality>0.6
Use Scree plot
sample size>250
Use Parallel Analysis to get accurate result and
recommended by many journals
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FACTOR ANALYSIS
How to report ?:
A factor analysis was initially conducted on 23 items with
varimax rotation(direct oblimin). However, three
items were removed due to cross-loadings. The final model
consist of 23 items. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure verified
the sampling adequacy for the analysis, KMO =0 .93 (‘great’
according to Field, 2009), and all MSA values for individual
items were larger than 0 .80, which is well above the
acceptable limit of 0.50 (Field, 2009). Bartlett’s test of
sphericity
2
(253) = 19334.49, p-value < 0.05, indicated
that correlations between items are sufficiently large for
Factor analysis.
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FACTOR ANALYSIS
How to report (cont.)?
Four factors had eigenvalues over Kaiser’s criterion of 1 and
explained 50.3% of the variance. The scree plot supported the
Kaiser’s criterion in retaining four factors. Given the large
sample size, and convergence of the scree plot and Kaiser’s
criterion on four factors, this is the number of factors that
were retained in the final analysis. Table 1 shows the factor
loadings. The items that cluster on the same factors suggest
that factor 1 represent fear of computer, factor 2
represent fear of mathematics, factor 3 represent fear
of statistics and factor 4 represent fear of peer
evaluations.
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Table 1: Summary of exploratory factor analysis result for xxx
questionnaire (N = xxx)
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Factor Loading
Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4
Item 1
Item 2
.
.
Item n
Eigenvalue
% of variance
Cronbach