Factor analysis is widely utilized to identify latent factors underlying the observed variables. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of two widely used methods for determining the optimal number of factors in factor analysis, the K1 rule, and parallel analysis, along with a more recently developed method, the bass-ackward method.…

The purpose of this study is to identify which scale short-form development method produces better findings in different factor structures. A simulation study was designed based on this purpose. Three different factor structures and three simulation conditions were selected. As the findings of this simulation study, the model-data fit and…

The Performance Assessment and Evaluation System (PAES) is used by all major universities in the state of Utah to measure the effective teaching skills of preservice candidates as they progress through their teaching preparation program. The resulting ratings are used to make high-stakes decisions relating to course completion as well as…

Evaluation of child-friendly school (CFS) policies is essential to determine the achievements of school efforts in reducing violence cases. This research aims to proving the reliability and validity of CFS policy evaluation instruments in elementary schools with different locations. This investigation uses the Context Input Process Product (CIPP)…

Researchers in second language (L2) and education domain use different statistical methods to assess their constructs of interest. Many L2 constructs emerge from elements/parts, i.e., the elements "define" and "form" the construct and not the other way around. These constructs are referred to as emergent variables (also called…

This study aimed to develop a comprehensive tool to assess underachievement in gifted students, incorporating input from parents, teachers, and students themselves. A total of 285 participants, including 95 gifted students, their parents, and teachers, were involved in the study. The results have revealed a four-factor structure for the Gifted…

Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) is a flexible tool for the exploration and estimation of sparse factor loading structures; that is, most cross-loading entries are zero and only a few important cross-loadings are nonzero. The current investigation was focused on the BSEM with small-variance normal distribution priors (BSEM-N) for both…

The aim of this study was to develop a scale to measure students' blended learning course experience. A total of 792 undergraduate students from Malaysia participated in this study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to evaluate the factor structure of the scale. As a result of EFA, three factors with 19 items that explained 68.06% of…

In randomized control trials (RCT), the recent focus has shifted to how an intervention yields positive results on its intended outcome. This aligns with the recent push of implementation science in healthcare (Bauer et al., 2015) but goes beyond this. RCTs have moved to evaluating the theoretical framing of the intervention as well as differing…

The purpose of this study was to establish the factor structure and dimensionality of the Metacognitive Orientation Learning Environment Scale -- Science (MOLES-S) in the Thai context. The metacognitive orientation of a science classroom learning environment is defined as the extent to which psychosocial conditions that are known to enhance…

Model fit indices are being increasingly recommended and used to select the number of factors in an exploratory factor analysis. Growing evidence suggests that the recommended cutoff values for common model fit indices are not appropriate for use in an exploratory factor analysis context. A particularly prominent problem in scale evaluation is the…

In exploratory factor analysis, although the researchers decide which items belong to which factors by considering statistical results, the decisions taken sometimes can be subjective in case of having items with similar factor loadings and complex factor structures. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of classifying items into…

This paper reports an investigation into the psychometric properties of the COR-Advantage1.5 (COR-Adv1.5) assessment tool, a criterion-referenced observation-based instrument designed to assess the developmental abilities of children from birth through kindergarten. Using data from 8534 children participating in a state-funded preschool program…

There has been increased interest in assessing the quality and usefulness of short versions of the Raven's Progressive Matrices. A recent proposal, composed of the last twelve matrices of the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM-LS), has been depicted as a valid measure of "g." Nonetheless, the results provided in the initial validation…

Globally, online course enrollments have grown, and English is often used as a lingua franca for instruction. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework can inform the creation of more supportive, interaction-rich online learning environments. However, the framework and its accompanying validated instrument were created in North America, limiting…