Exploratory factor analysis: Current use, methodological developments and recommendations for good practice

Psychological research often relies on Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). As the outcome of the analysis highly depends on the chosen settings, there is a strong need for guidelines in this context. Therefore, we want to examine the recent methodological developments as well as the current practice...

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Published inCurrent psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) Vol. 40; no. 7; pp. 3510 - 3521
Main Authors Goretzko, David, Pham, Trang Thien Huong, Bühner, Markus
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.07.2021
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Best practices
Methods
Multivariate analysis
Psychological research
Psychology
Social Sciences
Germany
Retention criteria
Exploratory factor analysis
Extraction methods
Sample size
Rotation methods
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Summary:Psychological research often relies on Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). As the outcome of the analysis highly depends on the chosen settings, there is a strong need for guidelines in this context. Therefore, we want to examine the recent methodological developments as well as the current practice in psychological research. We reviewed ten years of studies containing EFAs and contrasted them with new methodological options. We focused on four major issues: an adequate sample size, the extraction method, the rotation method and the factor retention criterion determining the number of factors. Finally, we present modified recommendations based on these reviewed empirical studies and practical considerations.
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ISSN:1046-1310
1936-4733
DOI:10.1007/s12144-019-00300-2