A Factor Analytic Study of the Internet Usage Scale

• Published in: Journal of research in education (Online) Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 14 - 23
• Main Authors: Monetti, David M, Whatley, Mark A, Hinkle, Kerry T, Cunningham, Kerry T, Breneiser, Jennifer E, Kisling, Rhea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Eastern Educational Research Association 2011
• Subjects: Adolescent Attitudes; Bartletts Test of Sphericity; Behavior Rating Scales; Factor Analysis; Internet; Item Analysis; Mass Media Effects; Mass Media Use; Maximum Likelihood Statistics; Middle School Students; Psychometrics; Rating Scales; Test Construction; United States (Southeast)
• ISSN: 1083-6470

This study developed an Internet Usage Scale (IUS) for use with adolescent populations. The IUS is a 26-item scale that measures participants' beliefs about how their Internet usage impacts their behavior. The sample for this study consisted of 947 middle school students. An exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation was conducted on the data that yielded an initial three-factor solution. However, after eliminating items that provided redundant variance, the three-factor solution was unacceptable. A two-factor solution was investigated and found to be acceptable. The first factor was termed "SELF-DETACHMENT" and accounted for 19.16% of the variance. The second factor was termed "USAGE" and accounted for 9.10% of the variance. These psychometric properties show promise for further exploration of Internet usage among adolescents.