Loading...
Testing the factor structure and measurement invariance across gender of the big five inventory through exploratory structural equation modeling
Chiorri, Carlo Marsh, Herbert W. Ubbiali, Alessandro Donati, Deborah
Chiorri, Carlo
Marsh, Herbert W.
Ubbiali, Alessandro
Donati, Deborah
Abstract
Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) typically fail to support the a priori 5-factor structure of Big Five self-report instruments, due in part to the overly restrictive CFA assumptions. We show that exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), an integration of CFA and exploratory factor analysis, overcomes these problems in relation to responses to the 44-item Big Five Inventory(BFI) administered to a large Italian community sample. ESEM fitted the data better and resulted in less correlated factors than CFA, although ESEM and CFA factor scores correlated at near unity with observed raw scores. Tests of gender invariance with a 13-model taxonomy of full measurement invariance showed that the factor structure of the BFI is gender-invariant and that women score higher on Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. Through ESEM one could address substantively important issues about BFI psychometric properties that could not be appropriately addressed through traditional approaches.
Keywords
exploratory structural equation modeling, five factor approach, big five inventory, confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance
Date
2016
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Personality Assessment
Book
Volume
98
Issue
1
Page Range
88-99
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Positive Psychology and Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Open
Controlled
Controlled
Notes
This record includes an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Personality Assessment on 2nd January 2016, available online: [http://www.tandfonline.com/] http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00223891.2015.1035381.