Replicate the analyses
reported in the chapter with the engineering, SDQ, or GDS data. Specifically:
Examine the factor loading
plot prior to rotation (if you examine the factor loading plot for
the GDS, it will be a three-dimensional plot that is more complex
to interpret) and again after trying various rotation strategies.
Which do you think provides the best clarification of the result?
For the GDS data, examine
a three-factor solution to see whether it is more sensible than the
one-, five-, or eight-factor solutions that are described in the chapter.
Do the factors make sense? If so, describe what each latent variable
is measuring.
Using the identification
with academics data downloaded in Chapter 2, conduct and interpret
the results of an EFA. Specifically:
Determine whether an
orthogonal or oblique rotation method should be used with the data
and be able to explain why.
Compare a few different
rotation methods and determine which method provides the best clarification
of the results.