Requirements for and Decisions in Choosing Exploratory Common Factor Analysis

This chapter looks at the key considerations that researchers should take into account in determining when it is appropriate to conduct an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the common factor model. It first outlines the requirements for conducting EFA by considering what sorts of research questions are best explored by this type of factor analysis, along with the nature of the data necessary to properly conduct the analysis. It then focuses on the characteristics of the measured variables to be analyzed before turning to the question of when EFA versus confirmatory factor analysis is most appropriate. In case an exploratory approach is selected, the next issue is whether the analysis should be based on the common factor model or the (different but related) principal component analysis model.