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  • 24 - Introduction to Exploratory Factor Analysis: An Applied Approach

  • from Part IV - Statistical Approaches
  • Edited by Austin Lee Nichols, Central European University, Vienna, John Edlund, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
  • Book:
    The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
    Published online:
    25 May 2023
    Print publication:
    08 June 2023, pp 513-534

  • Summary

    This chapter provides an overview of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) from an applied perspective. We start with a discussion of general issues and applications, including definitions of EFA and the underlying common factors model. We briefly cover history and general applications. The most substantive part of the chapter focuses on six steps of EFA. More specifically, we consider variable (or indicator) selection (Step 1), computing the variance–covariance matrix (Step 2), factor-extraction methods (Step 3), factor-retention procedures (Step 4), factor-rotation methods (Step 5), and interpretation (Step 6). We include a data analysis example throughout (with example code for R), with full details in an online supplement. We hope the chapter will provide helpful guidance to applied researchers in the social and behavioral sciences.