Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis

Authors

Anna B. Costello
Jason Osborne

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/jyj1-4868

Abstract

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is a complex, multi-step process. The goal of this paper is to collect, in one article, information that will allow researchers and practitioners to understand the various choices available through popular software packages, and to make decisions about “best practices” in exploratory factor analysis. In particular, this paper provides practical information on making decisions regarding (a) extraction, (b) rotation, (c) the number of factors to interpret, and (d) sample size.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Costello, Anna B. and Osborne, Jason (2019) "Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis," Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation: Vol. 10, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275/jyj1-4868
Available at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol10/iss1/7