Название: A Step-By-Step Guide to Exploratory Factor Analysis with Stata
Автор: Marley W. Watkins
Издательство: Routledge
Год: 2022
Страниц: 209
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 43.3 MB

This is a concise, easy to use, step-by-step guide for applied researchers conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Stata.

In this book, Dr. Watkins systematically reviews each decision step in EFA with screen shots of Stata code and recommends evidence-based best practice procedures. This is an eminently applied, practical approach with few or no formulas and is aimed at readers with little to no mathematical background. Dr. Watkins maintains an accessible tone throughout and uses minimal jargon and formula to help facilitate grasp of the key issues users will face when applying EFA, along with how to implement, interpret, and report results. Copious scholarly references and quotations are included to support the reader in responding to editorial reviews.

There are many software packages that can be used to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA). SPSS, SAS, and Stata are the most popular commercial packages. A review of statistical software used in academic articles found that SPSS was cited most frequently, followed by R, SAS, and Stata. Stata is frequently licensed by colleges and universities so it is widely available to faculty and students. Stata is also accessible via group license and for single users in business, government, and education. Accordingly, Stata will be employed in this book. Stata is available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems with versions that differ by number of computer cores, variables, and participants they can manage but not by the statistical methods they include. Stata is a command-​driven program that also provides a menu system. The commands in Stata are based on an underlying programming language that can be used to perform matrix calculations and to add new features to Stata.

This is a valuable resource for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as for more experienced researchers undertaking multivariate or structure equation modeling courses across the behavioral, medical, and social sciences.

“A Step-by-Step Guide to Exploratory Factor Analysis with Stata offers not only an explanation of how to use Stata but also a clear overview of how to conduct an EFA. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers alike.” -Stefan C. Dombrowski, Rider University, USA

“This book is an amazing resource for those new to factor analysis as well as those who have used it for some time. It is a terrific guide to best practices in exploratory factor analysis with rich explanations and descriptions for why various procedures are used and equally terrific in providing resources and guidance for using Stata for conducting factor analysis. I highly recommend this book.” -Gary L. Canivez, Eastern Illinois University, USA