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Factorial Invariance in a Repeated Measures Design: An Application to the Study of Person-Organization Fit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Carmen Ximénez*
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
Javier Revuelta
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be adressed to Carmen Ximénez. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Departamento de Psicologia Social y Metodologia. Cantoblanco s/n. 28049 Madrid. (Spain). E-mail: carmen.ximenez@uam.es

Abstract

An important methodological concern of any research based on a person-environment (P-E) fit approach is the operationalization of the fit, which imposes some measurement requirements that are rarely empirically tested with statistical methods. Among them, the assessment of the P and E components along commensurate dimensions is possibly the most cited one. This paper proposes to test the equivalence across the P and E measures by analyzing the measurement invariance of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis model. From a methodological point of view, the distinct aspect of this approach within the context of P-E fit research is that measurement invariance is assessed in a repeated measures design. An example illustrating the procedure in a person-organization (P-O) fit dataset is provided. Measurement invariance was tested at five different hierarchical levels: (1) configural, (2) first-order factor loadings, (3) second-order factor loadings, (4) residual variances of observed variables, and (5) disturbances of first-order factors. The results supported the measurement invariance across the P and O measures at the third level. The implications of these findings for P-E fit studies are discussed.

Un importante aspecto metodológico de las investigaciones basadas en el enfoque del ajuste persona-ambiente (P-A) se refiere a la operacionalización del ajuste P-A, que impone una serie de supuestos que raramente se evalúan utilizando métodos estadísticos. Entre ellos, la evaluación de los componentes P y A en dimensiones conmensurables o equivalentes, es posiblemente uno de los más citados. En este artículo se propone que la equivalencia entre las medidas de P y A puede evaluarse mediante el análisis de la invarianza factorial de un modelo de análisis factorial confirmatorio multi-grupo. Desde un punto de vista metodológico, la aportación del enfoque propuesto a la investigación del ajuste P-A es que la invarianza en la medida se evalúa en un diseño de medidas repetidas. El artículo también presenta un ejemplo que ilustra el procedimiento propuesto con datos para una medida de ajuste persona-organización (P-O). La invarianza en la medida se evalúa en cinco niveles jerárquicos: (1) configural, (2) saturaciones de primer orden, (3) saturaciones de segundo orden, (4) varianzas error de las variables observadas y (5) errores típicos asociados a los factores de primer orden. Los resultados dan apoyo a la invarianza factorial en las medidas de P y O en el tercer nivel. Por último, se discuten las implicaciones del enfoque propuesto para los estudios de ajuste P-A.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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