Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for adversity quotient (AQ) instrument among youth

Abstract

Adversity Quotient (AQ) Instrument was developed to determine the level of AQ among youth in Malaysia. The new items generated needs more empirical evidences on checking how well the items can measure the constructs of AQ. Literature search and pilot study were carried out and appropriate items were extracted. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to verify the validity and reliability of the items. A survey with quantitative approach conducted to 552 youth using convenient sampling. The instrument with five point Likert scale consisted of 60 items with four main constructs of AQ namely Control, Ownership, Reach and Endurance. The Cronbach’s alpha shows that the overall score was 0.949 and each constructs had between ranges of 0.755 to 0.880 indicating high item reliability. The total of 39 from 60 items shows the factor loadings are more than 0.6 with ranged from 0.603 - 0.874 for each constructs. The final outcome explained 58.99 percent’s of data variance. The result had proven that all constructs are relevant in measuring youth adversity. The implications towards the psychometric assessment was clear in providing empirical evidence for confirming the constructs by theory and also monitoring best items that fully explained the measurement.