Partial least squares: The gestation period

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to describe the context of some of the earliest applications of partial least squares in the analysis of large-scale school survey data. In the late 1960s, several large school surveys had been conducted, but the analytical methods available at the time were not capable of reflecting structural equation models covering these large data sets. Instead analysis proceeded more by analogical models than structural equation models. Such models had very limited usefulness for addressing significant policy issues. The development of partial least squares and its application in school survey research led not only to findings more relevant to policy issues of concern but also supported the development of the underlying theoretical models.