A comparison of confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional Rasch models to investigate the dimensionality of test-taking motivation.

Using a scale of test-taking motivation designed to have multiple factors, results are compared from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using LISREL and a multidimensional Rasch partial credit model using ConQuest. Both types of analyses work with latent factors and allow the comparison of nested models. CFA models most typically model a linear relationship between observed and latent variables, while Rasch models specify a non-linear relationship between observed and latent variables. The CFA software provides many more measures of overall fit than ConQuest, which is focused more on the fit of individual items. Despite the conceptual differences in these techniques, the results were similar. The data fit a three-dimensional model better than the one-dimensional or two-dimensional models also hypothesized, although some misfit remained.