The Multidimensionality of the Rotter I-E Scale and its Higher-order Structure: An Application of Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Abstract
Rotter (1966, 1975) concluded that responses to his Internal-External (I-E) scale were unidimensional, or at least that one general factor explained most of the variance in the total score. The purpose of the present investigation is to examine the factorial structure of the original Rotter scale. A review of 20 published factor analyses indicated that the scale is not unidimensional, that not even two or three factors may be able to adequately explain responses to the scale, and that six distinguishable factors have been identified. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a five-factor model provided an adequate fit to data from the present investigation, but that alternative models with fewer factors or a simpler structure did not fit the data as well. However, a single higher-order factor was able to explain much of the variance in the lower-order factors and also provided a reasonable fit to the data. Hence, while there is strong evidence against the unidimensionality of the Rotter scale, the find...