Factor Stability of a Student Biographical Information Blank Over Several Grade Levels

Abstract

A biographical information blank (BIB), administered to students in grades 7, 9, and 11 in 1963 as part of the ETS Growth Study, was analyzed to determine the stability of its factor structure. This was done by deriving a single average factor pattern matrix which was rotated to simple structure and against which factor matrices at each grade level could be compared. Of 11 factors extracted, all but three showed reasonably good stability. Those factors that showed the greatest change, in terms of their presence over the three grade levels, were “General Appreciation of School Courses,” “Social Activities,” and “High Level Literary Activities.” Implications of stability in factor structure for further BIB development and for utilization in the framework of a longitudinal study are discussed.