Toward a Further Understanding of and Improvement in Measurement Invariance Methods and Procedures

Recognizing that measurement invariance was rarely tested for in organizational research, and that it should be, Vandenberg and Lance elaborated on the importance of conducting tests of measurement invariance and proposed an integrative paradigm for conducting sequences of measurement invariance tests. Building on their platform, the current article addresses some of the shortcomings in our understanding of the analytical procedures. In particular, it points out the need to address (a) the sensitivity of the analytical procedures, (b) the susceptibility of the procedures to contextual influences, (c) how partial invariance affects the tests of substantive interest, and (d) the triggers or causes for not supporting invariance. In the hopes of stimulating further research on these topics, ideas are presented as to how this research may be undertaken.

[1]  Harold Gulliksen,et al.  Regression tests for several samples , 1950, Psychometrika.

[2]  K. Jöreskog.  A general approach to confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis , 1969 .

[3]  N. Schmitt,et al.  The Use Of Analysis Of Covariance Structures To Assess Beta And Gamma Change. , 1982, Multivariate behavioral research.

[4]  R. Gorsuch,et al.  Component analysis versus common factor analysis: A Monte Carlo study. , 1989 .

[5]  Stephen G. Green,et al.  Confirmatory factor analytic procedures for assessing change during organizational entry , 1989 .

[6]  B. Byrne,et al.  Testing for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures: The issue of partial measurement invariance. , 1989 .

[7]  Vida Scarpello,et al.  The matching model: An examination of the processes underlying realistic job previews. , 1990 .

[8]  R. Gorsuch.  Common Factor Analysis versus Component Analysis: Some Well and Little Known Facts. , 1990, Multivariate behavioral research.

[9]  J. Horn,et al.  A practical and theoretical guide to measurement invariance in aging research. , 1992, Experimental aging research.

[10]  R. H. Franke.  The Ultimate Advantage: Creating the High-Involvement OrganizationThe Ultimate Advantage: Creating the High-Involvement Organization By LawlerEdward E.III, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1992—371 pages. $29.95 , 1992 .

[11]  Herbert W. Marsh,et al.  The Multidimensional Structure of Academic Self-Concept: Invariance Over Gender and Age , 1993 .

[12]  Robert J. Vandenberg,et al.  Assessing newcomers' changing commitments to the organization during the first 6 months of work , 1993 .

[13]  D. Mackinnon,et al.  Generality and specificity in health behavior: application to warning-label and social influence expectancies. , 1993, The Journal of applied psychology.

[14]  W. Meredith.  Measurement invariance, factor analysis and factorial invariance , 1993 .

[15]  Robert J. Vandenberg,et al.  A Central Question in Cross-Cultural Research: Do Employees of Different Cultures Interpret Work-related Measures in an Equivalent Manner?: , 1994 .

[16]  D. Ulrich.  From The Ground Up: Six Principles for Building the New Logic Corporation , 1996 .

[17]  D. Chan,et al.  Racial subgroup differences in predictive validity perceptions on personality and cognitive ability tests. , 1997, Journal of Applied Psychology.

[18]  F.J.R. van de Vijver,et al.  Methods and Data Analysis for Cross-Cultural Research , 1997 .

[19]  L. J. Williams,et al.  Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: guidelines, issues, and alternatives , 1997 .

[20]  J. Steenkamp,et al.  Assessing Measurement Invariance in Cross-National Consumer Research , 1998 .

[21]  L. V. Dyne,et al.  Helping and Voice Extra-Role Behaviors: Evidence of Construct and Predictive Validity , 1998 .

[22]  Gordon W. Cheung,et al.  Testing Measurement Models for Factorial Invariance: A Systematic Approach , 1998 .

[23]  Gordon W. Cheung,et al.  Testing Factorial Invariance across Groups: A Reconceptualization and Proposed New Method , 1999 .

[24]  Hettie A. Richardson,et al.  The Impact of High Involvement Work Processes on Organizational Effectiveness , 1999 .

[25]  R. Vandenberg,et al.  A Review and Synthesis of the Measurement Invariance Literature: Suggestions, Practices, and Recommendations for Organizational Research , 2000 .

[26]  Todd D. Little,et al.  On the Comparability of Constructs in Cross-Cultural Research , 2000 .

[27]  D. Chan,et al.  Detection of Differential Item Functioning on the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory Using Multiple-Group Mean and Covariance Structure Analyses , 2000, Multivariate behavioral research.

[28]  Gordon W. Cheung,et al.  Assessing Extreme and Acquiescence Response Sets in Cross-Cultural Research Using Structural Equations Modeling , 2000 .

[29]  Lynda Holyoak,et al.  From the Ground Up: Six Principles for Building the New Logic Corporation , 2001 .