Analysing the second-order factor structure of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) using : sum scoring, weighted factor scoring and plausible values scoring

This study aimed to determine the impact that different scoring methods would have on the second-order factor structure of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) and whether using different scoring methods would influence the psychometric properties of the existing theoretical model of the SAPI in any way. This study identified that the data best supported the weighted factor sum scoring model.This study used a large set of secondary data consisting of the item responses of respondents who completed the SAPI obtained from previous studies in the analyses. A postpositivist paradigm and a cross-sectional research design were followed. The researcher compared the impact of various scoring methods on the second-order factor structure of the SAPI model. The sum scoring, factor score regression, and plausible values methods were used to evaluate the impact on the reliability and validity of the item scores.