Measurement Invariance Testing with Many Groups: A Comparison of Five Approaches
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2017
Keywords
approximate measurement invariance, multilevel CFA, multilevel factor mixture modeling, Bayesian, alignment
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2017.1304822
Abstract
With the increasing use of international survey data especially in cross-cultural and multi-national studies, establishing measurement invariance (MI) across a large number of groups in a study is essential. However, testing MI over many groups is methodologically challenging. We identified five methods for MI testing across many groups (multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, multilevel factor mixture modeling, Bayesian approximate MI testing, and alignment optimization) and explicated the similarities and differences of these approaches in terms of their conceptual models and statistical procedures. A Monte Carlo study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the five methods in detecting measurement noninvariance across many groups using various fit criteria. Generally, the five methods showed reasonable performance in identifying the level of invariance if an appropriate fit criterion was used (e.g., BIC with multilevel factor mixture modeling). Finally, general guidelines in selecting an appropriate method are provided.
Rights Information
Was this content written or created while at USF?
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Citation / Publisher Attribution
Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v. 24, issue 4, p. 524-544
Scholar Commons Citation
Kim, Eun Sook; Cao, Chunhua; Wang, Yan; and Nguyen, Diep T., "Measurement Invariance Testing with Many Groups: A Comparison of Five Approaches" (2017). Educational and Psychological Studies Faculty Publications. 194.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/esf_facpub/194
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