Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Roteiro de Avaliação da Consciência Fonológica, a phonological awareness test

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the evidence of construct validity of a phonological awareness instrument. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out on data collected from 510 elementary and middle school students in 2nd and 6th grades attending two different public schools in the city of São Paulo, Brazil; most were males with mean age of 8.4 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out on data collected from 427 students from other four Brazilian states in the same grades; most were females with mean age of 9.3 years. The instrument used was the Roteiro de Avaliação da Consciência Fonológica, a phonological awareness test. The exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor solution. As for the confirmatory factor analysis, of the two models tested, the one that indicated better model fit indices was composed of three factors. The model found is adequate for the task carried out in this study. However, more studies should be carried out to further refine the instrument.

Keywords

• Education, primary and secondary
• Phonological awareness
• Test validity.