Factor structure and factorial invariance of language tests: a multi-sample CFA longitudinal study

Abstract

Understanding the factor structure of a language test is crucial to the establishment of its construct validity. Despite the growing number of factor structure studies in the field of language testing, few have used multi-year data to investigate the factor structure and factorial invariance of language tests. Adopting longitudinal design and multisample Confirmatory Factor Analysis ( CFA) as its analytic methodology, this study investigated the factor structure and factorial invariance of a university-based English proficiency test. Results indicated that the higher-order factor model fit the test data well and was comparatively parsimonious. Multi-sample CFA analyses demonstrated that this..