Evaluating the Dimensional Structure of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment-Short form

Abstract

This study explores the dimensional structure of the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (HOME-SF). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate three hypothesized factor structures. Data pertain to 1,250 children up to 2 years old, assessed by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). All models were found to be unsatisfactory. The global fit indexes were low, solutions were inadmissible, and many of the estimated factor loadings were small. This study indicates that the features of the home environment cannot be thought of as composing a single dimension, nor can they be thought of as composing dimensions corresponding to the NLSY scales or the original HOME scales. Hence further research is warranted to determine more precisely the character of what the HOME-SF measures.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baker, P. C. , & Mott, F. L. (1989). NLS child handbook, 1989. Columbus: Ohio State University, Center for Human Resource Research.

Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.

Bollen, K. A. , & Lennox, R. (1991). Conventional wisdom on measurement: A structural equation perspective. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 1-10.

Caldwell, B. M. , & Bradley, R. H. (1984). HOME Observation for Measurement of the Environment. Little Rock: University of Arkansas.

Joreskog, K. G. , & Sorbom, D. (1988). PRELIS [Computer program]. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.

Joreskog, K. G. , & Sorbom, D. (1989). LISREL 7 [Computer program]. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.

Luster, T. , & Dubow, E. (1992). Home environment and maternal intelligence as predictors of verbal intelligence: A comparison of preschool and school-age children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 38, 151-175.

Parcel, T. L. , & Menaghan, E. G. (1990). Maternal working conditions and children's verbal facility. Studying the intergenerational transmission of inequality from mothers to young children. Social Psychology Quarterly, 53, 132-147.