Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is one of the most commonly-reported quantitative methodology in the social sciences, yet much of the detail regarding what happens during an EFA remains unclear. The goal of this brief technical note is to explore what "rotation" is, what exactly is rotating, and why we use rotation when performing EFAs. Some commentary about the relative utility and desirability of different rotation methods concludes the narrative.
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Jason W. Osborne (2020) studied this question.
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