ABSTRACT
This book chapter overviews the uses of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques (EFA, CFA) in instrument development/validation contexts and explores the rising importance of structural equation modeling (SEM) applications in causal modeling/theory building contexts. The chapter opens with a conceptual description of the approaches, including their main purposes, strengths, assumptions, and limitations. It then examines EFA, CFA, and SEM application practices across three prominent second language research journals over the course of the last decade to identify current patterns and provide illustrative examples. The chapter concludes with broad recommendations for future uses of the approaches in applied linguistics.
