Purifying a Television Viewing Measure for Use in Consumer Socialization Research
Eric V. Bindah *
PhD Scholar, Department of Marketing, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Md Nor Othman
Professor and Head of Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The purpose of this study is to report confirmatory factor analysis on existing previously validated scales, by means of validating a television viewing scale.
Study Design: Survey.
Place and Duration of Study: A survey was conducted in the Klang Valley in Malaysia for a period of four consecutive months.
Methodology: The target population were college students (age ranged 19-30 above) in public and private institution of higher learning. College students were chosen because generally they represented the future of a country as with a good education, they would become middle-class professionals. Of the 1,200 randomly selected university and college students 956 completed questionnaires were usable for the data analysis. A television viewing scale was modified and adapted for the study.
Results: Using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches, this research replicated a television viewing measure. Initially, an exploratory factor analysis (N=956.) evaluated two solutions, ranging from 1 to 2 factors. Next, a confirmatory factor analyses, was used to examine the two–factor model identified by the exploratory factor analysis. A number of indices were used to evaluate the model fit. A confirmatory factor analysis of the factor structure of the adapted television viewing scale was conducted to assess whether the scale's purported 2 factors emerged. The findings of alternative model comparison converge with the results obtained from factor analysis, which demonstrated that television viewing constructs performed better when modelled as a disaggregated two-factor structure. Overall, the required reliability and validity assessment demonstrated strong support for satisfactory convergent validity and discriminant validity and proved to fit the data even better.
Conclusion: Researchers and marketers in the area of mass communication could consider adapting the television viewing scale of this study in a different multi-ethnic and cultural context to further examine how the instrument would perform.
Keywords: Television viewing, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis