A Rasch and factor analysis of a Paramedic Graduate Attribute scale

This study examined the construct validity of the Paramedic Graduate Attribute scale (PGAS) using factor analysis and Rasch Analysis. A convenience sample was used in the study involving paramedics from all states and territories in Australia. Participants were asked to rate the importance of 47 graduate attribute items. Principal components analysis (PCA) was undertaken on the 47 items followed by Oblique Oblimin rotation. For the Rasch analysis item fit, item invariance and dimensionality were examined. A total of 872 paramedics participated in the study (23% response rate). PCA of the 47 items revealed seven factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, accounting for 40.6% of the total variance. The subsequent Rasch analyses based on the seven factors produced seven misfitting items and confirmed a 7-factor solution. The 7-factor PGAS produced a good fit to the Rasch Model and exhibited good reliability and unidimensionality, offering the Australian paramedic discipline a set of empirically based graduate attributes.