Using Rasch measurement to validate the Big Five factor marker questionnaire for a Japanese university population

In recent years, psychological studies have increasingly come to support the so-called "Big Five" or "Five-factor Model" (FFM) of human personality. However, the vast majority of research in this field has been undertaken in Western contexts, thus raising the question of how applicable the Big Five is to Asian populations. Moreover, nearly all research into the Big Five has relied on traditional techniques of statistical analysis (e.g., factor analysis, correlation) to validate their results, despite the limitations of such methods. This study examined instrument validation of a widely-used Big Five instrument (the Factor Markers questionnaire) given to a Japanese population (n = 283) by using the Rasch rating scale model (Andrich, 1978). Rasch principal components analysis of the item residuals indicated the possible existence of additional factors within the Intellect/Imagination and Agreeableness factors, as well as additional item fit problems within each hypothesized construct.