A FACTOR ANALYTIC STUDY OF THE AI AND THE CCI

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Personality Assessment

Background:

• The Adjective Inventory (AI) and College Characteristics Index (CCI) are established measures in personality and college environment research.
• Previous research has utilized these instruments independently to understand student-college interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dimensional overlap and unique contributions of the AI and CCI when considered together.
• To explore how personality factors influence college choice dimensions, specifically academic interests and social relationships.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis was employed to examine the common and unique dimensions captured by the AI (13 factors) and CCI (11 factors).
• The study analyzed the interplay between personality traits measured by the AI and environmental perceptions measured by the CCI.

Main Results:

• A combined analysis of AI and CCI yielded 22 dimensions, indicating a loss of 2 dimensions compared to the sum of individual factors.
• The lost dimensions appear to be linked to specific personality types' preferences for distinct college environments.
• Key dimensions of college choice identified include academic interests and social relationship preferences.

Conclusions:

• The AI and CCI, while measuring different constructs (individual vs. environment), share underlying dimensions related to college choice.
• Personality significantly influences the selection of college environments, particularly concerning academic and social factors.
• Understanding these shared and distinct dimensions is crucial for accurate student-college matching and personality research.