Closed-Form Alternatives for Estimating Omega Reliability

• In Event: Roundtable Session 46
  In Roundtable Session: Studies on Reliability and Measurement Error

Abstract

As an alternative to the coefficient alpha, McDonald’s omega has attracted increased attention in recent years, particularly within the methodological community, due to its less stringent measurement assumptions. Notwithstanding, omega is still seldom used by practitioners, probably due in large part to its unavailability in standard software packages (e.g., SPSS). This unavailability, in turn, is likely rooted in the need to derive parameter estimates from a confirmative factor analysis (CFA) for use in omega’s computation. The purpose of this research is to propose and evaluate (through simulation) closed-form estimates for omega, which do not rely on CFA, with the hope of finding more easily accessible alternatives for practitioners.

Authors

• Gregory R. Hancock, University of Maryland

• Ji An, University of Maryland - College Park