title: Paper-and-pencil and web-based testing: the measurement invariance of the Big Five personality tests in applied settings.
abstract: This study investigates the measurement equivalence of a five-factor measure of personality across two groups applying for jobs, who completed the same questionnaire using either a paper-and-pencil (n = 429) or a web online answer format (n = 651). The data were collected using the Big Five Questionnaire-2 (BFQ-2; which is a measure of the Five Factor Model) of personality traits. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures of the BFQ-2. Findings suggested that the Five Factor Model scales have the same measurement unit and origin across applicants using different administration modes. However, latent means were slightly higher for applicants who responded in a web and unproctored condition than for applicants who completed a paper-and-pencil version of the same test. Practical implications for personality assessment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. michele.vecchione@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vecchione
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alessandri
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbaranelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010209:Paper; D010556:Personality Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014956:Writing