Joint factor analysis of the college student experiences questionnaire and the act COMP objective exam

This study reports the joint factor structure of the ACT College Outcomes Measures Project Objective (COMP-O) examination and the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) scales for graduating college seniors at a large doctoral degree-granting institution. From a theoretical, empirical, and psychometric perspective, one might expect to observe a relationship between the effort that a student puts into the collegiate experience and academic outcomes. This study successfully replicated the factor structures of the CSEQ and the COMP-O reported elsewhere. The joint factor analysis of the two instruments failed to identify any constructs common to the two instruments. Based on our findings and those of others, the use of the COMP-O as a sole measure of the effectiveness of any program or collegiate outcome appears unjustified.