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How to combine different items into one variable?

SPSS

My study has 50 questionnaires with 5 point Likert scale. The questionnaire contains 7 categories, and each category has 9 questions. How do I combine the 9 different items into one variable, so that I will have 7 variables?
How can I combine different items into one variable with SPSS?

All Answers (5 Answers In All)

By Luv Bhatia Answered 6 years ago

I don’t think, you should use SPSS. Instead, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) can be used to group all the items into one variable. With the help of this method, each item would stand by itself independently.

By Supriya Mishra Answered 6 years ago

I would suggest you take help from YouTube. There, you can have a demonstration for your query. I am attaching one link for your reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UROF87XZqKg

By Anju Mehera Answered 6 years ago

You can calculate the mean with all these questions. With its help, you will have a new variable. Now, you can use this new variable in your study to move forward.

By Nitesh Singhal Answered 6 years ago

Moving further, just check whether the measurements are summative or not. I am asking you to do this because sometimes, you are not allowed to compute the total score for some variables. And, if the questionnaire in your study permits, then, you can calculate the total score by transform> compute variable> set the target variable TOTAL and set in the numeric expression box sum (item1 to item48) > ok