Ability factor differentiation, Grades 5 through 11

Abstract

Factor analyses have been computed in samples of white male and female and black male and female students for the same 16 cognitive variables at grade levels 5, 7, 9, and 11. Samples for each of the four independent groups remained constant at the four grade levels. The latent roots as analyzed in three ways show a clear but small increase in the number of common factors during this time period, particularly for the white groups. Rotated factor loadings also support the differentiation hypothesis. For the white males, who showed the clearest evidence for differentiation of abilities, rotated loadings provide descriptions of the emerging factors. Although the evidence for differentiation is less clear in white females, the emerging factors appear to become identical by the 11th grade. Data for black males and females, which are based on smaller Ns, are more ambiguous.