Criticism of the analysis of Construct Validity of the Gifted Rating Scales (GRS 2) Parent Form in Spain; a reply to Tourón et al. (2023)

Abstract

The objective of this research is to reexamine the methods of analysis of the construct validity of the GRS 2 Parents Scale in Spain carried out by Tourón et al. (2023). To achieve this aim, we start from the proposal of these authors, constructively criticizing some of their procedures, and proposing alternatives for modeling and analysis. Therefore, an eminently didactic approach is used, based fundamentally on the literature on structural equation models and psychometrics. The distinction between reflective and formative models, the direction of causality and the underlying equations, the suitability of analyzing construct validity in a nomological network going beyond factor analysis, and the testing of the structural model using chi-square, are the main elements on which criticism is articulated. Likewise, different modeling options are proposed that are congruent with lines of research in the measurement of high abilities, and that may serve as a basis for continuing to advance in this discipline in the future.

Key words: gifted rating scales, high  ability,  construct  validity, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, formative models.