Likert-Type Survey Data Analysis with R and RStudio

The free statistical software R and the free integrated development environment RStudio provide comprehensive tools to visualize and analyze quantitative survey data. The breadth of packages available to extend the functionality of R makes it a viable alternative to traditional software, such as Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata, Mplus, and LISREL, frequently used for quantitative survey data analysis including providing psychometric evidence of instrument quality. Using a sample dataset available in R, this chapter will walk through the use of functions from the likert, psych, and lavaan packages. These packages can be used to visualize response pattern distributions from Likert-type items, generate descriptive statistics, examine evidence for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and conduct various types of factor analyses to provide evidence for the internal structure of an instrument. While this chapter uses a dataset from a survey with a Likert response scale, the functions described can be applied to quantitative data obtained from a variety of instrument types. Examples from the chemistry education research literature of using these techniques for survey data analysis and instrument development will be highlighted.