In multivariate statistics, exploratory factor analysis ( EFA ) is a
statistical method used to uncover the underlying structure of a relatively
large set of variables. EFA is a technique within factor analysis whose
overarching goal is to identify the underlying relationships between measured
variables. It is commonly used by researchers when developing a scale (a
scale is a collection of questions used to measure a particular research
topic) and serves to identify a set of latent constructs underlying a battery
of measured variables. It should be used when the researcher has no a priori
hypothesis about factors or patterns of measured variables.