• The Korean Journal of Elementary Counseling
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.185-201
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to reveal and confirm the factor structure inherent in the Korean inventory of peer relationships(KIPR; Sang-Hwang Hong, et al., 2009) in order to strengthen the interpretive usefulness of the test. For this purpose, the inventory was administered to the total of 616 children in the fourth through sixth grades in three elementary schools located in Gyungnam area, and the data from 578 of them were analyzed. The results of the study can be summarized as follows. First, as a result of the exploratory factor analysis of 3-factor and 4-factor models, the 3-factor model was found to be more appropriate. In the 3-factor model, the factor 1 is named "Lack of Self-Confidence and Social Withdrawal" as it consists of such circumplex scale items as Non-Assertiveness (C5), Social Avoidance (C4), the Cold (C3), and Too Submissive (C6). The factor 2 is named "Too Aggressive and Controlling" and consists of items Too Controlling (C1) and Hard to be Supportive (C2). The factor 3 is named "Too Caring" and consists of items Too Responsible (C7), Over Involvement (C8), and Too Submissive (C6). Second, as a result of the confirmatory factor analysis, the 3-factor model, in comparison to the 4-factor model, was found to better reflect the collected data(RMSEA=.054), its goodness of fit was not satisfactory but within the acceptable range(CFI=.786), and its power of simplicity and clarity was also adequate(PCFI=.733). In the current study, through the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of scores from the Korean inventory of peer relationships circumplex scales, scales within the peer relationship circumplex model that are near each other and are highly correlated were confirmed to be grouped together as same factors. I believe the main merit of the study lies in the above result having provided the necessary foundation for forming the superordinate and representative scale that encompasses the eight circumplex scales, which enhances the test's interpretive usefulness.