­­Big Five Personality Traits: a methodological approach for the development of the BF15BR scale

We conducted an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate a 15-item reduced scale designed to measure personality traits based on the Big Five model, adapted to the Brazilian context. This process led to the development of the Big Five Traits Personality – 15 Items, Brazil (BF15BR). Our methodology followed a rigorous approach to establishing the construct, developing the measurement items, and validating the scale. The EFA results enabled the classification of items into five dimensions corresponding to Openness to Experience (OTE), Conscientiousness (CCC), Extraversion (EXT), Agreeableness (AGB), and Neuroticism (NRT). The CFA results demonstrated that key statistical indices – such as CFI, TLI, SRMR, and RMSEA – reached values deemed acceptable by the literature. Additionally, the Composite Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) coefficients, used to assess convergent validity, indicated that the BF15BR met the reliability and validity criteria for most dimensions analyzed. As a final outcome, we present a concise, empirically tested, and validated instrument for measuring personality traits within the Big Five framework.