Assessing the Career Interests of College Youth: Summary of Research and Applications

ACT RESEARCH REPORTNo. 6767December 1974VASSESSING THE CAREER INTERESTS OF COLLEGE YOUTH: SUMMARY OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONSG. R. Hansonw THE AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING PROGRAMP. 0. BOX 168, IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 ASSESSING THE CAREER INTERESTS OF COLLEGE YOUTH: SUMMARY OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONSABSTRACTThis report describes the rationale, development, technical characteristics, and use of the ACT Interest Inventory, which provides both descriptive information about an individual’s interests and information to facilitate focused exploration of educational and career alternatives. The report begins with consideration of the question, "What are interests and why do we measure them?” It concludes with a discussion of the ways information about group differences in educational and vocational behavior can be used to help individuals make satisfying and rewarding career choices.The results of extensive item analyses indicated that the scales of the ACT Interest Inventory measure six basic dimensions of interest with sufficient consistency and accuracy for individual counseling with students. Group differences in item responses suggested that separate scaling and norming procedures were needed for men and women, but that whites and non whites did not require separate norms. Validity evidence supporting the descriptive use of the ACT Interest Inventory included correlational information showing that the six scales are relatively independent, are interrelated in the expected circular fashion, are highly related to Strong Vocational Interest Blank scales measuring the same dimensions, and are unrelated to ACT ability measures. Evidence supporting the use of the ACT Interest Inventory to facilitate focused exploration of possible educational programs of study included analyses of institutional differences, sex differences, and educational programs of study. Results from multiple discriminant analyses showed that people in the same major attending different institutions had similar interest profiles, that men and women in the same educational major had highly similar interests patterns when scores were scaled separately by sex, and that people in different educational majors had quite different interest profiles. Similar educational major differences were found for a cross-validation sample and support the generalizability of these data to other samples. Results of these analyses were used to construct a Map of College Majors which summarizes the group differences among college majors and can be used with individuals to show the similarity of their interests to the interests of successful and satisfied college seniors in a variety of majors. A second reporting procedure, the World-of-Work Map, was developed to show the similarity of an individual’s work activity preferences to the work tasks and activities which characterize groups or families of occupations. These work activity preferences are best described in terms of two bi-polar dimensions—a data/ideas dimension and a people/things dimension. The application of these two reporting procedures in career counseling situations are discussed. Prepared by the Research and Development Division The American College Testing Program© 1974 by The American College Testing ProgramAll rights reserved. Printed in the United States of AmericaFor additional copies write:ACT Publications P.O. Box 168 Iowa City, Iowa 52240(Check or money order must accompany request.) Price: $1.00 TABLE OF CONTENTSA Rationale for the ACT Interest Inventory............................................................................................................... 1What Are Interests?................................................................................................................................................... 2Why Measure the Interests of College Youth?...................................................................................................... 5Communicating the Results of Interest Measurement........................................................................................ 6Development of the ACT Interest Inventory............................................................................................................. 8Background Development........................................................................................................................................ 8Scale Development of the ACT Interest Inventory.............................................................................................. 8Item Homogeneity ..................................................................................................................................................... 9Group Differences in Item Responses................................................