The psychometric properties of measures of self-efficacy for the six themes of Holland's theory were examined using item response theory. Item and scale quality were compared across levels of the trait continuum; all the scales were highly reliable but differentiated better at some levels of the continuum than others. Applications for adaptive…

The present study compared the effectiveness of two online career exploration systems in increasing the career decision self-efficacy and decidedness of 960 students enrolled in a program for undecided freshmen students at a large public university. Results indicated that both systems led to significant increases in career decision self-efficacy…

This is the first article evaluating the concurrent validity of the 2005 Strong Interest Inventory (SII). The Basic Interest Scales (BISs) were substantially revised to reflect the changing workplace, so such an update is particularly important. Concurrent validity of the 41 content scales in the SII was examined for differentiating 31 college…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Big Five personality factors, measured by the NEO Personality Inventory Five-Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and vocational confidence across Holland's hexagon, measured by the Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI; Betz, Borgen, & Harmon, 2005), were useful in discriminating among…

Interests and self-efficacy are related constructs that contribute to a better understanding of career goals. The correlation between interests and self-efficacy as measured by the Skills Confidence Inventory and Strong Interest Inventory are very stable; concurrent administration yields a comparison of levels of interest and confidence from…

The relationship between the personal style scales of the Strong Interest Inventory and the Big Five model of personality was investigated with 740 undergraduates and a cross-validation sample of 321. No significant gender differences were observed. Personal style scales indicating living and working preferences were correlated with personality…

Examines the incremental validity of the General Confidence Themes of the Skills Confidence Inventory as measures of vocational self-efficacy in identifying tenured and satisfied membership in 21 occupational groups. Results replicate earlier findings that self-efficacy and interest form similar structures. Results also demonstrate the explanatory…

Validity of the SVIB for predicting career choice at the end of college was studied with able black and white men who were winners of National Achievement and National Merit Scholarships in 1966. Membership in career groups was predicted at least as well for these able blacks as it was for the whites. (Author)

Holland's hexagonal model for six occupational groups was tested with data on estimated occupational rewards. Data on rated occupational reward characteristics were available for 148 occupations. Although the hexagonal shape was distorted, the groups were arrayed in the order postualted by Holland. (Author)

Addressed relative validities of expressed choice v inventoried interests for predicting college major and career choice outcomes. Males provided data before college and three years later. Results highlight the importance of expressed interests in predicting vocational behavior and suggest ways in which expressed and inventoried interests might be…

This 20-year review highlights the influence and visibility of the theories of Super and Holland and the role of Osipow in nurturing productivity in vocational behavior research. Citation data are presented to illustrate the impact of milestone publications; converging trends toward an integrated career psychology are charted. (133 references) (SK)

David Blustein, Ellen Hawley McWhirter, and Justin Perry present a social justice agenda for action in vocational psychology in their article "An Emancipatory Communitarian Approach to Vocational Development Theory, Research, and Practice." They build on robust work in counseling psychology over recent decades by using the critical work of Isaac…

High ability men, who were winners of National Merit Scholarships in 1966, were used to study the capacity of precollege Strong Vocational Interest Blanks (SVIB) to predict major and career choices at the end of college. Criterion groups contained 1,031 men in 16 major fields and 780 men planning to enter 10 career fields. SVIB Occupational and…

The SVIB Occupational and Basic scales were compared. The Basic scales, as a predictor set, performed as well as the Occupational scales. The results support the use of the Basic scales in research and counseling and exemplify the utility of the discriminant function method for the validation of interest measures. (Author)

The gender validity of the Strong Interest Inventory's Personal Style Scales (Work Style, Learning Environment, Leadership Style, and Risk Taking/Adventure) was examined through a study of 458 female and 282 male college students at Iowa State University. The students completed the Personal Style Scales and the Adjective Check List (ACL), which is…