A strength of this exploration of testing and test use in the United States is the concern for how tests affect student conceptions of learning and student relation to knowledge. A weakness is a persistent confounding of classroom and large-scale assessment for state and national purposes. (SLD)

"Assessing Student Performance" sets forth arguments for looking at testing and assessment. The exploration is more about morality and epistemology than about technology and politics. A principal assumption is that mainstream assessment and testing philosophy is flawed. (SLD)

The 1966 SVIB scoring keys were investigated and found to contain an average of 214 fewer items per occupational scale than the 1938 scoring keys. The shorter scales are less reliable than the longer scales on the 1966 SVIB. (Author)

Investigated differences between college educated working black men and women employed in traditional occupations. Administered the Vocational Preference Inventory and the Self Directed Search to 109 black college educated workers in three of Holland's environmental categories (Realistic, Investigative, and Enterprising). Found black women and men…

United States Employment Service data on the cognitive and noncognitive aptitude requirements of different occupations were used to create an occupational classification--the Occupational Aptitude Patterns (OAP) Map. Thirteen job clusters are arrayed according to major differences in overall intellectual difficulty level and in functional focus…

Analyzed seven career guidance instruments to determine the proportion of nontraditional and traditional occupations for women included in them. Results indicated the proportion of nontraditional female occupations represented ranged from 32 to 75 percent. Implications for career counseling for women are given. (Author/BL)

The number and type of errors in self administration and scoring made on Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Self-Directed Search Form Easy (SDS-E) were examined. Subjects were 96 learning disabled and 96 non learning disabled high school students. All subjects made more errors on the SDS than on the SDS-E. Differences are discussed.…

Investigated the efficacy of a test of vocational knowledge to assist in decision-making and career-planning for deaf and hard of hearing adults. Results indicated that the type of school attended by the client influenced vocational knowledge scores more than any other factor considered. (Author/ABB)

Double cross-validation of a test battery against multiple criterion variables found the first general factor accounts for most criterion variance in cross-validated regression weights. Small contributions are made by mechanical/technical and psychomotor factors. It appears a common general factor plays the major role in validity for a range of…

This study examines the effectiveness of sex-balanced and sex-restrictive raw score interest scales in discriminating among vocational preference groups. Analyses were conducted separately for 502 males in six vocational preference groups and 878 females in five vocational preference groups. Differences may restrict career suggestions provided to…

The Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF) were administered to 425 undergraduate students and compared using canonical analysis. The contributions of the scales of the VPI and the 16PF to the three relationships supported Hollans's theory of vocational choice, the use of the VPI for…

Construct validity data found some support for the California Occupational Preference System constructs when its results were evaluated on a sample of 213 female undergraduates relative to the Vocational Preference Inventory results. (PN)

To assess the feasibility of computer-assisted Federal Aviation Administration certification examinations, a system for administering the Private Pilot Certification Examination was implemented using PLATO. Characteristics, reactions, and guidelines for use of the test are included. (Author/JJD)

Similar scales on the California Occupational Preference System (COPSystem) Interest Inventory and the Kuder General Interest Survey were compared in terms of correlations between the scales. The results of comparing the three highest interest areas are interpreted as supporting the construct validity of the two instruments. (Author/PN)

Examines the role of government agencies, professional standards, and federal and state legislation in: (1) determining the quality of ability tests; (2) resolving imbalances and conflicts among participants in the testing process; and (3) defining fairness and due process. (Author/GC)