This is a response to the commentaries on my essay, "Interpretation, autonomy, and transformation". However, the response is reoriented to further interpretation of Chinese pedagogic discourse in the late-19th century, which is often blamed for hampering China's educational advance. Instead of considering Classical Confucian pedagogy as…

Discusses how new technology is changing career testing and assessment. Describes several career information systems such as CareerScope, Ability Explorer, Work Keys, and Test of Adult Basic Education. (JOW)

The author suggests that much of the current vocational evaluation technology does not fit within the definition of a work sample, and warns that if evaluators do not integrate their measurement tools with the discipline's philosophy, system publishers will gain control over vocational evaluation. (CL)

Asserts that fragmentation of academic disciplines handicaps efforts to deal rationally with problems arising from group differences in general intelligence. Contends that open discussions like those appearing in this special journal issue are necessary, and illustrates arguments through comments on moral, scientific, and legal concerns addressed…

High risk of liability makes assessment centers a viable method for selection of police officers. Despite high costs, centers offer the advantages of observation of actual job-related behavior, support in the legal arena, and validity. Video technology and other options have potential for reducing the expense. (SK)

Describes how job analysis was used to create a job-specific skills assessment, how the skills assessment is used to determine the appropriateness of a candidate's skills and work style, and how the skills assessment informs an applicant about job tasks and expectations. (JOW)

To encourage vocational evaluation professionals to think about the importance of providing clients with occupational facts and informaton, rationale and guidelines are presented for incorporating more occupational information into the vocational evaluation process. Following a section defining occupational information and related terms, the need…

The National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Force Behavior concluded that underprivileged youth lack occupational information. But the Knowledge of the World of Work Test administered to the young people surveyed does not appear to be reliable. (SK)

This article presents an analysis of Ordinate Corporation's PhonePass Spoken English Test-10. The company promotes this product as being a useful assessment tool for screening job candidates' ability in spoken English. In the real-life domain of the work environment, one of the primary target language use tasks involves extended production…

Explores changes affecting personnel testing and selection during past 20 years, noting that outcomes have often been antithesis of expressed or ostensible reason for change. Contends that some changes, designed to end discrimination, have institutionalized discriminatory practices as consequence of legitimizing methods of preferential treatment…

Reviews previous six papers concerning fairness in employment testing. Contends that papers focus narrowly on legal, theoretical, and societal issues and provide little new information. Argues that industrial psychologists and governmental lawyers are retreating into rigidly defined positions and that the future will be marked by long, costly, and…

In using preemployment tests, special attention must be paid to issues of bias, legal rulings, validity, generalization, exaggerated expectations, test quality, misuse, publishers' claims, alternative assessment, and honesty tests. (Author/SK)

When using assessment instruments for personnel purposes, identify the purposes of assessment, specify criteria for excellent performance, determine behavior standards, and select appropriate methodology. Correlation analysis is a useful technique for establishing the validity of an instrument. (SK)

Many organizations minimize the gap between technical skills needed and skills available by molding technical workers out of promising technical talent, using training to retain them, and using preemployment assessments and testing tools to spot those with the potential to become information technology workers. (JOW)

Summarizes the background, development, content, and validation of the Employability Inventory, an instrument designed to assess knowledge of job seeking, job retention, and job success. Discusses usefulness of the inventory in both counseling and education. (ABL)