This article proposes that sex-limiting effects of interest inventories do not necessarily constitute sex-bias and that sex-restrictiveness is an important characteristic of interest inventories that should be considered separately from sex bias. Presented at NIE Workshop on Sex Bias, Washington, D.C., March 1974. (Author)

The 51 occupations pursued by 3,612 college graduates were located throughout Holland's hexagon by weighting scores from the Unisex Edition of the ACT Interest Inventory. A Hexagon Congruence Index developed to measure person-occupation congruence can be used with any combination of Holland types. (SK)

The validities of two popular procedures for reporting interest inventory scores, one of which provides sex-stereotypic career suggestions, are compared in a longitudinal study of employed college graduates. Results of the study bear directly on the question of whether sex-restrictive interest reports can be justified on the basis of superior…

Describes procedures and applications for translating the scores from vocational interest inventories into regions on a world-of-work map. Suggests the procedure can be used in both vocational guidance and research to provide a basis for better understanding of vocational choice and development. (JAC)

Provides empirical evidence regarding the nature of the interest dimensions underlying Holland's hexagon of vocational interests. Two studies are reported. Study one results provide substantial support for the theory-based dimensions. Study two results suggest that interest inventories "work" primarily because they tap activity…

Methods for reporting vocational interests which do and do not reflect sex-role stereotypes are examined. Interest inventory validation procedures based on the prediction of occupational preference and group membership are shown to favor inventories providing scores that reflect past sex-role stereotypes and current employment inequities.…

Two approaches to the validation of occupational interest inventories are considered. The approaches vary according to whether one is interested in predicting students' occupational preferences as opposed to assisting counselors in advisement. One empirical example using female college students is presented. (Author/JKS)

The widely divergent career options suggested to men and women by the Self-Directed Search (SDS) raw scores are noted and misunderstandings concerning the implications of Holland's assessment procedures for his theory are discussed. Holland's defense of raw score reports of personality characteristics is found wanting especially in light of the…

Many vocational interest inventories in common use are sex restrictive in that scores obtained by males typically suggest "men's work" while those obtained by females suggest "women's work." Recent research on sex restrictiveness in basic vocational interest scales is summarized. (MLW)

A study was conducted to develop a procedure for linking occupational attribute preferences (OAPs or "job values") to occupations in DISCOVER, a computer-based career planning system. A 30-attribute Inventory of Work Preferences (IWP) was constructed and field tested with high school students. Procedures for rating occupations on IWP…

A project was conducted to determine whether vocational interest and ability measures can help high school students identify vocational education programs in which they will experience satisfaction and success. Six Career Planning Program (CPP) interest measures and 15 ability measures were administered to 2,101 seniors in 19 area…

A study was conducted to identify a comprehensive set of attributes that differentiate occupations and occupational groups. It also determined the feasibility of linking counselee preferences for those attributes to the World-of-Work Map (WWM), a career exploration tool used in DISCOVER, a computer-based career planning system. A literature review…