The IT industry struggles to attract qualified talent despite an exceptional outlook in terms of both job availability and compensation. Similarly, post-secondary academic institutions report difficulties recruiting students for IT majors. One potential reason for this is that current career counseling practices do not adequately convey relevant…

Context: Following the social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994), the current study examines the effect of role models' professions and practical internship experiences on the choice of professional environment independent of professional interests. Embedded in the Swiss context with its strong vocational training system,…

Background: Vocational interests play a central role in the vocational decision-making process and are decisive for the later job satisfaction and vocational success. Based on Ackerman's (1996) notion of "trait complexes," specific interest profiles of gifted high-school graduates can be expected. Aims: Vocational interests of gifted and…

American students accustomed to standardization in secondary education have experience with fulfilling the requirements imposed upon them, but often these students require further assistance to facilitate their personal decisions about education after high school. Postsecondary education and career preparation programs, educators, and educational…

Hypothesizes that occupational perceptions are more specific for older age groups than for younger age groups. Hypothesis was tested by using latent root analysis and minimum residual factor analysis to analyze intercorrelations among six Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) scales for five large and diverse samples. Both analyses supported the…

Indices of university students' job knowledge and vocational preferences were not found to be significantly related. The theoretical and practical implications of this finding are discussed. (Author)

The Strong Vocational Interest Blank responses of 93 students were used to construct six empirical scales similar to the scales of Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory. Correlation of scale scores with VPI scores suggested that meaningful estimates of VPI profiles are obtainable by scoring selected SVIB items. (Author)

THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF A STUDENT'S EXPRESSED VOCATIONAL CHOICE WAS COMPARED WITH THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF HIS SCORES ON A VOCATIONAL PREFERENCE INVENTORY. THE DATA FOR THE STUDY WAS FURNISHED BY TWO AMERICAN COLLEGE SURVEYS. STUDENTS FROM TWO NATIONWIDE SAMPLES OF 28 COLLEGES WERE POLLED FOR THEIR VOCATIONAL CHOICES AND WERE GIVEN THE SIXTH…

The subjects were 432 male freshmen at the University of North Dakota who completed the Vocational Preference Inventory and the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. Backward stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the relationships of eight SVIB nonoccupational scales to first semester GPA for the total research population and for each…

Discriminant analysis of Holland's Self Directed Search and Vocational Preference Inventory significantly improved the predictive validity of his classification scheme, over the traditional method of assigning high point codes. These results were obtained with both an initial and a replication sample of undergraduates pursuing various degrees. The…

A Hebrew interest inventory for females in Israel, based on Holland's vocational classification, was examined on 322 female pupils and 167 working females. Results showed subjects occupied in a field had highest interest scores in that field and the highest interest score was the score of those engaged in that field. (Author)

The construct validity for potential high school dropouts (N=252) of Holland's theory of vocational choice as measured by the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) was studied. Results indicate Holland's theory is appropriate for potential high school dropouts and by implication, for other high school students. (Author)

Sex-restrictive and sex-balanced interest scores obtained before college were compared for college seniors using the Holland interest/personality types as criteria. Results suggest that sex-balanced interest scores are more valid than sex-restrictive scores across four years of college. Implications for practitioners are noted. (Author)

This study determined if there were any significant differences between groups of counselees and noncounselees when compared on the basis of Holland's six personality types as assessed by the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI). No significant differences were found between counselees and noncounselees. (Author)