Analyzes selected results of four Kuder Occupational Interest Surveys administered over a 30-year span. Consistencies and changes are observed, leading to a conclusion supporting the "thematic" interpretation of interest inventory results. Relatively stable themes emerged which portrayed a coherent picture of a self in a vocational as…

The study compared responses to the Wide Range Interest Opinion Test of 77 mentally retarded, 97 learning-disabled, and 30 low-achieving alternative education middle-school and high-school students. Findings suggested significant differences in vocational motivation between mentally retarded and non-retarded students. (DB)

The United States Employment Service Interest Inventory (USES-II), a self-report instrument that measures an individual's relative strength of interests in 12 broad occupational categories, was completed by 732 adult clients at a medical and vocational rehabilitation institution. Results strongly confirmed the 12-scale factor structure of the…

Investigated long-term stability of vocational interests in 409 college freshmen tested with Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory as freshmen in 1974, four years later (N=204), and in 1986. Results revealed remarkable degree of interest stability over all three time intervals and individual differences in stability over time. (Author/NB)

The Vocational Preference Inventory was completed by 567 Indiana 8th graders and 419 11th graders (508 female, 478 male; 592 rural, 394 urban). Career interest scores were not uniformly lower for 11th graders, showing that career interests do not narrow considerably. Rural students had higher realistic interests; those of rural boys were more…

Concerns about using interest inventories with men and women are whether they do have different interests and how these differences are interpreted. With ethnic groups, interpretation must take place within a cultural context and is dependent on counselor knowledge of culture. (SK)

Assessed concurrent validity of 1985 Strong Interest Inventory (SII) for college major by matching college students' (n=153) declared or intended majors with Occupational Scales on SII profile and calculating hit rates to determine accuracy of profiles for identifying college majors. SII had concurrent validity for major selection comparable to…

Responds to previous article which presented case of Rachel, 28-year-old art education major who sought career counseling at the university counseling center. Explores how Strong Vocational Interest Inventory profile can be used to generate hypotheses about client's career conflict, how career counseling might progress, and potential issues to…

Compared Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) college major codes derived from surveying students enrolled in 28 majors, judgments of subject matter and counseling experts, and workers employed in jobs related to majors. Highest degree of agreement was 96% between student Career Decision-Making codes…

Parental sex stereotypes, maternal employment status, and the traditionality of parental occupations were studied in relation to the traditionality of 113 preschool children's vocational interests. Only the traditionality of the mother's occupation related significantly with that of the children's interests. Discusses the role model in gender…

An instrument for assessing children's interests was developed, and the structure of Holland-type career interests in children was examined. Differences between interests and competence perceptions were evaluated across ages. Results show few differences between interests and competence perceptions, which varied across age; fit of the circular…

Summarizes an initial interview with a 29-year-old white woman who works as a high school teacher of English and French. The subject is seeking career counseling to help her decide between staying in her current job, exploring a new career, or furthering her education. (MKA)

This longitudinal study assessed the power of the Occupational Scales (OSs) of the Strong Interest Inventory to predict the participants' occupations 12 years after Time 1 testing, 8 years after Time 2 testing, and concurrently at Time 3. Results indicated that OS scores predicted occupational membership at a level substantially higher than chance…

The authors explore the construct of profile elevation on interest inventories results. They speak to the need for career counselors to maximize their use of the interest inventory and how they can do that by properly interpreting profile elevation. Profile elevation is defined, and correlates of high and low profile elevation are presented. The…

This study factor analytically examined the convergence of three questionnaires used in previous research to measure night-sky related attitudes and behaviors in a sample of 72 college students. One factor emerged accounting for the majority of variance in responses. It was concluded that the single factor found across separate measures used in…