ATTITUDES INFLUENCING EMPLOYMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED

This study investigates the effect of existing attitudes on employment practices of two groups of Texas employers, the first employing visually handicapped persons, and the second employing physically handicapped persons. After personal interviews, all 24 participants were administered the Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV) and the Action, Cognition, and Emotion Test (ACET). Among conclusions drawn from the findings were that employers of the visually handicapped indicate their willingness to hire persons with physical disabilities, that employers who show willingness to employ handicapped personnel at the professional level tend to value leadership traits in employees, that employers may not carry through with actual employment of the handicapped even though they communicate interest in and tolerance for these individuals, that employers' positive attitudes appear to relate significantly to positive experiences with handicapped workers, and that the larger the population center the more receptive the attitudes of employers toward the handicapped.     

VOCATIONAL VALUES AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES OF THE DISADVANTAGED

There is conflicting opinion regarding the vocational values of disadvantaged persons. This study was conducted to examine vocational values and employment outcomes of 21 disadvantaged and 20 not-disadvantaged clients previously served by a U.S. Employment Service office. The Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) was used to measure vocational values, and two measures of disadvantagement were compared with employment outcome. Only 2 of the 20 MIQ scales revealed significant differences, suggesting that there is a need to consider the individual's unique values rather than presume stereotyped needs. The two measures of disadvantagement correlated significantly with employment status at follow-up. The finding that only 43 percent of the disadvantaged were employed, in contrast to 90 percent of the not-disadvantaged, indicates a greater need for specialized services for disadvantaged clients.     

BENEFITS AND COSTS OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ILLINOIS SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROJECT

This investigation presents a cost-benefit analysis completed for one of 27 states implementing supported employment as a result of federal funding. Based upon the benefits and costs detailed, society realized a $0.75 return for every $1.00 invested in supported employment in Illinois. Supported employees realized a 37% increase in their earnings over a comparable period. The results of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for similar analyses across states.     

THE EFFECTS OF CONSUMER CHARACTERISTICS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT MODEL ON INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES IN SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

Although recent federal legislation has led to a proliferation of supported employment programs throughout the country, little information is available that documents the success of these programs. In the present study, we examined the effect of different consumer characteristics and alternative supported employment service delivery models on key employment outcomes including hourly wage, hours worked per week, increase in earnings after supported employment participation, and level of integration on the job. The employment outcomes of a sample of 1,550 individuals receiving supported employment services through 96 local programs in eight states were analyzed to determine the effects of the key independent variables of primary disability and type of employment model. Results indicate that all groups of individuals, regardless of their primary disability, benefited significantly from supported employment participation. Further, data indicate that the individual placement model generated employment outcomes superior to those resulting from group employment options, particularly work crews. Implications of the results for future program development activities are discussed.     

RIASEC TYPES AND BIG FIVE TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYMENT STATUS AND NATURE OF EMPLOYMENT

This prospective study investigated the validity of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality and Holland's RIASEC vocational interest typology in predicting employment status and the nature of employment in a sample of graduating college seniors as they entered the job market. A sample of 934 senior college graduates enrolled in various academic subjects filled in Costa and McCrae's NEO-PI-R (1992) and Holland's Self-Directed Search (1979). One year after graduation, they were requested to describe their labor market positions and jobs, using the Position Classification Inventory (PCI; Gottfredson & Holland, 1991). Six hundred and twelve people responded to the second call, of whom 335 were employed and 66 unemployed. The incremental validity of the 2 models over and above each other was investigated in the sample of employed and unemployed subjects ( N = 401) using stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that Extraversion and Conscientiousness were the only valid predictors of employment status and that vocational interests did not show incremental validity over and above these factors. The RIASEC types, however, were clearly superior in explaining the nature of employment, underscoring the validity of Holland's hexagonal calculus assumptions. Employment reflecting Realistic, Social and Enterprising characteristics was to a limited extent predicted by four of the Big Five, except Neuroticism, over and above the RIASEC types. The findings are discussed in the framework of Schneider's Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory (1987) concluding that Holland's RIASEC model is more employee-driven, being better at predicting the nature of employment, whereas the FFM is more employer-oriedted, with greater validity in evaluating the employability and employment status of applicants.     

THE EFFECTS OF WIVES' EMPLOYMENT ON HUSBANDS' JOB AND LIFE SATISFACTION

Previous research has established that wives' employment has a negative effect on the mental health of husbands. This result is not yet well understood. Analyzing survey data from a national sample of workers, this study focuses on the work domain to investigate this result further. Findings reveal that wives' employment has negative effects on husbands' job and life satisfaction. These results suggest that the overall negative mental health effect may derive, in part, from the occupational domain.     

缺陷儿童人格诊断量表的修订

缺陷儿童人格诊断量表是日本特殊教育领域的一种专门用于测量缺陷儿童人格的著名量表。作者用三年时间对其进行了修订,建立了包括弱智、聋哑、盲等缺陷儿童的中国常模。该量表具有较高的信度与效度,是一个较好的心理测量工具。     

THE INCREASING SIGNIFICANCE OF EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING

With changes in the world of work and with increased use of employment services, employment counseling is taking on added significance. The transformation of work realities and attitudes toward work are causing problems that the employment counselor must confront. At the same time the once simple world of work has become increasingly complex. This complexity places additional responsibility on the counselor's shoulders as greater demands are made for his services. Consequently, the employment counselor faces many challenges in offering a unique service.     

THE USE OF BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT TO PRESCRIBE AND EVALUATE TREATMENTS FOR SEVERELY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

Behavioral assessment procedures were used to prescribe and evaluate treatments of maladaptive behavior for 2 children with severe multiple handicaps. In Experiment 1, the results of an assessment of reinforcer preference were used in conjunction with a functional analysis of the conditions maintaining self-injurious behavior to prescribe a treatment for a child with severe disabilities. The treatment procedure involved the use of a pressure-sensitive microswitch to activate reinforcing stimuli during two solitary conditions, during which self-injurious behavior had occurred at high rates. The results were evaluated with a multiple baseline across settings design and indicated that self-injury decreased with concomitant increases in microswitch activation. Results were maintained at 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 6 months. In Experiment 2, the results of behavioral assessments of reinforcer preference and self-injurious behavior were combined to develop a treatment for a second severely handicapped child, who exhibited high rates of self-injury in demand situations. This treatment was evaluated with a multiple baseline across tasks design and resulted in the elimination of self-injury for up to 15 months.     

THE EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW: A SUMMARY AND REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH1

After a quick recapitulation of previous reviews of the employment interview, recent research from about 1975 is reviewed and summarized. Research dealing with the reliability and validity of the interview, methodological issues, decision making, interviewer training, minority characteristics, nonverbal behavior, interviewee characteristics, and interviewee training is summarized. Trends and directions are noted, suggestions for further research extended, and a discussion of why persistence in the use of interview exists is presented.     

COUNSELEES' RATINGS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICE COUNSELORS AND PROSPECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS

The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist between Employment Service counselors and prospective high school counselors in the following areas: perceptions of counselor as a person, perceptions of assistance received by the counselees in educational planning, vocational guidance, personal and social matters, and the use of tests in counseling. This study was designed also to find out whether NYC and HS background, sex of the counselees, and number of sessions attended by the counseled affected their ratings of counselor effectiveness.     

A COMPARISON OF THE MANIFEST PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICE COUNSELING AND OFFICE MANAGERS

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are significant differences in manifest psychological needs between office managers and counselors employed by the Minnesota Department of Employment Security. A sample of 21 office managers and 21 counselors were paired according to the agency office they worked in. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule was used to measure manifest needs and results were analyzed by use of the paired t test statistic. The results indicated that seven of the fifteen variables showed a significant difference between the two groups. Counselors had a significantly higher mean average for autonomy, change, and heterosexuality while their office managers had significantly higher mean needs for deference, order, abasement, and endurance. The continued study of manifest need hierarchies was proposed as a basis for understanding, in part, the dynamics of the role interplay of various agency positions.     

AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROCEDURAL COMPONENTS OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES

This study examined the relation between the procedural components of supported employment programs and employment outcomes for 120 individuals with disabilities. These individuals were involved in supported employment programs established through the Utah Supported Employment Project. The results suggest that successful implementation of supported employment services led to ongoing employment of study participants in community work sites, increased wages, and ongoing opportunities for workers to interact with nondisabled peers. In addition, several procedural components were found to be strongly associated with successful employment outcomes for workers. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the training needs of supported employment program staff and future research for the dissemination of a cohesive technology of supported employment.     

THE ROLE OF THE MANPOWER COUNSELOR AS PERCEIVED BY EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PERSONNEL AND COUNSELOR EDUCATORS

This study investigated how manpower counselors, district office supervisors, and counselor educators in the state of Wisconsin perceive the role of the manpower counselor. Questionnaires were mailed to the 26 district office supervisors, to 26 manpower counselors—one from each district—and to 11 counselor educators. Analysis of the data reveals that the perceptions of each group are quite similar. However, the rankings produced an “ideal” rather than a “real” picture. It is suggested that a concentrated and combined effort be made to make the “ideal” “real.”