Beyond the high point code in testing Holland's theory

This study was designed to test and expand Holland's vocational development theory by utilizing more than a single high point code in classification of personality patterns of jobs. Significant positive results were obtained to support Holland's premise that people search out environments and, hence, vocations that are compatible with their personalities. A more “refined” and/or “subtle” difference was shown in the personality-job relationships when two high point codes were used.     

Occupational decision development over the high school years

This study described the development of occupational decision processes over the high school years. Five developmental trends derived from theory were examined separately for males and females in three rural schools. Growth was defined as increased frequency in classes of behavior from early 9th grade to late 12th grade. The key processes in occupational decision development for both sexes appeared to be an information search strategy and an elaborate rationale. Both processes increased in complexity and contributed to confident feelings about occupational choices in 12th grade. Implications for measurement of occupational decision processes and for developmental research are discussed.     

Invention and discovery among the sciences: a P-technique factor analysis

This paper explores how discoveries and inventions in nine scientific disciplines cluster over time in Western culture. The transhistorical sample consisted of 12,761 major scientific contributions tabulated into 44 time-units (full, half, and quarter centuries) extending from 800 B.C. to 1900 A.D. A factor analysis was executed on the correlations among the nine measures after partialing out third-order polynomial time trends. Three orthogonal factors appeared: concrete (chemistry, physics, and biology), abstract (astronomy and mathematics), and applied (technology, geography, and geology) clusters. Medicine loaded moderately on the concrete and abstract clusters. Three types of explanations were discussed-personological, interpersonal, and sociocultural-with suggestions for how they might be tested.     

The relationship between vocational information seeking and educational and vocational decidedness

This investigation explored the relationship between vocational information seeking behavior (VISB) and educational and vocational decidedness. Pre- and postmeasures of VISB and educational and vocational decidedness were given to two groups of “undecided” university freshmen. One group experienced a 3-hr long vocationally oriented life planning workshop and a career planning class module of 10 hr duration; the other experienced only the class module. Correlations between VISB and the two forms of decidedness were low but significant. Cross-lagged and dynamic correlations completed to determine causal effects only minimally supported the hypotheses that engaging in VISB produces an increase in educational and vocational committedness and vice versa. Some possible explanations for this finding are discussed.     

“Snowball” and other control groups

In the Spring of 1973, the Office of Research and Development of the Appalachian Center, West Virginia University, began an evaluation of the University's mining extension program. Since all interested miners are allowed to enroll in the course, the only feasible way to obtain a control group was to use the “snowball process.” This paper examines how well the snowball process did in producing a control group which matched the trainees. While the trainees and controls seemed well matched on many demographic characteristics they differed on several variables, particularly attitudes.     

Adjusting to work: Workplace mobility of young male workers in Israel

The study focuses on some of the correlates of workplace mobility of male workers aged 15 to 17, mostly apprentices, who were registered with the Skilled Department of the Youth Employment Bureau (Y.E.B.) for at least a year prior to the time of the field study. Data regarding these correlates, and longitudinal data concerning the sequence of job movements, were obtained in an interview held with a sample of those youths who resided in Tel-Aviv metropolitan area (n = 146) and from the Y.E.B.'s forms filled out in connection with their registration and job placements. Several measures of sociodemographic background, past work experience and present working conditions were included in the multiple correlation analysis. Controlling for longevity in the labor force, seniority in the first job emerged as the most efficient predictor of workplace mobility. Results suggest that the early stages of a young worker's process of occupational socialization are of importance in determining his future career decisions.     

Vocational interest orientations: A comparison of rural university and junior college freshmen

The increase in junior colleges imposed new demands on counselors. Some areas to be investigated are the differences in counseling programs between junior colleges and universities; the differences in student bodies; and the importance of vocational guidance. This study addresses itself to elements of those areas.Male and female samples were drawn from two rural educational institutions: a four year university and a junior college. Differences in vocational interest orientations were explored through the nonoccupational scales of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB). For males significant differences were found on the academic achievement, diversity of interest, managerial orientation, and occupational level scales. Females differed on the diversity of interest scales.     

Father identification,achievement, and occupational behavior of rural youth

Comparisons were made between the post high school plans and the adequacy of father identification of male adolescents from rural economically deprived areas. The subjects were divided into two groups, low identification males (LIM) and high identification males (HIM) based on independent evaluators' judgments of the adequacy of their fathers. Each group's responses to a questionnaire concerning future plans and aspirations were compared. In general, the hypotheses predicting that HIM subjects have higher levels of aspiration, more self-confidence and greater satisfaction with school experiences were confirmed by the data.     

Motivation to manage among women: Studies of business managers and educational administrators

Studies were undertaken in a department store and in four school districts to determine if managerial motivation is related to management success indexes and whether female managers have less managerial motivation than males. The measure of managerial motivation used was the Miner Sentence Completion Scale. Managerial motivation did prove to be significantly related to the success of female managers, but no consistent differences in the managerial motivation of male and female managers were found. The results are interpreted in terms of their implications for the vocational guidance of females and for research in the area of managerial talent supplies.     

Applying an occupational classification to the work histories of young men and women

Holland's occupational classification was used to analyze the work histories of a national representative sample of young men and women ages 14 through 24. Hypotheses tested were concerned with the psychological orderliness of occupational changes, the relationship between occupational experiences and aspirations, and the relationship between consistent occupational codes and the stability of work histories. The analyses supported the usefulness of the occupational classification for organizing the work histories of both young men and young women. For both sexes, the classification reflected regular patterns of job changes. The category of a person's earlier job was an efficient predictor of a person's subsequent jobs; likewise, the category of a person's current job forecasted the category of his vocational aspiration. The consistency of an occupational code was also related to job stability for whites but not for blacks.