Journal of Counseling Psychology1975, Vol. 22, No. 2, 117-121

Vocational Preference Inventory High Point Codes Versus ExpressedChoices as Predictors of College Major and Career Entry

Eldon M. GadeUniversity of North Dakota

David SoliahStudent Financial Aids Oifice,

University of North Dakota

For 151 male graduates of the University of North Dakota, expressedchoices measured by preferences made as high school seniors on the Ameri-can College Test Student Profile Section were significantly more accuratepredictors of graduating college major and of career entry occupation thanwere their Vocational Preference Inventory high point codes. No relation-ship between the Vocational Preference Inventory high point codes and theexpressed choices existed.

Studies of the effectiveness of inventoriedinterest test scores versus self-expressedchoices to predict later vocational preferenceshave produced mixed findings. On the onehand, conclusions by Berdie (1950, 1960),Campbell (1968), Darley and Hagenah(1955), McArthur and Stevens (1955), andSuper and Crites (1962) clearly support theuse of inventoried interest measures for pre-dicting vocational choice. On the other hand,Holland and Lutz (1968) reported that thepredictive efficiency of expressed choice isabout twice that of the Vocational PreferenceInventory high point codes over 8- and 12-month intervals. Whitney (1969) reviewedlarge sample longitudinal studies and- con-eluded that expressed vocational choicespredicted future employment about as wellas interest inventories. Rose and Elton(1970) reported that expressed choice is aviable alternative to measured interest un-less the client has no idea what he mightlike to do.

In Whitney's (1969) review he concludedthat "It is evident that there has been verylittle research on the predictive validity ofexpressed vocational choice" (p. 283). Thispresent study continues the study of the ef-fectiveness of expressed choices versus in-ventoried interests to predict graduatingcollege majors and career entry occupationsover a 4-year period and measures the degree

Requests for reprints should be sent to EldonM. Gade, Department of Counseling and Guid-ance, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks,North Dakota 58201.

of relationship between expressed choices andhigh point codes derived from the VocationalPreference Inventory.

METHOD

Subjects

The subjects were 151 male bachelor's degreegraduates of the University of North Dakota inthe Spring of 1973 who also had obtained initialfull-time employment as recorded by the uni-versity placement center. These subjects were partof a larger sample of 228 male students who hadtaken the Vocational Preference Inventory duringthe 1969 summer orientation period and who hadalso completed the Student Profile Section of theAmerican College Test during their senior year inhigh school. The average age was 21 years and al-most 90% were graduates of North Dakota highschools.

ProcedureRaw scores from each of the six vocational

scales of the Vocational Preference Inventorywere converted to T-scores, and on the basis ofthe highest standard score a high point code wasderived and recorded as one of Holland's (1966)six personality types. Likewise, for each studentthe career preference selected on the StudentProfile Section of the American College Test wastranslated into one of the six Holland categories.Graduating college major and career entry occupa-tion were also classified according to the Hollandscheme of categorizing environments into sixtypes corresponding to the six personality types.Accuracy predictions were determined directly byseparately comparing high point codes or ex-pressed choices with both graduating collegemajor and career entry. High point codes and ex-pressed choices were also directly compared fordegree of relationship by again casting them intoHolland's six-category classification system. Hol-

117

118 ELDON M. GADE AND DAVID SOLIAH

land, Whitney, Cole, and Richards's (Note 1) hex-agonal model was used to compare the predictiveefficiency of the inventoried or expressed choicesto determine congruent college major or careerentry. On the hexagonal model adjacent person-ality or environment types are considered to becongruent while nonadjacent categories are classi-fied as incongruent. In this manner, a Realisticvocational choice derived either from the highpoint codes or from the expressed choices and aRealistic career entry would represent identical(matching) congruence. A Realistic vocationalchoice and an Intellectual career entry would beclassified as congruent. But, a Realistic vocationalchoice and an Artistic career entry occupationwould be incongruent. According to this classifica-tion scheme graduating college major and careerentry occupation were found to be identical 77%of the time and congruent in 89% of the cases.

RESULTS

Table 1 shows that expressed choices weresignificantly more accurate than high pointcodes for predicting identical graduating col-lege majors. The expressed choices derived

from the Student Profile Section of theAmerican College Test showed a 67 %accuracy rate versus a 50% accuracy ratefor high point codes derived from the Voca-tional Preference Inventory. Accuracy ratesranged from 37 % to 70 % among categoriesusing high point codes and from 36 % to 85 %among the six categories of college majorusing expressed choices. High point codesbest predicted Intellectual type majors andwere weakest in predicting Enterprising ma-jors. Expressed choices best predicted theRealistic majors while Conventional typegraduating majors had the poorest accuracyrates. Table 1 also indicates that expressedchoices were better predictors of congruentmajors than were high point scores. Thisdifference, however, was not statistically sig-nificant. Rates for predicting congruentgraduating majors ranged from 52% in theEnterprising category using inventoriedscores to 96 % in the Social environment us-

TABLE 1COMPARISON OP THE EFFICIENCY RATES OF MEASURED VOCATIONAL PREFERENCE

INVENTORY AND EXPRESSED CAREER PREFERENCES ASPREDICTORS OF GRADUATION COLLEGE MAJOR

Holland classificationof type of college major

by environment

1. RealisticVPIACT

2. IntellectualVPIACT

3. SocialVPIACT

4. ConventionalVPIACT

5. EnterprisingVPIACT

6. ArtisticVPIACT

VPIMACTM

Subjects ineach

environment(» = 151)

27

37

25

28

27

7

Subjects in each category

1

1123

23

30

03

84

10

2

80

2628

01

22

52

00

3

01

15

1021

41

22

23

4

50

10

20

1610

23

00

5

12

10

32

311

1016

11

6

21

61

71

31

00

33

Accuracy rate

Identical(%)

4185

7076

4084

5736

3759

4343

5067

Congruent(%)

8985

9286

8096

6886

5278

7186

7481

Note. Abbreviations: VPI = Vocational Preference Inventory, ACT = American College Test.VPI vs. ACT for identical rates, x"(l) = 8.51, p < .01; VPI vs. ACT for congruent rates, x2(l) = 2.27,p > .10.

EXPRESSED VERSUS INVENTORIED INTERESTS 119

TABLE 2COMPARISON OF THE EFFICIENCY RATES OF MEASURED VOCATIONAL PREFERENCE

INVENTORY AND EXPRESSED CAREER PREFERENCES ASPREDICTORS OF CAREER ENTRY

Holland classificationof type of work

environment

1. RealisticVPIACT

2. IntellectualVPIACT

3. SocialVPIACT

4. ConventionalVPIACT

5, EnterprisingVPIACT

6. ArtisticVPIACT

VPIMA.CTM

Subjects ineach

environment(» - 151)

29

34

24

27

20

8

Subjects in each category

1

1120

44

20

24

53

12

2

104

2322

00

43

54

10

3

03

16

1020

31

21

12

4

20

21

21

1510

51

00

s

11

00

53

18

1119

11

6

51

41

50

21

11

43

Accuracy rate

Identical(%)

3869

6865

4283 ,

5637

3866

5038

4962

Congruent(%)

7983

9179

8396

6781

6272

7562

7681

Note. Abbreviations: VPI = Vocational Preference Inventory, ACT = American College Test.VPI vs. ACT for identical rates, x*U) = 5.34, p < .05; VPI vs. ACT for congruent rates, x2(l) = .71,p > .25.

ing expressed choices. Using either predictionmethod the Enterprising major was the mostdifficult of the congruent environments toforecast.

Table 2 indicates that expressed choiceswere also significantly more accurate pre-dictors of types of career entry. Overall, ex-pressed choices showed a 62 % accuracy ratecompared to a 49 % accuracy rate using highpoint codes. The rates for identical predic-tions among the six work environmentsranged from 38% to 68% using the Voca-tional Preference Inventory and from 37 % to83 % using expressed choices. The high pointcodes best predicted Intellectual type careerentry and were weakest in predicting Real-istic and Enterprising type career entry. Forthe expressed choices method the bestpredicted work environment was in the So-cial area while the weakest prediction oc-curred in the area of Conventional careerentry. This table also shows that expressedchoices were stronger predictors of congruent

environments of career entry. On four of thesix Career entry categories expressed choiceswere stronger predictors of a congruentchoice of work environment than were highpoint codes.

Table 3 shows that there was a significantdifference between student expressed choicesand their high point codes. Overall agree-ment was 49.7%, and among the six cate-gories there was a range of only 14 % agree-ment in the Artistic area to 68 % agreementin the Enterprising category.

DISCUSSIONOver a 4-year period expressed vocational

choices were more accurate predictors forboth graduating college major and careerentry than were the inventoried choices de-rived from the high point codes of the Voca-tional Preference Inventory. There was littlerelationship between students' expressedchoices and high point codes.

Although methodological and instru-

120 ELDON M. GADE AND DAVID SOLIAH

TABLE 3RELATIONSHIP OP VOCATIONAL PREFERENCE

INVENTORY HIGH POINT CODES ANDSELF-EXPRESSED CAREER PREFERENCES

Hollandclassification

RealisticIntellectualSocialConven-

tionalEnterprisingArtistic

Subjects(» = 151)

254317

261921

Identicalpreferences

(» = 75)

112511

12133

Agreement*(%)

445865

466814

Note. For identical preferences vs. nonidenticalpreferences, x2(5) = 14.72, p < .05. Contingencycoefficient = .30, ns.

• M = 49.7%.

mentation differences as well as the criterionproblem make direct comparisons difficult,the findings of the present study are con-sistent with studies by Holland (1963), Hol-land and Lutz (1968), and the review byWhitney (1969) showing that expressedchoices had higher prediction rates than didinventoried scores.

Although the authors do not recommendthe abandonment of the use of interest tests,the data do suggest that college counselorscan eliminate the need to require every clientwho has a vocational or educational concernto take an interest test. Furthermore, theresults suggest that counselors can have con-fidence that for many clients expressedchoices have as much validity, if not more,for use in long range college and career plan-ning as inventorized interests have. Inven-toried interests may continue to be valuabletools for counselor use with clients who areundecided about vocational plans or withuninformed clients who can learn from theexperience of test taking about the range ofoccupations in the world of work. Profiled in-terpretation of interest tests can also helpclients understand the classification systemsand interrelationships of the structure ofwork. And, of course, interest testing willcontinue to provide knowledge for diagnos-tic, treatment, and research purposes. Yet, itdoes not seem wise for counselors to rely onlyupon the administration of interest inven-

tories for every client who considers a long-range vocational decision.

Although few college counselors view theirrole as actuarial forecasters of long-rangeeducational and career plans, counselors andtheir clients continue to engage in makinglong-term predictions. Expressed choiceshave demonstrated validity for use in careerprediction. With a trend toward increaseduse of career decision-making programs(Crites, 1974), counselors can have con-fidence that self-expressed choices are as re-liable as inventoried interests for use in theprocess of predicting what clients want to do.Expressed vocational choices are valid ex-pressions of career values (what clients wantto do) and are relevant information for plan-ning career strategies to meet future educa-tional and career goals.

REFERENCE NOTE

1. Holland, J. L., Whitney, D. R., Cole, N. S., &Richards, J. M. An empirical occupationalclassification derived from a theory of per-sonality and intended for practice and research(ACT Research Report No. #0), Iowa City,Iowa: American College Testing Program,1969.

REFERENCES

Berdie, R. F. Scores on the Strong VocationalInterest Blank and the Kuder Preference Recordin relation to self ratings. Journal of AppliedPsychology, 1950, 84, 42-49.

Berdie, R. F. Validities of the Strong VocationalInterest Blank. In W. L. Layton (Ed.), TheStrong Vocational Interest Blank (MinnesotaStudies in Student Personnel Work, No. 10).Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,1960.

Campbell, D. P. Comment. Personnel and Guid-ance Journal, 1968, 46, 434-436.

Crites, J. Test reviews. Journal of CounselingPsychology, 1974, 21, 166-167.

Darley, J. G., & Hagenah, T. Vocational InterestMeasurement. Minneapolis: University of Min-nesota Press, 1955.

Holland, J. L. Explorations of a theory of voca-tional choice and achievement: II. A four-yearprediction study. Psychological Reports, 1963,jf«, 547-594.

Holland, J. L. A psychological classificationscheme for vocations and major fields. Journalof Counseling Psychology, 1966, IS, 278-288.

Holland, J. L., & Lutz, S. W. The predictive valueof a student's choice of vocation. Personnel andGuidance Journal, 1968, 46, 428-434.

EXPRESSED VERSUS INVENTORIED INTERESTS 121

McArthur, C., & Stevens, L. The validation of ^3uper, D. E., & Crites, J. O. Appraising vocationalexpressed interests as compared with inven- fitness. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.toried interests: A fourteen-year follow-up. Whitney, D. R. Predicting from expressed voca-Journal of Applied Psychology, 1955, 39, 184-189. ^ &™*- *Te™vl-?ers0nnel and G™dance

Rose, H. A., & Elton, C. F. Ask him or test him? 3ournal' 1969' 48' ™~m~Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 1970, 19, 28-32. (Received April 25, 1974)

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