Yvette LundayPSY6121: Theories & Techniques of Career Counseling (180812LA)

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Hi  The case study mentioned in Week 2 Discussion 2 has a misspelling in the name. It should be Roel and you can find the case study on page 179 Dr. A

(CAN YOU CORRECT THAT?) Thank you!

Week 1 Discussion 2

Introduction to Assessment Instruments

After reading the Patton and McIlveen (2009) article and paying particular attention to the Assessment section, critique at least one of the career assessments currently being utilized in the career counseling field. Address the following questions in your response: What specifically is the instrument used for? In what situations might this instrument be most appropriate to use? What are the strengths of the instrument? What, if any, weaknesses have been identified? You may need to conduct follow-up research to adequately address these questions. Post should be at least 300 words. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by Day 7.

HERE IS THE HOMEWORK YOU DID FOR ME -AND- I NEED A RESPONSE BACK- To-My-Teacher. & Classmate—THANK YOU!

Personal Globe Inventory

Personal Globe Inventory is an assessment tool that was designed to assess one’s interest to allow one to relate these interests to one’s life decisions such as helping one chose the perfect career or the ideal major in school. The tool assesses one’s interest and liking of various activities and compares them to the occupation or major’s competence needs, and this allows one to match an individual to the perfect job. The tool is an extension of John Holland’s six type model and arose from studies done by Terrence Tracey and James Rounds (Greenhaus & Callanan, 2006). The tool is essential in various instances such as in the different studies of salient vocational psychology where it is used to prove or disprove hypotheses such as the person-environment congruence hypotheses. It is also essential when in schools as it helps to place the students into courses and career paths that they are best suited. It is also critical in career development activities where it helps to put individuals in the right career when they display interest in different fields.

There are several advantages of the use of this tool. The tool allows the great ease in the interpretation of one’s interest in a specific field. The direction of the vector on the circle constructed using the model shows the extent of one’s interest in a field. It also clearly indicates the well-differentiated interests of the individual based on the magnitude and length of the vector. The tool also includes the prestige factor which helps to place individuals in the right career correctly. The tool is also very flexible and can provide an output that is adapted to any individual allowing the placement of different types of people. The tool has also been assessed and received psychometric support (Patton & Mclleven, 2009). There are however significant weaknesses that have been identified. The test does not measure one’s ability to execute an activity; it only measures one’s interest in the activity. Therefore, it could place an individual in a career path that they are not qualified for.

 

References

Greenhaus J. & Callanan, G. (2006). Encyclopedia of career development. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications

Patton A. & Mclleven, P. (2009). Annual Review: practice and research in career counseling and development. The Career Development Quarterly. Vol 58(2): 118-161.

 

Hi Yvette,

Wonderful job on  your post!

I really like your mention that although there might be an interest, aptitude may not follow. A simple example might be the interest in being a professional sports player, but ability could fall far short. Given this, based on your research, are there any assessment instruments that align actual ability to occupations?

 

Yvette

You said something that made me wonder about something else.  When we enter college, there is no recommendation to seek out the counseling center to help in choosing our major.  Possibly this is done in high school but if not it would seem to be a very proactive way to help students to choose the major that will lead them to the most appropriate career path.  What are your thoughts about the assessments done when first entering college to help students ensure they have chosen the correct major?  Is this feasible to do?

Dr. A

I ALSO NEED A RESPONSE FOR MY CLASSMATE—THANK YOU!

Good Afternoon Esteemed Colleagues and Dr. Crawford,

This afternoon I will be sharing some insights on Assessment Instruments. As a result of this introspection, I will try to identify the situations that this assessment instrument might be used. I will also discuss the strengths of this instrument and potential weaknesses.

To start this post, reviewed the Patton and McIlveen (2009) article (how is that for a start of a process on gathering information on assessments). In reviewing the section on Assessments, I was drawn to the mention of Occupational Self-Efficacy. Having been exposed to self-efficacy in past courses, I was interested in the linkage between self-efficacy and careers. In short, self- efficacy is the self-belief in one’s abilities. In other words, if one has high self-efficacy, they tend to have higher success rates in achieving goals. I would believe that if one has a higher level of occupational self-efficacy, that person should enjoy higher rates of occupational satisfaction.

I researched the UoR library and was able to download the article by Rigotti, Schyns, & Mohr (2008). As Rigotti, Schyns, & Mohr (2008) explain it, a person needs to be reasonably certain that they have the capability to fulfill the tasks necessary to be successful in a job. Rigotti, Schyns, & Mohr (2008) created a six item scale that asks varied self-efficacy questions such as “whatever comes up in my job, I can usually handle it” or “I feel prepared for most of the demands of my job”. Each question is measured on a six-point scale (Rigotti, Schyns, & Mohr, 2008). This survey is typically used to assess the level of match between the person and the job. We have all been witness of person-job mismatches, and this assessment instrument helps to diagnose a good or bad job fit. Ultimately, a person can gain self-knowledge as to how well they fit in a particular role.

In assessing the strength of this instrument, I was struck by its simplicity. One would question if such a short instrument can have a high degree of reliability. According to Rigotti, Schyns, & Mohr (2008), the reliability coefficient of the instrument is exceeds 90% – which in the statistical world is very strong. I also found that the construct validity was quite strong – which means that the scale does measure what it portends to measure. From a more qualitative standpoint, I found the questions very easy to understand, which can be an issue with some instruments that do not have clear questions (Miller & Erford, 2010).

In reviewing for potential weaknesses of this instrument, it is very apparent that this survey was designed for occupants of a particular job. I was wondering if this instrument could be applied to the broader construct of “Career”. In my mind, a person might have an excellent career fit, but due to situations, might be in the wrong job.

References

Patton, W., & McIlveen, P. (2009). Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development–2008. Career Development Quarterly, 58(2), 118-161.

Miller, E. M., & Erford, B. T. (2010). A Counselor’s Guide to Career Assessment Instruments. Measurement & Evaluation In Counseling & Development, 43(1), 66. doi:10.1177/0748175610362370

Rigotti, T., Schyns, B., & Mohr, G. (2008). A Short Version of the Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale: Structural and Construct Validity across Five Countries. Journal Of Career Assessment, 16(2), 238-255