The structure of vocational interests in Germany: Different methodologies, different conclusions

Journal of Vocational Behavior - Tập 76 - Trang 153 - 2010
Lüdtke Oliver, Trautwein Ulrich, Nagy Gabriel

Tóm tắt

The cross-cultural generalizability of vocational interest structures has received significant attention in recent years. This article adds to this research in four respects. First, data from a context that has not previously been investigated (Germany) was analyzed. Second, students at different stages of their educational career were examined. Third, the interest structure in male and females was compared. Fourth, two methods—the randomization test of hypothesized order relations (RTOR) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)—were applied to three competing structural conceptions: Holland’s circular representation, Gati’s hierarchical model, and Rounds and Tracey’s alternative hierarchical model. RTOR supported all three representations, whereas CFA supported only Holland’s model. CFAs indicated that the interest structure is reasonably invariant between high school and university students, but that the configurations for high school females and males differ. Substantive and methodological implications are discussed.

Từ khóa

#Vocational interests #RIASEC #Circumplex structure #Confirmatory factor analysis #Randomization test of hypothesized order relations