TITLE:
Gender Differences in the Validity of Career Interest Inventories
AUTHORS:
Stephanie T. Burns
KEYWORDS:
Person Matching, Predictive, Hit Rate, Gender, Career Interest
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.8,
June
9,
2014
ABSTRACT: Predictive
validity (including hit rates, kappa coefficients, and chance expectancy rates)
between standard scoring and person matching was compared by gender based upon
ex post facto data collected on 5143 medical students who had taken a career
interest inventory and entered their medical residency. Hit rate accuracy for
person matching with females and males in this study was lower than standard
scoring. However, person matching demonstrated greater gender balancing in
first match hit rates. Additionally, person matching increased career interest
inventory validity over standard scoring as it has the greater ability to a)
differentiate between and b) assign to specific occupational groups for females
and males. Furthermore, person matching has the potential to offer female and
male test takers the ability to receive narrative career data, which could
improve the career decision making process over the scoring reports of career
interest inventories using standard scoring.