The Relationship between Vocational Personality Types and Vocational Values

In this study, the relationship between high school students’ vocational personality types and vocational values was examined. The study data were collected from 488 high school students going to schools in Niğde city center. In the study, Vocational Personality Types Inventory and Vocational Value Inventory were administered. Canonical correlation analysis technique was used to analyze the data. The study results revealed that the canonical model was significant, and when the data on canonical functions were evaluated separately, three canonical functions were found significant. The common variance shared between the data sets of the canonical variables showing that there was a significant relationship between occupational personality types and occupational values were 44% for the first canonical function, 30% for the second canonical function and 11% for the third canonical function, respectively. The findings were discussed in the light of the related literature.

Structural Validity of Holland’s Circumplex Model of Vocational Personality Types in Africa

This study investigated the construct (structural) validity of Holland’s circumplex model of vocational personality types in Africa. Data were obtained on the general occupational themes of the Strong Interest Inventory for 28 countries. These countries were classified into three different geographic regions (Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, and Western Africa). The randomization test and circumplex covariance structure modeling were used to investigate the fit of Holland’s circumplex model across these regions. Results provide preliminary evidence for the generalizability of Holland’s model in the African context. Inspection of the angular locations of the six vocational personality types in two-dimensional space indicated slight disordering of the types in the Eastern Africa region and the correct ordering of the types in the Southern and Western African regions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

An examination of Alternative Multidimensional Scaling Techniques

The purpose of this study is to compare alternative multidimensional scaling (MDS) methods for constraining the stimuli on the circumference of a circle and on the surface of a sphere. Specifically, the existing MDS-T method for plotting the stimuli on the circumference of a circle is applied, and its extension is proposed for constraining the stimuli on the surface of a sphere. The data analyzed come from previous research and concerns Maslach and Jackson’s burnout syndrome and Holland’s vocational personality types. The configurations for the same data on the circle and the sphere shared similarities but also had differences, that is, the general item-groupings were the same but most of the differences across the two methods resulted in more meaningful interpretations for the three-dimensional configuration. Furthermore, in most cases, items and/or scales could be better discriminated from each other on the sphere.

Gender Differences in Holland Vocational Personality Types: Implications for School Counselors

The study in this article examined gender and ethnic differences in the development of Holland (1997) personality types among inner-city adolescents. Results showed gender but not ethnic differences in vocational personality types and their predictors, and suggest different pathways to the development of these types for boys and girls. Suggestions are highlighted for providing school counseling interventions based on study results.