Date of Award

8-1-1969

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling Psychology & Community Services

Abstract

Problem

The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine whether college males who had no primary patterns on an SVIB administered in 1966 developed primary patterns on a 1968 retest and whether there were significant proportional differences in the number of students having one or more primary patterns on their 1968 SVIB among the three treatment groups and the control group; and (2) determine if there were significant differences between the scale means of the 1966 and 1968 SVIB for two groups of students who were dichotomized according to primary or no primary patterns in 1968.

Procedure

The subjects in this study consisted of 84 males enrolled as juniors at the University of North Dakota in the Fall of 1968, who had no primary patterns on the 1966 SVIB administration. Letters inviting 120 males to participate in vocational counseling and additional vocational interest testing resulted in 84 respondents. The respondents were randomized into three treatment groups and a control group prior to the 1968 retest. The treatment conditions were designed to stimulate awareness of vocational interests in the students having no primary patterns. Subsequent to the second SVIB administration, the students were reclassified into two groups— those students who had one or more primary patterns, and those students who persisted with no primary patterns. The 1966 and 1968 SVIB scales were examined for significant differences for both of the groups.

The Strong Vocational Interest Blank constituted the main source of data for the study. Existing college records provided additional data. The statistical techniques employed in this study included the chi square and t-tests for related means. To test for interpretable differences, an inspection for change was made. The .01 level of significance was employed as the criterion in evaluating the obtained differences.

Findings

  1. 1. There were no significant differences in the number of students developing a primary pattern among the three treatment groups and the control group.
  2. 2. The group of students demonstrating one or more primary pat terns on the 1968 SVIB showed significant increases in the means of the Veterinarian, YMCA Secretary, Music Teacher and Mortician scales. This group showed significant decreases in the means of the Physician, Psychiatrist, Mathematician, Chemist, Engineer, Math-Science Teacher, Policeman, C.P.A. Owner, Senior C.P.A., and President-Mfg. scales. Interpretable increases in scale means included the Veterinarian and Mortician scales. The Physician, Chemist, Math-Science Teacher, Police man, Senior C.P.A. and President-Mfg. had interpretable decreases in scale means.
  3. 3. The group of students demonstrating no primary patterns on the 1968 SVIB showed significant increases in the means of the Army Officer, YMCA Secretary, Social Worker, Music Teacher and Specialization Level scales. The scale means which decreased significantly were Mathematician, Physicist, Chemist, Engineer, Farmer, Printer, Police man, C.P.A. Owner, Senior C.P.A., Accountant, Office Worker, Banker, Pharmacist, President-Mfg., and Masculinity-Femininity. Interpretable increases in means occurred on the Army Officer and YMCA Secretary scales. Interpretable decreases in means occurred on the Farmer, Printer, Chemist, Engineer, Policeman, Senior C.P.A., Accountant, Office Worker, Banker and Pharmacist scales.
  4. 4. The non respondent group had a larger percentage of students in mathematics and natural science majors, and a large percentage of students enrolled in the College of Business and Public Administration than did the respondent group. Within the respondent group the no primary group had a smaller percentage of students enrolled in the College of Business and Public Administration, and a larger percentage of students enrolled in the social sciences and the College of Education than the primary group.
  5. 5. Within the College of Arts and Sciences the students with majors in mathematics and natural sciences had primary patterns in the Biological Science and Verbal-Linguistic occupational families. Students in the social sciences and in the humanities had primary pat terns predominantly in the occupational families of Sales, Verbal- Linguistic, and Business and Accounting. College of Education students had primary patterns in the Sales and Verbal-Linguistic families, whereas students in the College of Engineering received primary patterns that were almost exclusively in the occupational families of Physical Science and Technical and Skilled Trades. Most of the primary patterns manifested by students in the College of Business and Public Administration were in the occupational families of Sales and Business and Accounting. Of a total of 72 primary patterns, 37 were in the occupational families of Sales and Business and Accounting.

Conclusions

Treatment conditions administered to students having no primary patterns failed to yield significantly more primary patterns among the treatment groups than the control group. After two years, a large pro portion of students with no primary patterns (52 of 84) demonstrated primary patterns. For both the primary and no primary groups, there was a tendency for the research subjects to become less similar to men employed in the physical sciences, police work, and in some of the business occupations.

The no primary group showed a significant decrease in interests in common with men in the Business and Accounting occupational family, perhaps demonstrating a rejection of business related activities. The significant decreases in scale means for the primary group indicated a possible rejection of biological-scientific occupations.

The primary pattern group demonstrated greater score variability than did the no primary pattern group. However, the primary and non respondent groups were similar in terms of percentages of students enrolled in the various university colleges. Students with primary patterns were more likely to be business and administration majors than were students with no primary patterns. In addition, students in the primary group had interests similar to those of men in the occupational families of Sales, Business and Accounting and Verbal- Linguistic. Finally, it was concluded that freshman males with no primary patterns demonstrated considerable change in scale scores in a period of two years.

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