Career Maturity in Adolescence: Reliability and Validity of Self-Ratings of Abilities by Gender and Ethnicity

Abstract

To obtain reliable and valid self-ratings of abilities of adolescents, a self-rating instrument was designed to incorporate six of Maybe and Wests' (1982) measurement conditions. The instrument was administered to 210 ninth-graders. Test-retest reliability coefficients are mostly in the .70s and .80s for self-ratings and accuracy of self- ratings. Coefficient alphas and test-retest correlations for composite scores range from .74 to .90. For the total sample of students, the major findings are: (a) Correlations between self-rated abilities and measured abilities range from the .30s to the .60s, with medians in the .50s; (b) Students overrated all of their abilities except scholastic aptitude and Space Relations; (c) Students were most accurate in rating their scholastic aptitude and least accurate in rating their special aptitudes; (d) and self-ratings of some abilities were inaccurate, although they were reliable and substantially correlated (.63, .61) with measured ability. Ethnic differences were found on all ability scores, all self-ratings, and all accuracy of self-rating scores. Gender differences were found on some special abilities, some self-ratings, and some accuracy of self-rating scores. The self-rating instrument does not show evidence of differential validity across different ethnic and gender groups.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American College Testing Program. (1983). DISCOVER for microcomputers: Professional manual. Iowa City, IA: Author.

Bailey, R.C. , & Bailey, K.G. (1974). Self-perceptions of scholastic ability at four grade levels. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 124, 197-212.

Bennett, G.K. , Seashore, H.G. , & Wesman, A.G. (1982). Administrator's handbook for the Differential Aptitude Tests, forms V and W. New York: The Psychological Corporation.

Bennett, G.K. , Seashore, H.G. , & Wesman, A.G. (1984). Differential Aptitude Tests: Technical supplement . New York: The Psychological Corporation .

Campbell, D.P. , Hyne, S. , & Nilsen, D. (1992). Manual for the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey . Minneapolis: National Computer Systems.

Crites, J.O. (1978). Manual for the Career Maturity Inventory. Monterey, CA: CTB/McGraw-Hill.

Ferguson, G.A. (1966). Statistical analysis in psychology and education, second edition. New York: McGraw Hill.

Gravetter, F.J. , & Wallnau, L.B. (1992). Statistics for the behavioral sciences. New York: West Publishing Company.

Hambleton, R.K. (1985). Review of Differential Aptitude Tests (Forms V and W). In J. V. Mitchell , Jr. (Ed.), The ninth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 503-505). Lincoln, NE: The Buros Institute of Mental Measurement .

10.

Harrington, T.F. , & O' Shea, A.J. (1985). The Harrington-O'Shea Career Decision-Making System . Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

11.

Hodgson, M.L. , & Cramer, S.H. (1977). The relationship between selected self-estimated and measured abilities in adolescents. Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance, 10, 98-105.

12.

Holland, J.L. (1985). The Self-Directed Search. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

13.

Humphreys, L.G. (1973). Statistical definitions of test validity for minority groups. Journal of Applied Psychology, 58, 1-4.

14.

Kitson, H.D. (1925). The psychology of vocational adjustment. Philadelphia: Lippincott.

15.

Kocher, E.W. (1974). Changes in ability of graduate students in education to assess own test performance as related to their Miller Analogies scores . Psychological Reports, 35, 97-98.

16.

Lowman, R.L. , & Williams, R.E. (1987). Validity of self-ratings of abilities and competencies. Journal of Vocational Behavior , 31, 1-13.

17.

Maybe, P.A. , & West, S.G. (1982). Validity of self-evaluation of ability: A review and metaanalysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67, 280-296.

18.

O'Hara, R.P. , & Tiedeman, D.V. (1959). Vocational self-concept in adolescence. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 6, 293-301.

19.

Otis, A. , & Lennon, R. (1990). Technical manual for the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, Sixth Edition New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

20.

Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a vocation. Boston : Houghton Mifflin.

21.

Savikas, M. (1993). Predictive validity criteria for career development measures. Journal of Career Assessment, 1, 93-101.

22.

Super, D.E. (1951). Vocational adjustment: Implementing a self-concept . Occupations, 30, 88-92.

23.

Super, D.G. (1982). Counselor's manual for the DAT career planning program, Forms V and W (2nd ed.). New York: The Psychological Corporation.

24.

Swanson, J.L. (1993). Integrated assessment of vocational interests and self-rated skills and abilities. Journal of Career Assessment , 1, 50-65.

25.

Swanson, J.L. , & Lease, S.H. (1990). Gender differences in self-ratings of abilities and skills. The Career Development Quarterly, 38, 347-359.

26.

Thorndike, R. , Cunningham, G. , Thorndike, R. , & Hagen, E. (1991). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education (5th Ed.). New York: MacMillan.

27.

Westbrook, B.W. , Buck, R.W. , Jr., & Sanford, E.E. (1990, March). Reliability and validity of an instrument to measure the self-appraisal component of career maturity. Paper presented at the American Association of Counseling and Development, Cincinnati, OH.

28.

Westbrook, B.W. , & Sanford, E.E. (1993). Relation between self-appraisal and appropriateness of career choices of male and female adolescents. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 291-299.

29.

Westbrook, B.W. , Sanford, E.E. , & Donnelly, M.H. (1989). The reliability and validity of the Self Appraisal scale of the Career Maturity Inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 49, 929-935.

30.

Westbrook, B.W. , Sanford, E.E. , Gilleland, D. , Fleenor, J. , & Merwin, G. (1988). Career maturity in grade 9: The relationship between accuracy of self appraisal and ability to appraise the career-relevant capabilities of others. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 21, 269-283.

31.

Wilson, J. , & Wright, C.R. (1993). The predictive validity of student self-evaluation, teacher's assessments, and grades for performance on the Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Ability scales of the Differential Aptitude Test for a sample of secondary school students attending rural Appalachia schools. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 259-270.