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The Test The Occupational Interest Inventory is designed to appraise and analysed the vocationally significant interest of the

individual. It is an assessment of occupational preferences and is not a test of occupational abilities or skillity. The utilization of interest patterns the educational and vocational guidance process greatly enhances the likelihood of success from both client and counselor points of view. Past neglect in utilizing occupational interest for counselling in schools, and for selection and placement in business and industry, has resulted in thousands of people entering into vocations for which they may have possessed the requisite abilities and skills, but for which they lacked or failed to develop abiding interests. The major purposed of this inventory is to aid in discovering the basic occupational interests possessed by an individual. This information can be used to aid him eventually to become an interested, well-adjusted, and effective employee and person./ once the interest pattern has been revealed, a number of specific but often related vocations are usually opened up to the individual for his consideration. The choice of a particular vocation may then be approached on the basis of his personal qualities, his abilities, and other related factors. Agencies and couselors desiring to established specific educational or vocational objectives for an individual have access today to a wealth of theoretical discussions, research data, and practical experience to assist them. Publications of the California Test Bureau in which such assistance will be found include the Occupational Selections Aid by Fauquipt and Shlerson, the Vocational Interest Analysis series by Roeber and Pridesus, Aptitude Test for Occupations by Roeder, Multiple Aptitude Test by Segel and Raskin, and Educational Bulletins discussing various phases of the guidance and counselling process. The 1956 revision of the Occupation Interest Inventory represents a number of improvements over the previous edition. The answer sheet has been revised to permit more simplified machine and hand scoring. Nine items in the inventory have been replaced, the number of items contributing to the Types scores increased and the format improved. The Manual has been expanded to include the following features: (1) new data have been added to the Reliability and Validity Section. (2) the Directions for Administration and directions for Scoring have been revised. (3) the Uses of Test Results section has been enlarged and (4) the Norms have been adjusted to accommodate the changes in the inventory items.

1. Fields of Interest I. Personal- Social II. Natural III. Mechanical IV. Business V. The Arts VI. The Science 2. Types of Interests Vertical Manipulative Computational 3. Level of Interests

Description of the Test Person thinking seriously about choosing vocations and finding a place in the world of work are confronted with a complex situation. The number of possible job opportunities is staggering. To attempt to identify first-hand the single job which matches an individuals aptitudes and interest is not practical. It is more to the point to identify the occupational field in which the counsellor has interests and aptitudes. The Occupational Interest Inventory will help students and young adults find the field on fields in which they have interests. The Inventory yields tem scores that enable the examinee to evaluate his interests in terms of these broad vocational categories or fields. One can then proceed to the examination of more specific occupational objectives. The Inventory Yields Three groups of scores which are arranged as follows:

The items that yield these scores are divided into two parts. The first nine scores are derived from part I and the tenth. Level of interest comes from part II. Part I consist of 240 paired items. Each item describes an activity that has vocational implications. There are 40 items in each of the six major interest fields. Ten of each 40 have been selected as representative of interest which are on the routine level; 20 representatives of interests on the skilled level; and ten representative of interest on the supervisory, administrative, or professional level. This classification is based on the judgement of the authors and, to the degree possible, verified by the ratings level given in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles to the occupations with which each of these items is associated. The purposed of this classification is to make a more logical pairing of items possible; thus lows are paired with lows, medium with mediums, And highs with highs. This arrangement aids in making the inherent interest appeal of the activity described in the two items in the pair, rather than their levels, serve as the deciding factor in each choice. This minimized the halo effect of higher level occupations. The types of interest scores are obtained from ninety items scattered throughout Part I, these items are identified by symbols which are described on page 4. Part II is made up of 30 triads. Each triad is concerned with one occupational field but three items are of different levels. One is low, one is medium, and one is high, The score obtained from Part II is recorded as Level of Interest. The Inventory is non-timed. It can, however administered during one class period as it usually requires from 30 to 40 minutes of administration time. Arrangements for hand scoring, machine scoring, and profile analysis have been carefully made. No stencils are required for hand scoring the special answer sheet and machine scoring is a relatively quick process. The inventory booklet itself can also be scored and the interest pattern recorded, as the booklet contains a profile page. The changes in the 1958 revision of the Occupational Interest Inventory are described on page 2 Fields of Interests The inventory is made up of items describing occupational activities in which the vast majority of our working population is engaged. These activities are arranges into six Fields. The score for each Field is obtained by counting the positive responses to the 40 items of the Field. The six Fields and a brief description of each as follows: Persona- Social- this is a personal contact or service field. Examinees scoring high in these area like people have a real desire to improve the lot of others. These may be expressed through interests in physical care, protection, personal attention, instruction, and counsel. The major occupational groups, and items illustrative of each are as folows: 1. Domestic Service. 2. Personal Service, 3. Social Service,4. Teaching, 5. Law and Law Enforcement, and 6. Health and Medical Service.

Natural interest and activities of an outdoor nature are reflected in this field. Examinees receiving a high Natural score can be expected to be interested in agriculture and in the protection of natural resources. Raising cattle, poultry, crops, and food products, the extraction of minerals, the care of forests; and fishing are included. This major Natural job families and items illustrative of each are: 1. Farming and Ranching, 2. Raising and Caring for animals, 3. Gardening and Greenhouse, 4. Fish, and Game, and Domestic Fowl, 5. Lumbering and Forestry, and 6. Marine Work . Mechanical. The examinee who is interested in taking things apart and putting them together scores high in this field. Curiosity about motors and machines and what makes them work is a primary factor. Also included are activities involving processing, manufacturing, building, constructing, and repairing constitute most of the items in field. Typical mechanical job families and items illustrativeof each are: 1. Maintenance and Repairing, 2. Machine Operation and Tending, 3. Construction work, 4. Designing , 5. Bench work and Crafts , and 6. Processing Business interest in all activities peculiar to the business world are grouped in this area. It includes business contact as well as business detail or office pursuits. The personal contact activities involved in this field differ from those of the Personal- Social Field in that the profit motive plays the predominant role. Thus selling, management, finance, distributive activities, secretarial and office work, banking and investment pursuits of interest to examinees who score high in Business. The major business job families and items illustrative of each are: 1. Clerical 2. Shipping and Distribution, 3. Book-keeping and Accounting , 4. Selling and Buying, 5. Training and Supervision, and 6. Management and control.

Types of Interests Verbal. Items classified as Verbal stress the use of words in a vocational context. The words may be either written or spoken but they are always use to communicate ideas successfully. The motives behind the ideas which the words express vary greatly. Thus words may be used to help others, to describe a thing of beauty, or to convince others to accept an idea or to make a purchase. Manipulative. Individuals who enjoy working with things will score high in this type. The activities included may involve creative action or they may involve strictly routine assignments under the direction of a supervisor. Inherent in all of the activities included, whatever degree of skill may be required is the use of ones hands to manipulate objects.

Computational. Where areas the other two types involve the use of words and things, the computational type consist of items dealing with numerical symbols and concepts. To work with numbers in financial, scientific, or other pursuits can be extremely dull for some or can, on the other hand , be extremely challenging for others. To know ones interest in these as well as the other two types will give a clearer understanding of ones pattern of scores in the six Fields.

The arts interest in music, drama, literature and art are reflected by the high scores in this field. The desire to add to the aesthetic qualities of life through such everyday activities as the arrangement of flowers and furniture in the home and attractive landscaping of the yard, as well as more creative artistic behaviour, is reflected in the items keyed to The Art Fields. Note that all of the items contributing to this field are performance items. Therefore, appreciation for and patronage of The Arts without a desire to participate actively are not directly measured. Outstanding job families and illustrative items are : 1. Art Crafts, 2. Painting and Drawing ,3. Decorating and Landscaping, 4. Drama and Radio, 5. Literary Activities, and musical Performance. The Science. Desire to understand and manipulate the physical environment in which we live is basic in this filed. Use of experimental techniques in applied as well as pure science is reflected in these 40 items. Items involving research, invention, determination of cause and effect relationship, and controlled observation are found in this field. The six major Science job families and illustrative items are: 1. Laboratory work, 2. Mineral- Petroleum Production, 3. Applied Chemistry, 4. Chemical Research, 5. Biological Research and 6.Scientific Engineering.

Level of interest Part I I of the inventory identifies the levels of which an individuals basic interest are associated with routine tasks, with task requiring considerable skill, and judgement. The latter involve supervisory and administrative activities. The 30 triads that make up this portion triad contain live triads in each of the six major Fields. Thus it is possible for an individual to have a high average, or low level of interests score recognized of his basic interest pattern. This score provides an additional clue to the level of occupations which should be investigated and considered.

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