Abstract
Vocational interest assessments are a unique tool in that they are used to predict outcomes far into the future. The use of interest assessments for predictive purposes is supported by decades of research showing that vocational interests are highly stable over time and predict several important career and academic outcomes. Yet new research findings have led to a better understanding of why interests are important and how they develop and change with age. In this chapter, we review recent research on the development and predictive validity of interests with a focus on career guidance implications. The chapter is organised into two parts. The first part reviews research on the development of vocational interests. The second part reviews research on the predictive validity of interests for a variety of career and academic outcomes. A major conclusion is that interests are surprisingly strong predictors of performance-related outcomes (e.g., job performance and career success), but are not as consistently associated with satisfaction-based outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction) as popular literature would suggest. The chapter concludes by reviewing theoretical and practical implications aimed at better understanding the interest development process and the outcomes associated with interest fit.
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Notes
- 1.
Holland’s (1959, 1997) RIASEC vocational interest typology is the most widely used theoretical framework for interest measurement. Holland’s typology describes people according to their resemblance to six vocational personalities and environments: Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E), and Conventional (C). Realistic interests involve working with hands, tools, and materials. Investigative interests involve scientific and research activities. Artistic interests involve self-expression and creativity typically associated with the performing, written, and visual arts. Social interests are activities that involve hel** and nurturing. Enterprising interests involve selling, managing, and social influence typically in a business context. Conventional interests involve the ordered and systematic manipulation of data with clear standards.
- 2.
Another classification system that relies on Holland’s typology is Prediger’s (1982) two-dimensional model of People-Things and Data-Ideas. These dimensions were initially proposed to be bipolar. However, recent studies by Tay et al. (2011) and Graziano et al. (2011) have shown that these dimensions are better represented from a bivariate perspective. In other words, an interest in People does not necessarily imply a lack of interest in Things; and similarly, one can be interested in activities that involve both Data and Ideas simultaneously (Woodcock et al. 2013).
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Hoff, K.A., Perlus, J.G., Rounds, J. (2019). Vocational Interests: Revisiting Assumptions About Their Development and What They Predict. In: Athanasou, J.A., Perera, H.N. (eds) International Handbook of Career Guidance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25153-6_31
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