Psychometric Examination of an Inventory of Self-Efficacy for the Holland Vocational Themes Using Item Response Theory

Abstract

The psychometric properties of measures of self-efficacy for the six themes of Holland’s theory were examined using item response theory. Item and scale quality were compared across levels of the trait continuum; all the scales were highly reliable but differentiated better at some levels of the continuum than others. Applications for adaptive testing methods in educational and career assessment are discussed.

• assessment of self-efficacy
• Holland’s vocational theory
• item response theory
• adaptive testing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brandon M. Turner

Brandon M. Turner is a graduate student in Quantitative Psychology at the Ohio State University. His research interests include item response theory, factor analysis, scale construction, mathematical modeling, response time distributions, and Bayesian statistics.

Nancy E. Betz

Nancy E. Betz is professor of psychology at the Ohio State University. Her research interests are scale development and evaluation in the areas of vocational interests and confidence, career decision making, and the healthy personality.

Michael C. Edwards

Michael C. Edwards is an assistant professor in the quantitative psychology program at the Ohio State University. His research focuses on measurement issues in the social sciences and includes topics such as item response theory, factor analysis, computerized adaptive testing, and computerintensive estimation methods.

Fred H. Borgen

Fred H. Borgen is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University. He has been building career scales since 1967, when he worked with David Campbell to create the Basic Interest Scales for the Strong Interest Inventory. This was the first set of content scales for the Strong. Later, John Holland and Campbell added the six, content-based Holland scales to the Strong. Borgen is currently involved in developing new measures of vocational confidence, interests, and personality.