Personality testing in career assessment and planning

Abstract

This study focused on the use of personality testing as one tool to use in career counseling. The purpose was to determine relationships between personality characteristics or patterns and achievement results in career assessment and planning. The study analyzed relationships found when using 1) personality patterns as indicated by the Youth Development Profile, 2) comprehensive achievement results, and 3) demographic information collected on the Self-Report Inventory designed by the author. The participants of the study totaled 18 high school and junior high students. The students ranged in age from 14 to 18 and were of normal intelligence. There was an equal distribution of male and female students. Some had had previous career assessment and planning training and some had not. The students were asked to pay an $11 fee, return a, parental permission request form, which released their achievement scores, and then take the Youth Development Profile which is a self-reporting device intended to uncover behavioral tendencies and to provide a description of your identity by using personality patterns. In addition, the students filled out the Self-Report Inventory. To determine relationships, the Chi-square distribution was used. Seven null hypotheses were tested assuming the two variables were independent. High and low achievement results, Set I and Set II personality pattern divisions, and demographic information were used in the Chi-square equations. The dependent or significant relationships showed 1) the sex of the subject is dependent of high and low achievement. Research indicates female high school students tend to show a higher achievement motivation than male students in the same age group. 2) Expected educational achievement level is dependent of Set I and Set II personality patterns. It is a likely characteristic that Set II personality patterns gravitate toward a higher educational achievement level than Set I personality patterns.