Improving vocational interest assessments: data complexity levels are important for social and enterprising areas

Abstract

Vocational interest assessments are open to imporvements to achieve higher predictive validities. One recent approach in developing interests assessments has been to incorporate more complex vocational activities in items (Toker & Ackerman, 2012). In this study we developed the Vertical Social Interests Scale (VSIS)-Data Complexity Levels to be used together with the VSIS-People Complexity Levels (Açıkgöz & Toker, 2019) to assess interests in increasingly complex activities related to the social and enterprising vocational areas. Data complexity levels in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles which are present in the work activities of social/enterprising occupations identified in the O*NET were incorporated in developing scale items. The new measure was evaluated on a sample of 238 college students., yielding a 3-factor structure reflecting high-, moderate-, and low-complexity work activities. The moderate-and-high complexity factor composites had expected associations with other interest and self-efficacy measures together with several vocational criteria, adding support to the developing literature on the importance of measuring interests for increasingly complex activities.