Within the process of vocational maturity, anxiety may be the primary factor in distinguishing avoidance of tasks necessary for vocational development. This study investigates whether general anxiety or anxiety about choice of a college major and choice of a vocation were related to educational-vocational decidedness. A sample of 427 college students enrolled in a general studies physics course completed the research instrument. This instrument tapped 10 independent variables including 6 anxiety type scales plus self-report biographic data. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine which of the independent variables could predict the measures of educational-vocational decidedness used. Of the 10 independent variables, 9 were found to be related to at least 1 of the dependent variables, this supporting the relationships hypothesized between anxiety and career decision making.Each year large numbers of students remain undecided about careers after they have reached a chronological point in development when they should be able to choose (Baird, 1969;Crites, 1969;Wigent, 1974). This sometimes occurs even when the student has been provided with information about self and the world of work in classes, vocational counseling, workshops, or other sources.One might expect that a sizable proportion of young people would be anxious about unclear career prospects, an expectation research seems to support. Empirical studies conducted by various investigators give ample evidence that anxiety is related, directly or indirectly, to being unable to make up one's mind about a vocation. The undecided student (a) may value security and avoid risk taking more than the decided student (Miller, 1956;Ziller, 1957), (b) may hold oneself in less esteem, depend more on others, or have a more This article is based in part on the doctoral dissertation completed at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale by John G. Hawkins under the direction of Richard W. Bradley.Requests for reprints should be sent to Richard
An empirical investigation of the effect of choice weight scoring on predictive validity and reliability. Choice weight scoring refers to the procedure whereby different weights may be assigned to all the options of an item. Four groups of subjects were included in the experiment. Weights derived from each group were used to score tests for another group in order to assess the cross-validity of the weighted scoring. In no case did the increments in reliability and validity due to the weighted scoring exceed .03,
The study involved comparison of three proposed proficiency tests for a two-quarter introductory biology course. One of the tests was a nationally standardized examination; the other two were locally constructed. The three tests were administered as first course pretests and as posttests each quarter of the sequence. Course grades were determined independently of the proficiency test scores. The College Entrance Examination Board's College Placement Test for Biology (CEEB Biology) yielded the highest validity between pretest scores and first and second quarter grades. Posttest scores earned during both the first and second quarter on the locally constructed BergMiller Proficiency Examination (BMPE) were more highly correlated with final grade in both the first and second quarter than were posttest scores on either the CEEB Biology or the locally constructed Garoian Proficiency Examination (GPE).MANY universities administer proficiency tests to incoming freshmen in order to establish advanced standing and college credits. Enrolled students may also take proficiency tests to establish college credit. Several proficiency tests used for the introductory courses at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C) are standardized national examinations. Other courses, however, use locally constructed proficiency tests. Among the problems encountered in utilizing either nationally or locally constructed examinations is the establishment of the relative validities with respect to course grades of the alternative tests. To evaluate and answer this problem for one specific two-quarter course, Introductory Biology, GSA 201a,b (Southern Illinois University, 1971) three different proficiency examinations were compared.
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