An instrument to assess six dimensions of vocational interests, namely, Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E) and Conventional (C) is established. Items generated to evaluate the proposed dimensions were applied to university and high school students, comprising 857 valid protocols. Principal components analysis was conducted to select the best items. A six component solution compatible with theoretical expectations was obtained for 48 items (6 for each dimension). Reliability estimates (Cronbach's alpha) for the scales were: R (0.83), I (0.79), A (0.78), S (0.85), E (0.74), and C (0.80). Separate analyses with university and high school students showed similar results. Mean comparison between contrasting pairs of university courses for each dimension showed that scales may discriminate criterion groups. Results indicate that the instrument is valid and reliable, and may be used in future research.
Vocational interests; vocational development; Psychometrics
