تطوير اختبار لقياس القدرات العقلية لاستخدامه في التوجيه الوظيفي للخريجين الجامعيين الجدد في الأردن = Developing a Mental Ability Test to Be Used in Vocational Guidance for Fresh University Graduates in Jordan

Abstract

The study aimed at developing a mental abilities test that can be used in vocational guidance and employee selection for fresh university graduates. This was achieved using a three stage procedure and a total sample of more than 1700 individuals. In the first stage 81 questions were developed addressing three dimensions of mental ability: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and spatial thinking and applied to 300 university students. In consequence, 45 questions were chosen in the final version based on their difficulty factor and discrimination level (15 questions for each ability). The second stage aimed at testing the validity indicators of the test using a sample of 176 university students. The results indicate that the questions have differential validity and scores were normally distributed. Additionally, the test results correlated with the average of the general secondary exam. Furthermore, the three abilities measured by the test were inter-correlated. The final and third stage aimed at developing referential norms for the test (percentiles and IQ scores).Using a sample of 1208 university fresh graduates, the test norms were calculated for males and females. Additionally, a combined score of the three abilities was calculated to give a measure of general mental ability. In conclusion, the psychometric properties of the test indicate that the test has good validity indicators and can be used in vocational guidance for fresh graduates and employee selection in general.