Achievement-orientation of personality type: A variable to consider in tests of Holland's congruence-achievement and other hypotheses

Abstract

Research that has tested Holland's congruence-achievement hypothesis was reviewed to explore the hypothesized influence of a confounding variable, “Achievement-Orientation of Personality Type,” on the congruence-achievement relation. When the effects of this confounding variable were considered, five studies were found that contradict Holland's hypothesis; one study was found that did not support Holland's hypothesis but that did support an Achievement-Orientation of Personality Type interpretation, and one study was found that supported Holland's hypothesis. One additional study revealed that when the confounding effects of Achievement-Orientation of Personality Type were controlled, strong support that had previously existed for Holland's hypothesis ceased to exist. The findings of this review suggest that the aforementioned confounding variable has been associated with the support that has been reported for one and probably more of Holland's hypotheses, that grade point average has probably outlived its usefulness in tests of these hypotheses, and that congruence is probably not a meaningful predictor of achievement. Implications for research are discussed.