An Orientation and Motivation Inventory

Abstract

The report describes the construction and development of an inventory designed to measure 10 dimensions of general orientation, preference, and motivation toward activities, tasks, and people. The Orientation and Motivation Inventory was administered to 281 high school juniors and seniors and to 121 college freshmen and sophomores along with an occupational inventory. Each of the scales was subdivided for analysis into four subtests. Then the intercorrelations among the 40 subscores were analyzed by the method of principal components. In the Varimax rotational solution for the high school sample, nine of the postulated dimensions were confirmed. In the college factor analysis six of the dimensions were fully confirmed. The scale scores were evaluated by applying them in a discriminant function analysis of Holland's six vocational interest types. Students had been allocated to one of the types on the basis of their occupational scores. Analyses of the high school and college samples disclosed two and three dimensions of difference, respectively. The mean inventory scores for the vocation interest types proved to be meaningful. Therefore the inventory shows promise for use with high school students.