Concurrent validity of Holland's theory for non-college degreed black working men

Abstract

The study was designed to explore two areas: (1) the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for employed non-college degreed black men using two different definitions of vocational orientation; and (2) the relationships among same scales across the two inventories. Concurrent validity was studied by administering the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Self Directed Search (SDS) to 121 men workers in occupational environments consistent with Holland's six vocational environments. In general, the findings indicate that the VPI and the SDS scales tend to effectively discriminate among the occupational groups consistent with Holland's theoretical notions. The results tend to suggest that Holland's theory is meaningful for employed non college degreed black men.