Vocational Interest StabilityResear

Vocational Interest Stability
Research on trait continuity in both vocational interests (Swanson, 1999) and personality (Caspi & Roberts, 1999; Roberts, Helson, & Klohnen, 2002) has demonstrated the disjuncture between group- and individual-level change. Individual differences in change can be and are often unrelated to population indices of change—the apparent stability of an interest at the group level may mask large but mutually canceling changes at the individual level. For example, a 16-year-old adolescent may become less interested in outdoor activities or in tinkering with tools and more interested in working with people than when she was 12. At the individual level, the configuration of her interests has changed across time. But if her preferences for working with her hands rank first among her peers at both ages, she has not changed in relative terms. Nonetheless, examinations of consistency and change at both the group and the individual level are complementary rather than contradictory; researchers should ideally jointly consider both perspectives when assessing stability. In interest research, group-level change is most commonly assessed through rank-order correlations, typified by test–retest reliabilities of scale scores; individuallevel change (or ipsative stability; Caspi & Roberts, 1999) is evaluated through correlations of the configurations (or profiles) of salient interest areas for the same individual at different time points. Few studies have examined the commensurability of both indices (i.e., rank-order and profile correlations). As such, we consider them jointly and separately in the present study.
Children are exposed to occupational images at an early age, and their interests are frequently elicited through inquires about their aspirations (e.g., “What do you want to be when you grow up?”). There is general consensus that vocational interests emerge during childhood (Tracey, 2001) and become progressively more stable as individuals develop through adolescence (e.g., Marcia, 1980; Vondracek, 1993)—in part because of increasing self-awareness (Amundson, 1995), academic and workplace skill development (D. A. Phillips & Zimmerman, 1990), knowledge of occupations (Walls, 2000), and educational opportunities (Betz & Schifano, 2000). Todt and Schreiber (1998), in their model of interest development, proposed a series of stages through which individuals become increasingly conscious of the social structure, as well as their own abilities and talents—which leads to the progressive organization of interests that are in line with this knowledge. The notion that adolescents become more certain of their interests with age has received empirical support (e.g., Cook et al., 1996; Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000) and has been integrated into career development theories (e.g., Ginzberg, Ginsberg, Axelrod, & Herma, 1951; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996).

Results (Indonesian) 1:

Stabilitas kejuruan bungaResearch on trait continuity in both vocational interests (Swanson, 1999) and personality (Caspi & Roberts, 1999; Roberts, Helson, & Klohnen, 2002) has demonstrated the disjuncture between group- and individual-level change. Individual differences in change can be and are often unrelated to population indices of change—the apparent stability of an interest at the group level may mask large but mutually canceling changes at the individual level. For example, a 16-year-old adolescent may become less interested in outdoor activities or in tinkering with tools and more interested in working with people than when she was 12. At the individual level, the configuration of her interests has changed across time. But if her preferences for working with her hands rank first among her peers at both ages, she has not changed in relative terms. Nonetheless, examinations of consistency and change at both the group and the individual level are complementary rather than contradictory; researchers should ideally jointly consider both perspectives when assessing stability. In interest research, group-level change is most commonly assessed through rank-order correlations, typified by test–retest reliabilities of scale scores; individuallevel change (or ipsative stability; Caspi & Roberts, 1999) is evaluated through correlations of the configurations (or profiles) of salient interest areas for the same individual at different time points. Few studies have examined the commensurability of both indices (i.e., rank-order and profile correlations). As such, we consider them jointly and separately in the present study.Children are exposed to occupational images at an early age, and their interests are frequently elicited through inquires about their aspirations (e.g., “What do you want to be when you grow up?”). There is general consensus that vocational interests emerge during childhood (Tracey, 2001) and become progressively more stable as individuals develop through adolescence (e.g., Marcia, 1980; Vondracek, 1993)—in part because of increasing self-awareness (Amundson, 1995), academic and workplace skill development (D. A. Phillips & Zimmerman, 1990), knowledge of occupations (Walls, 2000), and educational opportunities (Betz & Schifano, 2000). Todt and Schreiber (1998), in their model of interest development, proposed a series of stages through which individuals become increasingly conscious of the social structure, as well as their own abilities and talents—which leads to the progressive organization of interests that are in line with this knowledge. The notion that adolescents become more certain of their interests with age has received empirical support (e.g., Cook et al., 1996; Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000) and has been integrated into career development theories (e.g., Ginzberg, Ginsberg, Axelrod, & Herma, 1951; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996).