Description of TestThe Kuder General Interest Survey is an interest inventory created to measure a

person’s interests in occupational fields of study.

KOIS was originally developed in response to a need for an instrument to be used with younger people, particularly the junior high or middle school level. The inventory evolved from a series of Kuder vocational interest inventories.

The vocabulary used in the survey is written at a sixth grade reading level.

Based on client’s responses, the test creates ratings of: • Vocational interests• Potential occupations • College majors

Each survey has 60 questions takes approximately one hour

The Kuder General Interest Survey is available in three formats: paper (hand and selfscored) version, SRA (mailed in and scan scored) version, computer (locally scored)version

Description of Test The Kuder General Interest Survey scores are divided into ten interest areas:

Outdoor -preference for activities outside, usually dealing with plants or birds; i.e. foresters,naturalists, fish and game managers, telephone line installers, farmers

Mechanical-preference for working with machines and tools; i.e. carpenters, plumbers, mechanic

Computation-preference for working with numbers and mathematics; i.e. physician, chemist, dietitian

Scientific-interest in discovery or understanding of nature and the solution of a problem; i.e.physician, chemist, engineer

Persuasive-interest in meeting and dealing with people, convincing people of a cause or point of view; i.e. salesperson, personal managers, buyers

Artistic-interest in doing creative work with hands; i.e. artists, sculptors, fashion designers

Literary-interest in reading and writing; i.e. English teacher, poets, editors

Musical- interests in concerts, singing, playing an instrument , reading about music and musicians; i.e.musicians, music teachers, music critics

Social Service-preference for activities that involve helping people

Clerical-preference for work that is clearly defined/specific tasks; i.e. bookkeeper, accountant, file clerk

Purpose of Test

The basic purpose of the Kuder General Interest Inventory is to stimulate career exploration and suggest career possibilities through measuring

interests– to open options, rather than limit them.

Why measure interests? Why not just ask the student/client?

This is a common questions in guidance and counseling circles.

Darley and Hagenah (1955) concluded that claimed interests have

somewhat less permanence than measured interests. He found that claimed

interest emerge more from different causal factors(prestige, family pressure

aspiration levels) than do measured interests.

Development of Test

The Kuder General Interest Survey has evolved from a series of Kuder vocational inventories published over a period of 50 years.

1st Preference Record (with 7 scales) published in 1938-39 by the University of Chicago bookstore, after several years of research

2 additional scales were added shortly after, making a more simplified Form B (Versions BH and BM)

Kuder Preference Record-Vocational (Form C, H=hand scored) was developed from 1943-1948, adding a tenth scale to measure outdoor interests and introducing the Verification (V) scale.

Form C continued to be revised from 1956-1959 to develop Form D, an occupational interest inventory for younger persons

Various revisions were made post-1960 in order to make the test more reliable, with a goal to have the final Form E test maintain correlation with Form C

•CTB/McGraw-Hill develops Form DD/PC in 1983 so that the Vocational scales of the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey can be run on a desktop computer

•A machine scored edition of the Survey was introduced with 1988 norms

Methods used in test development:Form A-Experimental interest blanks of 40 items with 5 descriptions were given to 500 Ohio State University students, yielding 400 preferences. Internally consistencies were selected for core items and there was an attempt to balance positive and negative correlations, resulting in some scales being dropped. 7 scales were developed.

Form B-Given to same college students who had filled out the first record so results could be correlated. 2 additional scales were added, and all scales were revised to construct higher reliability. More items were included, but the test was revised so there would be no increase in time required to fill out the form.

Form C-An exploratory study was conducted, and a reliable scale was developed to measure Outdoor interests. A Verification scale of responses that almost everyone selects was developed by a hypothesis-based rationale regarding how and why subjects answer the way they do, which was found to correlate to social desirability.

Form D-Modeled after the Strong Interest Inventory at that time, this version of Form C was scored for occupational groups.

Form E-Responses of younger people tend to be less reliable, so the construction of longer scales were necessary for this age group. Psychology graduate students wrote sets of easier items, and anything above 5 th grade difficulty were revised. Form C was given twice with 3 weeks between administrations to 227 7 th graders who marked words and phrases they found difficult. An experimental edition of 197 items was given twice (4 weeks between) to 2000 7th graders. Repeat reliabilities were obtained for 500 males and 500 females, and the SRA Reading-Ease Calculator was used to check the level of difficulty. Correlations between Form E and C were established by giving the tests to 81 males and 92 females in the 10 th grade.

Suggested Settings

The Kuder General Interest Inventory can be administered in a variety of settings, but it has been developed to be tied into a general schoolwide testing program and related to the identification of abilities or aptitudes in and the evaluation of achievement whenever possible.

Suggestions for individual or group test settings include, but are not limited to:

•Social Studies or

English classrooms

•Homerooms

•Study periods

•Guidance office

Client Populations

The Kuder General Interest Survey has applications at different educational levels. Although the Survey is fitted with a vocabulary at approximately the sixth-grade level, words that the student or counselee does not understand may be explained. Therefore, the test is suited for most academic and ability levels, including the

Special Education and ESL populations in American schools today.

Upper elementary, middle or junior high applications-help decide what electives to take in junior high, determine what kind of high school curriculum to use, plan programs and activities around principal interest areas, explore new experiences that might lead to the discovery of new interests

High school applications-reexamine interests, plan future courses of study, see the relationships between interests and part-time/summer jobs, relate preferences to extracurricular activities, make a tentative vocational choice, outline general post-secondary academic objectives

College/adult applications-choose among courses that are likely to be appealing, plan for a major field of study, identify and prepare for occupations, undercover newly-developed areas of interest and match interest areas with specific careers, consider interest areas that suggest career changes with good potential, discover prospects for new leisure time activities

Standardization Sample/Norms

The machine-scored version of the survey was administered to a sample of students in grades 6 through 12 in schools across the country for approximately one year

(Spring 1986 – Spring 1987).

Description of the sample

A total of 13,007 students in 76 elementary, middle, junior and senior schools from 45 citiesin 18 states participated during the one year period.

Breakdown of sample by gender and age:• Grades 6-8: 2714 males and 3180 females• Grades 9-12: 3402 males and 3711 females

Breakdown of geographical areas: • North/Northwest – 22% of students• Midwest – 32%• South/Southeast – 12%• West/Southwest – 34%

Note: A provision for separate norms for each sex is intended to minimize whatever sexual bias attaches to the assessment of interests by this instrument.Although updated norms have been developed for the KGIS, the core of the Survey remain unchanged in content and scoring method.

Standardization Sample/Norms

Distribution of V Scores

This graph shows the distribution of V scores by grade level for males and females respectively.

Males tend to have a wider range of V scores than females. Students in grades 6 to 8 have a wider range than those is grades 9 to 12.

These findings are similar to the ones found by the 1963 standardization sample.

Relevant Psychometrics

Means and Standard Deviations

For scores in the 10 interest areas for each sex from 1987 contrasted with 1963 vary from almost negligible (artistic) to substantial for areas that traditionally show great sex differences (mechanical, clerical, social service).

While there are small differences between the mean scores on the interest areas for the two grade groups, the overall levels are remarkably stable as the students mature.

Relevant Psychometrics

Scale Intercorrelations

Scale correlations for Grades 6-8 and 9-12 range from a -.50 (Literary with Mechanical for senior high males) to a +.31 (Outdoor with Mechanical for the same group)

Where the coefficients are sizable, they tend to be for pairs of scales that one would expect to be related, as the associations of Mechanical and Outdoor or Clerical and Computational, or unrelated such as the association of Mechanical and Literary.

Relevant Psychometrics

Reliabilities

Test-retest reliabilities of the scale scores were obtained from samples of junior and senior high students, retested, on average, within a 2 week period. Correlations (primarily in the 70s and 80s) are higher for senior high than junior high students. The lowest test-retest correlations in the junior high sample tend to be those for scales for which the interest areas are opposite the stereotypical interest areas for the respective sexes (i.e. males least reliable in literary and clerical interests, females in the mechanical area).

Reliabilities are not given for the Verification score because this scale was developed for the purpose of discriminating between homogeneous groups, rather than for differentiating within groups on strengths of interests.

Relevant Psychometrics

Studies of Validity

R.F. Mooney (1969) used the Survey to discriminate between the vocational preferences of 1114 high school females. He found that the analysis of variance applied to the 10 scales gave significantly different interest patterns among the 8 classes of vocational preference, irrespective of grade level.

M.H. Shann (1972) lead a similar statistical undertaking with high school boys. It was his attempt to discriminate between seven groups of vocational males, classified according to the trade for which they were studying. Shann was unable to discriminate between the groups within their interest scales, suggesting that the criterion groups were probably confounded by the heavy content of mechanical interests in all of them.

In another study (1982) of the congruent validity of the Survey with the California Occupational Interest System, 87 male and 90 female 8th graders were tested with both inventories. 89% of the sample found at least one of their top three interest areas congruent on the two measures, and 25% would be directed to the same top three interest areas for further exploration.

126 males and females from the standardization sample (1987) were also administered Holland’s Vocational Preference Inventory. Results are generally consistent with Holland’s 1970 report of the relationship of his inventory with the Kuder Form C.

Scoring the Test

The Kuder General Interest Survey can be scored using...• It may be hand scored with pin-punch responses.• It may be submitted to for mail-back scoring to the publisher.• A newer scoring option permits users to scan answer sheets locally • If the survey is taken on a computer, results are calculated locally

Calculating/Reporting Scores

Two versions of reports come from the KGIS depending on which scoring option is

elected.

Hand Scoring – Users plot their scores on a profile that converts raw scores to

percentiles for the appropriate sex and age range. A two page explanatory leaflet

accompanies the profile. This describes the scales and gives instructions on how to

use the results.

Scoring the Test

Calculating/Reporting Scores (continued)

Local and mail-back scoring – produces a narrative report composed of three

individualized sections that include some preprinted interpretive remarks.

The first section of the report gives messages that in response to the V score of

number of unmarked triads. This tells the client about the confidence which can be

placed on the test.

The second section ranks and orders the ten vocational interest scales according to

their percentile scores for both male and female norms. A computer developed

graph displays in which category of interest (high, average, low) the responders fall.

Uses of Test Scores

Test scores provide information for clients or students about their college major, career

and occupational interests. The reports provide a guide for clients or students in the

following areas:

Upper elementary, middle or junior high school – helps them decide on middle

and high school classes, helps them define graduation track, aids them in deciding

on extra-curricular activities

High School Students – many high school students may have examine their

interests before and this provides a chance for them to consider interests again, help

them explore after high school plans: post secondary education (four year or two

year), area of study, career, occupation, other types of training

College Students/Adults – uncovers newly developed interest areas, helps solidify choices in

majors or areas of study, helps adults identify careers the will be satisfying for them, helps

adults make decisions regarding career changes, provides new options for hobbies

Uses of Test Scores

High interest areas identified on the Kuder General Interest Survey may be converted in to RIASEC codes.

Holland indicated which of the Kuder scales he considered equivalent to his six

personality types. The following table may be used to convert Kuder percentile

ranks to RIASEC codes.

R (Realistic) – The sum of Outdoor and Mechanical percentiles divided by two

I (Investigative) – The Scientific percentile

A (Artistic) – The sum of Artistic, Musical and Literacy percentiles divided by three

S (Social) – The Social Service percentile

E (Enterprising) – The Persuasive percentile

C (Conventional) – The sum of the Computational and Clerical percentiles devided

by two

Qualification to Administer Test

There are no specific qualifications that must be met in order to administer the survey. It is, however, written at a sixth grade reading level.

Classroom Teachers - Teachers might use the survey to gage interests of students in their

class. A teacher may administer the test to an entire class and help interpret feedback

individually. It also helps teachers have an idea of what careers to focus on studying

depending on majority interests of students.

Counselor – Counselors may use this survey with individual clients. The survey might be

used as a tool with clients who are unsure of school or career choices. The survey may help

counselor highlight specific programs for students or clients based on interests.

Parent - helps guide parents and students through successful middle/high school transitions

and prepares students for a successful post-high school transition. Having an education and

career plan in place can improve education and career satisfaction

Employers – The survey can be used to find better job satisfaction for employees. If a company is

downsizing, the survey can be used to help displaced workers find new, satisfactory positions.

Use as a Counseling Tool

THEN…

Authoritarian counselor, passive counselee:

The counselor must ascertain…evidence (of) the individual’s abilities, experience, and presumed capacity to forge ahead. He should proceed to draw the student out as to his own

plans. Those that are in harmony with the counselor’s conclusions can be utilized to direct the student in the right direction

—Edward K. Strong, Jr. (1943)

NOW…

Cooperative efforts of counselor and counselee:

Valid interest inventories should be used to stimulate discussion of occupational exploration and information gathering. In the last two additions, the Kuder Occupational Interest explanatory leaflet accompanies the narrative score report. Counselors can then add additional worksheets or reference materials. Although professional guidance is encouraged and is helpful during the post-test reporting period, the student or counselee is now much less dependent on direct counselor intervention than in the past.

Moving from Vocational Interests to Career Exploration:

•High interest areas can be translated to RIASEC Holland codes (1970) to figure estimates for male or female norms.

•Sources that make use of Holland codes, such as Occupational Finder or Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes, or SRA’s Job and College Major Charts, the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), or the Guide for Occupational Exploration (GOE), which are all publications of the U.S. Department of Labor, can then be consulted

•The Journal of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), a division of the American Association for Counseling and Development, regularly rates occupational briefs and publications; counselors can keep themselves informed and updated and ensure that they are following national standards for career counseling by reading Career Development Quarterly

•National Career Assessment Services, Inc. have projected the KGIS into the 21st Century with an expanded Kuder Career Planning system which includes an English or Spanish Occupational Survey, Career Search with Person Match, Skills Assessment, Super’s Work Values Inventory, and a “free” Electronic Career Portfolio; administrators and counselors can also use the system for data analysis and storage

Test Strengths

The Kuder General Interest Survey is a practical tool for students and adults to use when exploring interests related to classes, college choices and careers.

The test can be self-administered and the results are fairly easy to interpret.

The test provides concrete feedback for partisans in forms and print-outs.

KGIS scores can be converted to RIASEC codes for additional interpretation.

Zytowski (1992) found that the constants in Kuder’s 60-year history have been the activity

preference item type, forced-choice response format, high standards of reliability and scale

independence, and the test has demonstrated discriminate and predictive validity.

Technologically, the inventories have evolved from hand, to machine, to on-site scanning

and computer-based scoring. Paper versions, computer disk version and online versions are

available to users (Zytowski, 1992).

Test WeaknessesThe test should not be used alone as a sole basis for academic or career choices, as it is only intended to be used as a part of a comprehensive exploration program that will provide students and counselees with a foundation for making the many varied important decisions that compose careers at appropriate points in their lives, and does not reflect aptitude or ability in career areas.

Hidden variables affecting test effectiveness and/or results could involve the following issues:

•R.E. Lampe (1985) found significant counting errors on all 10 interest scales as well as on the V scores and sizable errors in the raw score when the scores of 306 8th grade students were computed and profiled by the students themselves. Lampe concluded that the Survey should be administered by a trained and knowledgeable professional who can make sure that students are responding correctly and have ample time, and that students should also receive professional guidance when interpreting test results.

•When testing groups who differ from the dominant sociocultural dimensions of the norm group, local norms should be developed and used in addition to national norms. For example, the Survey was not appropriate when given to Native Americans (Epperson and Hammond, 1981). Out of 66 male and 68 female participants, nearly 20% earned unacceptable V scores, and in the cases of those who earned acceptable V scores, there were significant differences (esp. with female scores) on 6 of the 10 interest scales between the Native American means and the norm group means.

•Social status and intelligence of fathers has been shown to influence the results of the KGIS. Students who come from families who are in a more favored socioeconomic status, they are in a better position to develop artistic or literary interests because of greater opportunity to become acquainted with and participate in such activities. Conversely, students with a less favored social status are not as likely to develop such interests. Therefore, test results might only reflect identification with various occupational levels and statuses and are not necessarily true vocational interests (Hyman 1956).

Recommendations

As is the case with many counseling tools, the Kuder General Interest Survey should be used in cooperation with other strategies. It is also important to have accurate

interoperation of the scores. The Kuder General Interest Survey suggests utilizing supplementary experiences when a person’s pattern of interests seems to conflict

with other relevant information about him or her.

Example:

A male might show high scores on both the mechanical and the social service scales. In such

a case, it would probably be a mistake to try to decide from the survey scores that one or the

other interests predominates. Instead, a counselor would be best advised to suggest ways that

the person could gain more experience with both areas.

Accurate interpretation of scores is crucial on the part of the counselor in this situation. It is

also important that the client be encouraged to take part in experiences related to both interest

areas. A conversation between the client and counselor should take place so that a true

understanding of results can be found.

Availability of Instrument

What…

The KGIS can be purchased in paper or electronic disc form, or can be taken online.

How…

The KGIS is usually sold in bundles of 25 tests at around $20 per test. The test can also be taken online for a fee of $19.95. Many school corporations opt to purchase an annual site license (cost varies).

Where…

Individuals (students, parents, etc.), schools or businesses can obtain the test from:

National Career Assessment Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 277

Adel, Iowa 50003

Tel: 800.314.8972 Fax: 515.993.5422

Web site: www.kuder.com Email: ncasi@ncasi.com

References:

Epperson, D.L. & Hammond, D. (1981). Use of interest inventories with Native Americans: A case for local norms. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28. 213-220.

Darley, J.G., & Hagenah, T. (1995). Vocational Interest Measurement. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Holland, J.L. (1970). Manual, The Vocational Preference Inventory, 3rd Ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Hyman, B. (1956). The relationship of social status and vocational interests. Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 3 No. 1.

Kuder Career Planning System. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2008, from National Career Assessment Services, Inc. Web site: http://www.kuder.com

Kuder, Frederic. (1975, 1988) General Manual, Kuder General Interest Survey. Chicago: Science Research Associates, Inc.

Lampe, R.E. (1985). Self-scoring accuracy of the Kuder General Interest Survey. The School Counselor, 2, 319-324.

Mooney, R.F. (1969). Categorizing high school girls into occupational preference groups on the basis of discriminant-function analysis of interests. Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance, 12, 270-278.

Shann, M.H. (1972). The interest dimension as a determinant of career choice of vocational high school boys. Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance, 4, 197-205.

Strong, Edward K., Jr. (1943). Vocational Interests of Men and Women. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Zytowski, D. (1992). Three Generations: The continuing evolution of Frederic Kuder’s interest inventories . Journal of Counseling & Development, 71, 245-248.