THE STRONG VOCATIONAL INTEREST BLANK IN PREDICTING NROTC OFFICER RETENTION: PART I. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY.
Abstract
The majority of NROTC commissioned officers leave active duty soon after completing their obligated duty. The purpose of this research is to evaluate an interest scale, based on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB), for use in selecting those NROTC (Regular) applicants most likely to remain on active duty beyond the minimum obligated period. Considerable evidence has been accumulated indicating interest measures to have value in predicting persistence in an occupation. This general evidence, as well as preliminary data specific to naval officers, suggests that intensive research on the SVIB as a predictor of naval career choice would provide a promising approach to the problem of officer retention. Since 1964, the SVIB has been administered experimentally to various naval officer groups. Item analysis of high and low tenure officers yielded an empirical retention scale that was evaluated for validity, fakability, and reliability in the present study. When applied to cross-validation samples, the new scale was found to have relatively high validity. Reliability data indicated an acceptable level of score stability over eight and ten year intervals. Fakability was assessed and a scale for detecting dissimulation was constructed. It was concluded that while some examinees can increase their scores on the retention scale if under special instructions to do so, applicants, in fact, show little or no tendency to distort their scores. The continued use of the SVIB in officer selection is strongly indicated. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0666564
Entities
People
- Idell Neumann
- Norman M. Abrahams
- William H. Githens
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center