Three counseling treatments were compared in terms of differential effects as employed in a college counseling center with clientele seeking vocational counseling assistance. The differential costs of providing the treatments were examined. Low delivery cost and comparable effectiveness support the self-administrable treatment modes as additional…

Suggests counselors measure vocational interests with three inventories: Ramak Interest Inventory, Courses Interest Inventory, and Self-Directed Search. Discusses implications from studies on vocational congruence, environmental congruence, structure of occupational fields, and within-occupation congruence. Presents five defense mechanisms for…

Compares impact of the Vocational Exploration and Insight Kit (VEIK) with the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and the Vocational Card Sort (VCS). Results indicate the SDS, VCS, and VEIK have small and similar effects on women's vocational behavior. Findings support counselor-free techniques as appropriate and inexpensive methods of career exploration.…

Proposes a measure to evaluate the agreement between Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) and occupational preference with students (N=42) seeking vocational guidance. Results showed that the proposed index of agreement is applicable to the SDS and to any situation where ranked (ordinal) data is partially recorded. (LLL)

This comparative study examined the degree of similarity between the results of the Self-Directed Search and an online career assessment. Implications for career counselors, based on the results, are briefly discussed.

The impact of an occupational card sort, the Occu-Sort (O-S), on the thoughts and activities of rural, suburban, and urban junior/senior high school students was assessed to determine the sex bias/fairness of that card sort as a career interest inventory, as well as the reliability and validity of the occupational code structure. Participants were…

This study compares effects on high school students (N=959) of the Self Directed Search (SDS), the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI), and no treatment. Students taking the SDS or the VPI evaluated the instruments, felt more satisfied with current occupational choices, and considered more occupational alternatives. Differences between the…

The purpose of this study was to provide test-retest reliability data for Holland's Self Directed Search for Educational and Vocational Planning (SDS). Sixty-five subjects were administered the SDS 7-10 months after they completed it during freshman orientation. Results indicated little change in summary codes obtained by subjects. Median…