Overview
The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) is used to provide comprehensions into an individual's career interests, thus forming a basis for helping them discover potential career paths. With such insights, a person can identify professional tracks they may not have contemplated, thus giving them vital data on how to approach the world of employment. The test has attracted huge interest from researchers, especially concerning the motivations that different people have in the workplace (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d.). It has been proven to provide applicable and authoritative results that can enhance students' success.
Test Publisher Information
The SII is published by Myers-Briggs Company, an international provider of people development solutions for individuals, businesses, and educational institutions. Myers-Briggs Company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. The company has branches in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, and Singapore in conjunction with an international host network of partners working in other countries across the globe. Myers-Briggs is a Certified B Corporation that aims at making a positive impact through its people development solutions. The company's story began over half a century ago when Dr. John Davies Black and Dr. Harrison Gough joined forces under the banner of a shared vision of using research-based psychological tests to guide people in developing their personal and professional profiles (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d.). Today, the company is under the leadership of Jeffrey Hayes, who serves both as the President and the Chief Executive officer (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d.). Under his leadership, Hayes has continued to expand the realms of research on the tools associated with the company and especially the SII tool.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Requirements for Purchasing the Test from The Publisher
For a professional to use the SII assessment, they must undertake the Strong Interest Inventory® certification that gives one leverage to provide their client, students, or employees with vibrant career guidance. Fundamentally, the certification is important; it equips career counselors with tools to assist students in choosing a major, explore different career paths, and select enriching extracurricular activities. The certifications can be used as an additional tool for aiding people with professional development, engagement, transition, and retention (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d.). The above notwithstanding, the certification is ideal for adults transitioning to retirement, especially by equipping them with insights that they can leverage to explore possibilities associated with leisure pursuit or volunteer opportunities.
Cost of the Test
The SII test is divided into four categories, each with its own price and associated discount. All four categories have a limit of 1-99 beneficiaries. The first category is the Strong Inventory and Skills Confidence Inventory Profile Administration ®, which costs $13.25. The second package is the Strong Interest Inventory and Skills Confidence Inventory with Strong Interpretive Report, which cost about $20.25 each. Third, the Strong Interest Inventory College and Skills Confidence Inventory Profile Administration costs around $13.25. The last category is the Strong Inventory College and Skills Confidence Inventory Profile Plus Strong Interpretive Report Administration which costs about $20.25 ( Betz et al., n.d. ). All these packages are meant to assess how one’s self-assurance may be influencing their choices.
Test Administrator/User Qualifications
Similar to the requirements of purchasing the SII test, for one to administer this test, they must be a trained and certified practitioner. This is because the SII is a level B instrument that requires that each specialist holistically comprehends the most ethical way to dispense the assessment, including interpreting and applying the results ( Nowak, 2017 ). However, if one is a new user, they are required to have completed a licensing program or have a degree in psychology or any other related discipline and have acceptably finished their graduate coursework in the reading of psychological tests and measurement at a recognized university (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d). With this requirement, the client can reap maximum benefits from the outcome of the test.
Time to Administer
The SII assessment is administered to a person 15 years and above. The entire test comprises 351 items and takes between 40 and 50 minutes to administer. The reading level of the results is 9 th grade and above ( Betz et al., n.d. ).
Review of Standardization Sample/Norming Process
Due to the sensitivity of the SII assessment and its four categories, it undergoes a regular norming process to help job seekers compare their results with that of the general population. The present norm sample for the test comprises 2250 individuals that 50 percent women and 50 percent men. The sample is called the General Representative Sample (GRS) and is normally demonstrative of the ethnic makeup of the US labor force. According to (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d), just like the test, the norming sample has four subcategories which include General Occupational Themes (GOTs), Basic Interest Scales (Biss), Personal Style Scales (PSSs), and Occupational Scales (OS). Kantamneni and Fouad (2011) note that although the current norming sample serves its purpose excellently, there is a need to expand the sample size to completely reflect the ethnic outlook of the US. The implication of this to professionals who administer the test is that counselors need to understand the structuring of the different ethnic groups.
Review of Reliability and Validity
There have been extensive studies that show that the SII test is reliable and valid. First, studies in 1996 and 2002 showed that GOTs could predict work-related variables. Second, research established that Biss could correctly differentiate occupations. Third, the validity of PSSs has been proved through studies that show their association with the Skills Confidence Inventory. Last, the cogency of the OSs has been confirmed in several studies that show their capacity to forecast professions that individuals will ultimately enter ( The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d ). Through these tests of reliability and validity, one can argue that the SII is a recommendable test for individuals and organizations.
Limitations of the test
One of the most notable limitations of the SII test concerns the ethnic sameness of the samples used. Previous studies have shown that the majority of participants were Whites college students ( Miller, 2010 ). Second, the SII requires that a person have an eighth reading level and fluency in English. Third, the test is not appropriate for individuals below 13 years and cannot be administered until one is 16 years (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d)
Ethical/Legal Considerations
The most significant ethical and legal consideration concerns the handling of clients’ data. The company provides direction on how data should be managed. For instance, a person administrating the different questionnaires should follow the proper scoring and interpretation instruction that accompanies the test. Second, respondents must be told how long results will be kept on the file and indicate who has the right to access the data and under what circumstances they can access the data (The Myers-Briggs Company, n.d.). It is unethical and can lead to a legal case if another person accesses a respondent's data. Related to this, a person administering this test must follow all applicable laws that are associated with data protection.
References
Betz, N., Borgen, F., & Harmon, L. (n.d.). Strong Interest Inventory | The Myers-Briggs Company . Shop.themyersbriggs.com. Retrieved 18 June 2021, from https://shop.themyersbriggs.com/en/strongproducts.aspx?pc=154 .
Miller, S. M. (2010). The validity of the Strong Interest Inventory in predicting college major choice and academic achievement.
Nowak, K. (2017). Mental Measurements Yearbook. The Charleston Advisor , 19 (2), 35-38.
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Leadership. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Company/Leadership
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Requirements for administering assessments . https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Support/purchase-requirements
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Strong-Certification. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Get-Certified/Strong-Certification
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Validity of the Strong Interest Inventory® Instrument. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Support/Validity-of-the-Strong-Interest-Inventory
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Company overview. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Company/Overview
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Guidelines for Ethical Use of Assessments and Questionnaires. https://eu.themyersbriggs.com/en/About/Terms-of-Business/Guidelines-for-Ethical-Use-of-Tests-and-Questionnaires
The Myers-Briggs Company. (n.d.). Strong Interest Inventory®: A career assessment that delivers insight and direction. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Strong
