The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory

The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory A Profile Interpretation for Rehabilitation Counselors Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin Volume 51 Number 2 January 2008 76-84 2008 Hammill Institute on Disabilities 10.1177/0034355207311342 http:/ircb.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com Stephen J. Leierer University of Memphis, Tennessee Terry L. Blackwell Montana State University-Billings Douglas C. Strohmer University of Memphis, Tennessee Richard C. Thompson Consulting Psychology Press, Inc., Palo Alto, Califonzia David A. C. Donnay MDA Leadership Consulting, Minneapolis, Minnesota Using aggregate scores from 281 female and 133 male rehabilitation counselors, the researchers developed prototypical Strong Interest Inventoiy (SIl) profiles. They used these profiles to explore the interests, preferences, and professional identity of rehabilitation counselors. Using the General Occupational Themes (GOTs), Basic Interest Scales (BISs), Occupational Scales (OSs), and Personal Style Scales (PSSs), which make up the newly revised SIl, the authors obtained empirically defined prototypical profiles for female and male rehabilitation counselors. The Social-Artistic Holland-code dyad was a reoccurring theme across the each profile. Although there are differences in each of the SII scales across genders, the authors found congruence not only within the scales of a particular gender but also across genders. Consistencies and inconsistencies among the GOTs, BISs, OSs, and PSSs are discussed. Implications for counselor recruitment and practice are also discussed. Keywords: career assessment; vocational assessment; rehabilitation counselors professional issues n a review of various occupations, U.S. News & World Report (1998) noted, The demand for (rehabilitation) counselors already exceeds the supply by at least 25 percent, and the number of people needing rehabilitation services will rise as advances in medical technology save more lives. Legislation requiring equal-employment rights for persons with disabilities also will spur demand for counselors. (p. 57) Despite this long-term and ever-increasing demand, no systematic research has examined the interest patterns that are predictive of success and satisfaction as a rehabilitation counselor (Janes & Emener, 1986; Matkin & Bauer, 1993; Patterson, 1962; Rubin & Roessler, 2001). Given the lack of information on this topic, we used the research reported by Leierer, Strohmer, Blackwell, Thompson, and Donnay (2008 [this issue]) to further examine the prototypical interests and preferences of male and female rehabilitation counselors based on the newly revised Strong Interest Inventory (SiH; 2004). The SiH has a long and venerable history, beginning with the work of E. K. Strong Jr. and the publication of his first formal assessment inventory in 1927 (Donnay, Morris, Schaubhut, & Thompson, 2004). Since that time, the SIH has been regularly updated and continues to be one of the most scientifically sound, thoroughly researched, and widely used interest inventories. The strength of the SIH lies in the variety of data generated in the interpretative report. These data are useful in counseling and provide Authors' Note: The authors would like to acknowledge the work of Nancy Schaubhut and Michael Morris, and the entire SII research team at CPP, for allowing us to participate in the renorming of the SIL. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the assistance of our graduate students at LSU Health Sciences Center, Kacie Kelly, Tiffany Jenkins, Kathryn Burton, Eva Belcas, and Jennifer Koenig. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Stephen J. Leierer, College of Education, 100 Ball Hall, University of Memphis. Memphis, TN, 38152; e-mail: sleierer@memphis.edu. 76

Leierer / The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory 77 information that is usually not found with other interest inventories (Osborn & Zunker, 2006). There are 291 items on the newly revised SII. For each of the items, the respondent is asked to indicate his or her preferences from among five response categories on an answer sheet. The answers are then analyzed by computer (the SII cannot be scored by hand) to derive scores on measures of interest type, called scales. The results are printed on a report called a profile, which presents the scale scores in an organized format and offers interpretive information. Comparing the individual's pattern of responses to the patterns of responses of a general representative sample of people of different types and in different occupations, the Si then gives the respondent five main types of information: 1. scores on 6 General Occupational Themes (GOTs), which reflect the respondent's overall orientation to work based on Holland's theory of types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional); 2. scores on 30 Basic Interest Scales (BISs), which report consistency of interests or disinterests in 30 specific areas, such as art, science, teaching, and education; 3. scores on 244 Occupational Scales (OSs; 122 for each gender), which indicate the degree of similarity between the respondent's interests and the characteristic interests of people working in those occupations; 4. scores on five Personal Style Scales (PSSs), which measure aspects of style with which an individual likes to learn, work, assume leadership, take risks, and work within teams; and 5. summary of item responses to help identify inconsistent or unusual profiles for special attention (Dormay et al., 2004, p. 2). The purposes of this article are to present the SI profiles for the prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselor (see Note 1), based on an accompanying study by Leierer et al. (2008), and to use the profiles to interpret the interests and preferences of rehabilitation counselors. This article assumes that the reader has a working knowledge of the SIl and Holland's theory of types. Furthermore, critique of the newly revised SII is beyond the scope of this article, but it is provided in the test review by Case and Blackwell (2008 [this issue]). Administrative Indices Profile Interpretation The first step in S1 profile interpretation is to determine if there are any unusual response patterns present prior to providing an interpretation of the results. The Response Summary for prototypical rehabilitation counselors (see Table 1) on the profile provides a summary of the percentage of responses made in each section of the inventory using the five possible response options. By examining the individual's response percentages for each section of the test, as well as for the entire test, the counselor can begin to develop insight into the individual's approach to the assessment and general disposition regarding the areas covered in the various sections of the 81. The counselor can then begin to develop direction for the interpretation conversation with the individual (Donnay et al., 2004). The next step looks at the Total Responses Index of the profile, which is summarized with three numeric values under the summary table. The first value is the "total possible responses," which will always be 291 as there are 291 items on the newly revised SII. "Your response total" is the second value and shows the number of items to which the individual responded on the inventory. The difference between the two values is shown in "items omitted." If more than 15 items on the SII are omitted, a profile will not be generated. Finally, the Typicality Index provides the user with a numerical value index for how consistent or inconsistent the individual was in terms of an overall pattern of responses. Scores between 17 and 24 suggest a combination of item responses that "appears consistent." Although a Typicality score below 17 results in a report that the combination of item responses "appears inconsistent," this report does not necessarily indicate an invalid profile. In some cases, it may be a reflection of the individual's idiosyncratic interest pattern that warrants further discussion with the respondent. It is interesting to note some similarities and differences between the response patterns of the prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselor. Both groups endorsed at least 50% of the items on the SII as like or strongly like. Although men and women generally had consistent item responses, there is a significant difference, X2(20, N = 414) = 19.24, p =.001, in the distribution of the item responses. That is, women had a greater percentage of strongly dislike marked than men did (33% vs. 11%). This difference was also seen in the indifferent response category; women had a smaller percentage of items marked as indifferent as compared to their male counterparts (9% vs. 23%). It is also interesting to note that the prototypical female counselor indicated a strong dislike for 51% of the occupations listed in the profile, perhaps suggesting a very clear set of preferences concerning occupations. The difference in response patterns may explain why the women's scores on the GOT, BIS, and OSS are more differentiated

78 Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin Table 1 Administrative Indexes-Response Summary Item Response Percentages Section Title Strongly Like Like Indifferent Dislike Strongly Dislike Female rehabilitation counselor Occupations 4 31 7 7 51 Subject areas 2 52 17 4 24 Activities 5 54 8 7 26 Leisure activities 11 54 4 11 21 People 0 69 19 13 0 Characteristics 11 67 0 11 11 Total percentage 4 46 9 8 33 Male rehabilitation counselor Occupations 4 33 19 23 21 Subject areas 2 57 26 7 9 Activities 0 64 24 8 5 Leisure activities 4 54 32 7 4 People 0 56 38 6 0 Characteristics 0 89 11 0 0 Total percentage 2 51 23 13 11 Source: Reproduced by permission from the Strong Interest Invento3,'y Profile of the Strong Interest Inventoiy' Copyright 1933, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1981, 1985, 1994, 2004 by Consulting Psychology Press, Inc. Note: Total possible responses: 291;Your response total: 291; Items omitted: 0; Typicality index: 23. Due to rounding, total percentage may not add up to 100%. (i.e., distinctness of their work personality profile) than the men's scores are. Because the indices are all in the acceptable range, the user may now go to the profile summary to find a list of the prototypical rehabilitation counselor's GOTs, BISs, and OSs elevations and the preferred personal styles (see Table 2). General Occupational Themes Interpreting the SiH profile begins by looking at the individual's GOT scores. The GOTs address the question, "What do you like?" In other words, these themes not only define work interests, but also motivations and particular skill areas. These themes, based on Holland's theory of types, were added to an earlier version of the Si1 to give a theoretical component to what had been primarily a strictly empirically based test. Each of these scales has a standard score mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. When interpreting the GOTs, the user should focus on the individual's general interests and then use this information as a bridge to the world of work (see Table 3). According to Prince and Heiser (2000), "Scores that differ by only three or four [t score] points should be considered essentially equivalent" (p. 39). As there is always some degree of error in the measurement, it is important not to infer meaningful distinctions when the difference is only a few points. Because the GOTs are "reported in terms of Holland codes, they should be interpreted in the context of that theory" (Osborn & Zunker, 2006, p. 85). The basic idea is that individuals will be most satisfied with work environments that match their work personality (Dawis, 2002; Holland, 1987, 1992; Lofquist & Dawis, 1991). The GOT scores for the prototypical female rehabilitation counselor reveal a three-letter pattern of Social, Artistic, and Enterprising (SAE). The GOT elevations would suggest underlying career motivators that include helping others while at the same time allowing for expression of creativity along with persuading and influencing. For the prototypical male rehabilitation counselor, the three-letter GOT is somewhat different. In this case, the GOT scores are elevated on the Social, Artistic, and Realistic (SAR) themes. Although this would suggest career motivators of cooperation, service to others, and the ability to express independence and imagination, the prototypical male rehabilitation counselor also evidences a need for work settings that recognize tradition, practicality, and the use of commonsense approaches to problem solving. Both profiles draw heavily on people skills, verbal abilities, and the ability to listen and understand; and both profiles suggest the importance of work settings that allow for the expression of creativity.

Leierer / The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory 79 Female Table 2 Strong Rehabilitation Counselor Profile Summary Male HIGHEST THEMES Social, Artistic, Enterprising (SAE) TOP FIVE INTEREST AREAS 1. Counseling & Helping (S) 2. Teaching & Education (S) 3. Human Resources & Training (S) 4. Visual Arts & Design (A) 5. Social Sciences (S) AREAS OF LEAST INTEREST Mathematics (I) Computer Hardware & Electronics (R) Taxes & Accounting (C) TOP TEN STRONG OCCUPATIONS 1. Speech Pathologist (SA) 2. Rehabilitation Counselor (SAI) 3. Social Worker (SA) 4. Photographer (ARE) 5. Special Education Teacher (SE) 6. Foreign Language Teacher (SAE) 7. College Instructor (SA) 8. Corporate Trainer (AES) 9. Psychologist (IA) 10. Registered Nurse (SI) OCCUPATIONS OF DISSIMILAR INTEREST Physicist (IRA) Mathematician (IRC) Chemist (IR) R&D Manager (IR) Actuary (CI) PERSONAL STYLE SCALE PREFERENCES 1. Likely to prefer working with people 2. Seem to prefer to learn through lectures and books 3. Probably are comfortable both leading by example and taking charge 4. May dislike taking risks 5. Probably enjoy both team roles and independent roles Social, Artistic, Realistic (SAR) 1. Counseling & Helping (S) 2. Social Sciences (S) 3. Law (E) 4. Human Resources & Training (S) 5. Nature & Agriculture (R) Office Management (C) Taxes & Accounting (C) Military (R) 1. Rehabilitation Counselor (SAI) 2. Urban & Regional Planner (Al) 3. Corporate Trainer (AES) 4. Special Education Teacher (SEA) 5. English Teacher (ASE) 6. Paralegal (CA) 7. School Counselor (SE) 8. Nursing Home Administrator (CES) 9. Human Resources Manager (ES) 10. Psychologist (IA) R&D Manager (IRC) Actuary (CI) Mathematics Teacher (CIS) Computer Scientist (ICR) Carpenter (REA) 1. Likely to prefer a balance of working alone and working with people 2. Seem to prefer to learn through lectures and books 3. Probably prefer to lead by taking charge 4. May like taking risks 5. Probably enjoy both team roles and independent roles Source: Reproduced by permission from the Strong Interest Inventory Profile of the Strong Interest Inventory Copyright 1933, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1981, 1985, 1994, 2004 by Consulting Psychology Press, Inc. According to the SIl manual, when examining the respondents' scores on the GOTs, "It may be helpful to emphasize only those Themes on which they scored high or very high" (Donnay et al., 2004, p. 168). In that case, only two letters elevate in the high range on the prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselor profiles, indicating an SA two-letter pattern for both genders. From this perspective, it seems that the work personality and preferred work environments for male and female rehabilitation counselors are very similar. It may be that the R theme evidenced by male rehabilitation counselors is more a reflection of their avocational interests than of their preferred work environments. A mention of those themes in which the respondents showed little or very little interest may also be warranted at this time. For the prototypical female rehabilitation counselor profile, little interest is evidenced on the Conventional (C) and Realistic (R) themes. For the male rehabilitation counselor profile, little interest is evidenced on the Conventional theme. (This pattern is typical of men and women in general as well.) Overall, it seems that both male and female rehabilitation counselors prefer work environments that allow social and artistic activities and duties and would tend not to enjoy work environments that have heavy loads of data management and record keeping.

80 Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin Table 3 General Occupational Theme Descriptions Theme Code Interests Work Activities Potential Skills Values Realistic R Machines, computer Operating equipment, using Mechanical ingenuity Tradition, practicality, networks, athletics, tools, building, repairing, and dexterity, physical common sense working outdoors providing security coordination Investigative I Science, medicine. Performing lab work, Mathematical ability, Independence, mathematics, solving abstract problems, researching, writing, curiosity, research conducting research analyzing learning Artistic A Self-expression, art Composing music, Creativity, musical Beauty, originality, appreciation, performing, writing, ability, artistic independence, communication, creating visual art expression imagination culture Social S People, teamwork, Teaching, caring for People skills, verbal Cooperation, helping, community people, counseling, ability, listening, showing generosity, service service training employees understanding to others Enterprising E Business, politics, Selling, managing, Verbal ability, Risk taking, status, leadership, persuading, ability to motivate competition, entrepreneurship marketing and direct others influence Conventional C Organization, data Setting up procedures and Ability to work with Accuracy, stability, management, accounting, systems, organizing, numbers, data analysis, efficiency investing, information keeping records, finances, attention systems developing computer to detail applications Source: Reproduced by permission from the Strong Interest Inentory' Profile of the Strong Interest Inventoryi Copyright @ 1933, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1981, 1985, 1994, 2004 by Consulting Psychology Press, Inc. Basic Interest Scales Whereas the "GOTs address the career issues of Who am I?, Why do I want to work?, and Where do I want to work?, the Basic Interest Scales (BIS) delve into the broader themes by beginning to answer the question What do I want to do?" (Gratter & Hammer, 2004, p. 13). The BISs help a test-taker organize and prioritize topics and activities that she or he likes and dislikes. The BISs reflect interests that cannot be identified only through work task and work environment but also through the respondent's general lifestyle-friends, family, home environment, volunteer activities, hobbies, and so forth (Prince & Heiser, 2000). Like the GOT scales, each of these scales has a standard score mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. The newly revised SIH now has 30 BISs. Although it is possible to have high interest in a particular Holland type as described by the GOTs and, at the same time, show little interest in the basic interest scales of that theme, the BIS findings for the prototypical rehabilitation counselor in this sample were consistent with the GOT results (see Table 2). The GOT letter elevations for the prototypical rehabilitation counselor are further defined by their high scores on the Counseling and Helping (S), Human Resources and Training (S), and Social Sciences (S) of the BISs for both genders on the SiH. In addition, the women showed interests in the areas of Teaching and Education (S) and Visual Arts and Design (A), whereas the men showed additional interests in Law (E) and Nature and Agriculture (R). Areas in which the female rehabilitation counselors show least interest were Mathematics (1), Computer Hardware and Electronics (R), and Taxes and Accounting (C). For the men the areas of least interest were Office Management (C), Taxes and Accounting (C), and Military (R). The male and female prototypical rehabilitation counselor both scored high on items that manifested their interest in helping others. The high interests evidenced on the male and female SiH profiles for the Social GOT and the Social BIS next lead to a discussion of the 122 OSs of the Profile. Occupational Scales Whereas the GOTs "provide information about general interest themes and the BISs about more specific activities, the Occupational Scales (OSs) provide information about how similar the respondents' likes and dislikes are to people working in 122 different occupations" (Grutter & Hammer, 2004, p. 14). The OSs were the original scales developed by E. K. Strong Jr. Unlike the GOTs and BISs,

Leierer / The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory 81 which have a standard score mean of 50, the OSs are interpreted differently. Generally, the more extreme the score, the stronger the inference that can be made about the similarity or dissimilarity of the individual's responses to a particular occupation comparison group. Scores of 40 or above on any particular occupational scale indicate the respondent has a pattern of likes and dislikes similar to individuals in that occupation and would suggest that the individual might find the occupation satisfying or rewarding. For example, if someone scored above 65 on the Rehabilitation Counselor Occupational Scale, she or he would have interest patterns very similar to rehabilitation counselors. On the other hand, scores below 30 indicate pattern of interests that are not shared by people on a particular OS and might suggest that the individual may find that particular occupation less satisfying and less rewarding. The 10 OSs most closely aligned with the interest of the prototypical female rehabilitation counselor (in order of similarity) are speech pathologist (SA), rehabilitation counselor (SAI), social worker (SA), photographer (ARE), special education teacher (SE), foreign language teacher (SAE), college instructor (SA), corporate trainer (AES), psychologist (IA), and registered nurse (SI). These scale elevations indicate that the prototypical female rehabilitation counselor has interest patterns similar to people who are satisfied with their employment in these occupations. Conversely, the five lowest OSs of the female rehabilitation counselor are physicist (IRA), mathematician (IRC), chemist (IR), R&D manager (IR), and actuary (CI). It would probably be safe to say that female rehabilitation counselors would tend to be dissatisfied and unfulfilled in these occupations. Occupations where the prototypical male rehabilitation counselor scored "Similar" are rehabilitation counselor (SAI), urban and regional planner (AT), corporate trainer (AES), special education teacher (SEA), English teacher (ASE), paralegal (CA), school counselor (SE), nursing home administrator (CES), human resources manager (ES), and psychologist (IA). "Dissimilar" occupations include R&D manager (IRC), actuary (CI), mathematics teacher (CIS), computer scientist (ICR), and carpenter (REA). It is interesting to note here that the top 10 occupational matches for male and female counselors had only three in common other than rehabilitation counselor: psychologist, special education teacher, and corporate trainer. Of these three, psychologist and special education teacher seem intuitively logical, but corporate trainer is less so. An examination of the description for corporate trainer in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006) offers a logical connection: "attracting the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are best suited" (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos021.htm). It is also interesting to note that male counselors were very similar to school counselors and paralegals, whereas females were very similar to social workers and speech pathologists. These differences suggest that although there are many similarities between the male and female rehabilitation counselors, some differences in interests exist as well. Personal Style Scales The PSSs were initially added to the 1994 Sil as a way of measuring an individual's preferences for and comfort with broad styles of living and working. The newly revised SiH added a new style scale, Team Orientation, to the existing Work Style, Learning Environment, Leadership Style, and Risk Taking scales (Donnay et al., 2004). Work style. Moving from the more specific OSs, the PSSs of the SI help the respondent to further define the "What do I want to do? and Where do I want to do it? content covered in the other scales" (Grutter & Hammer, 2004, pp. 15-16). In reviewing the Work Style scale preferences, some gender differences become evident. For the general representative sample, women's scores are closer to the "Works With People" anchor of the scale (M = 54), and men are closer to the "Works With Ideas/Data/Things" anchor of the scale (M = 46). Although both the female and male prototypical rehabilitation counselor profiles show a preference for working with people versus ideas, data, and things, this preference for interaction with people is more pronounced for the women (M = 66) than for the men (M = 54). Learning environment. In the general representative sample, there are no significant gender differences between men and women on the Learning Environment scale (women, M = 49.24; men, M= 50.76). Prototypical rehabilitation counselor profiles for both men and women show high score elevations on the Learning Environment scale (women, M = 68; men, M = 66), suggesting a preference for academic environments where information is primarily conveyed through lectures and reading opposed to the more practical, hands-on learning environments. As with the Work Style scale, prototypical rehabilitation counselors' Learning Environment scores fall in the direction suggested by their GOTs, which point toward the 'Academic" anchor on their profile interests. Test users need to keep in mind that this scale does not measure abilities but rather is a measure of interest in academic pursuits (Donnay et al., 2004).

82 Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin Leadership style. This scale indicates the leadership style that a respondent would prefer to assume when working with others. The Leadership Style scale on the Si1 elevates in the direction suggested by the prototypical rehabilitation counselor's PSSs for both women (M = 54) and men (M = 55), reflecting a slight preference style for directing, leading, and persuading others. Risk taking. The Risk Taking scale measures a respondent's general comfort with taking risks across a variety of circumstances. Interestingly, there is a significant discrepancy in the scores of the prototypical male rehabilitation counselor (M = 58) and the prototypical female rehabilitation counselor (M = 39). These findings tend to be consistent with the general representative sample, where men tend to be more spontaneous and independent and women tend to take a more cautious approach by reducing risks on the job. For men, this may reflect a stronger need for autonomy and independence in their work setting. Team orientation. The Team Orientation scale "distinguishes between people who like to work as part of a team and those who prefer to work independently" (Grutter & Hammer, 2004, p. 20). Both prototypical rehabilitation counselor profiles show a consistency in scores (women, M = 53; men, M = 53) reflecting a preference for providing independent contributions to the work setting while at the same time expressing a willingness to succeed in team settings as well. Individuals "with this style are likely to respond best to activity and incentives that recognize their individual accomplishments as well as achievement of team or organizational goals" (Donnay et al., 2004, p. 140). Comparison of the Male and Female Rehabilitation Counselor Prototypes This article has examined the prototypical interest profiles of male and female rehabilitation counselors. To understand these rehabilitation counselor prototypes, it may be useful to explore the similarities and differences in the male and female profiles. In this section, Holland's secondary constructs (i.e., differentiation, congruence, consistency, and commonness; Holland, 1992) will be used to facilitate these comparisons. Differentiation The concept of differentiation refers to the degree of separation within an individual's Holland RIASEC code types (Holland, 1992). The greater the separation among code types, the clearer and better defined the individuals interests are thought to be. Both prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselors have well-differentiated GOTs that closely resemble the Social-Artistic subtype. These highly differentiated profiles suggest that rehabilitation counselors who are satisfied with their jobs are very predictable with respect to their interests, values, and personalities. Interestingly, the female profile is more differentiated than the male profile. In other words, the difference in score between the lowest type, which is Realistic, and highest, which is Social, is 28 points for women. In comparison, the difference in score for men between the lowest type, which is Conventional, and highest, which is Social, is 19 points. This finding might suggest that female rehabilitation counselors in general are a more homogenous group than male rehabilitation counselors, at least in terms of interests. Congruence Holland's concept of congruence refers to the similarity between a person's work personality and his or her work environment (Holland, 1992). The prototypical subtype for both male and female rehabilitation counselors, Social-Artistic, appears reasonably congruent with the rehabilitation counseling work environment (although the Holland code for this work environment has not been empirically established). The congruence between individual interests and work environments affects the degree of continuity in occupational decisions, which in turn influences satisfaction on the job (Holland, 1992). The rehabilitation counselor prototypes reported here indicate congruence with their work environment, which in turn is likely to promote job satisfaction. Consistency Another aspect of Holland's theory is the construct of consistency, that is, the proximity of an individual's codes types on Holland's hexagon (Holland, 1992). Because the first two letters of the rehabilitation counselor Holland code, Social and Artistic, are adjacent on the RIASEC hexagon, their Holland codes would be considered highly consistent. A high level of consistency, such as in this case, is positively correlated with a stable work history and career path (Reardon & Lenz, 1998). Commonness Holland's theory includes the secondary construct of commonness (Holland, 1992). Commonness is the frequency with which a given code is observed in the population. Although there is an uneven frequency of various

Leierer / The Newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory 83 persons across the RIASEC types, the social occupations are very common. Reardon, Bullock, and Meyer (2005) found approximately 18 million people in the United States in social occupations. However, this type is far more common for women (24%) than for men (8%). Interestingly, this is the approximate ratio of men to women that was found in the current study, in which there was more than twice the number of women participating than men. In addition, this ratio is consistent with the student recruitment experience of the authors of this article. The low number of male social types nationally suggests that it will continue to be more difficult to attract men to rehabilitation counseling. Perhaps it would be possible to focus on other aspects of rehabilitation counseling, such as more entrepreneurial or realistic activities, to attract individuals with other interest patterns. The similar work personality demonstrated by prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselors is further demonstrated in the BISs. There is a significant relationship in the BIS ranking of men and women (r =.69, p <.0005). Even with this general similarity, examination of Table 2 indicates that women may be more interested in the teaching aspect of the profession, whereas men may be more interested in aspects of the profession that are more legal in nature. The SA personality subtype of the prototypical male and female rehabilitation counselor can also be seen in the distribution of Dissimilar, Midrange, and Similar classifications of the occupations of the OSs. For men, the highest percentages of occupations scored as Similar were in the Social (81.0%) and the Artistic (77.3%) Holland types. For women, the SA preference was even more dramatic, with more than 80% of the occupations in the Social (84.2%) and Artistic (85.7%) scoring in the Similar range. It is interesting to note that although the three-letter GOT for the male rehabilitation counselor prototype is SAR, men had their greatest percent of dissimilar occupations in the Realistic occupational type. This is consistent with the interpretation proposed earlier that any Realistic GOT theme evidenced by the male rehabilitation counselor is mostly likely avocational rather than vocational. Implications for Rehabilitation Counselor Recruitment and Practice The data and ideas from this interpretation can be used to improve the selection and recruitment of rehabilitation counselors. Both male and female rehabilitation counselor prototypes are congruent, differentiated, and consistent. By facilitating comparison of an individual's interests to the rehabilitation counselor prototypes, the newly revised SIl can serve as an efficient tool for selecting and recruiting people with profiles similar to rehabilitation counselors. In addition, because "rehabilitation counselor" is one of the OSs added to the newly revised 81, those individuals interpreting the SII may frequently be asked to explain the occupation of rehabilitation counselor to their clients. This increased level of awareness of rehabilitation counseling by vocational counselors and individuals seeking careers should be helpful in attracting individuals who are a good fit for the profession. These results may also be useful in understanding issues related to rehabilitation counseling work environments. Supervisors can more fully understand employees' job satisfaction, or lack of satisfaction, by evaluating the congruence between their organization's work and the rehabilitation counselor prototype. Furthermore, supervisors may be able to understand and support the task preferences of their employees. For example, most rehabilitation counselors are likely to enjoy counseling clients and developing creative strategies to facilitate their clients' job search and adjustment to disability. Yet not surprisingly based on this interpretation, these counselors may view time spent on administrative tasks related to clerical/record keeping activities negatively because those activities reduce the time available for helping others via human interaction. Finding ways to emphasize tasks consistent with counselor interests, and to make those tasks that counselors will naturally find less interesting more tolerable and time efficient, will go a long way toward improving employee satisfaction and morale. Finally, it maybe useful to empirically generate Holland work environment profiles for the various types of rehabilitation work settings. It seems likely that the work environment found for counselors in a state agency is quite different than the environment in hospital or private practice settings. These differences may suggest targeting individuals with other types of interest profiles for certain types of rehabilitation counseling positions. Summary Using aggregate scores from 281 female and 133 male rehabilitation counselors, prototypical SII profiles were developed. Rehabilitation counselor profiles draw heavily on people skills, verbal abilities, the ability to listen and understand, and a preference for settings that allow for the expression of creativity. These results can help explain the interests, work activities, potential skills, and values of rehabilitation counselors. Finally, these findings

84 Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin can help career counselors predict which students and workers will be interested in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Note 1. The aggregated demographic information for the female rehabilitation counselors in this sample is 44 years of age, 14 years working as a rehabilitation counselor, 7.5 years working in current employment setting. In addition, the females in this study typically had a master's degree and worked approximately 40 hours per week. In comparison, the aggregated demographic information for male rehabilitation counselors is 47 years of age, 17 years working as a rehabilitation counselor, 9 years working in current employment setting. The male rehabilitation counselors in this study typically had a master's degree and worked approximately 41 hours per week. References Case, J. C., & Blackwell, T. L. (2008). [Review of the Strong Interest Inventory@]. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 51, 122-126. Dawis, R. V. (2002). 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Leierer, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research, with a specialization in community agency counseling, at the University of Memphis. Some of his most recent work includes univariate and multivariate statistical procedures to analyze discrimination in the workplace, employment and compensation, and educational policies. He has been conducting research on the Strong Interest Inventory, clinical judgments of rehabilitation counselors, disability identity, and college career course interventions. Terry L. Blackwell. PhD, is a professor in the School of Allied Health at Montana State University-Billings. His areas of interest include assessment, forensic rehabilitation, ethics, and spinal cord injury. Douglas C. Strohmer, PhD, is a professor in and chair of the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research at the University of Memphis. His areas of interest include clinical judgment, test development, the counseling process, and attitudes and prototypes about individual with disabilities. Richard C. Thompson is the divisional director of research for Consulting Psychologist Press, Inc. (CPP). His work focuses primarily on research and revisions of key CPP assessments, including the Strong Interest Inventoiyo assessment, the Myers-Briggs Type hzdicator@ assessment, and the FIRO-B assessment. David A. C. Donnay is a private consultant with MDA Leadership Consulting. Prior to joining MDA, he served as the divisional director of research for test publisher CPP, where he led research and development efforts that supported widely used assessment tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Strong Interest Inventory, and the California Psychological Inventoiy.

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