8.3 INTEREST INVENTORIES

8.3.1. Interest: Meaning

In determining the educational and vocational success of an individual, interest is an important factor. So, the teachers and the guidance workers should assess the interest patterns of individual correctly and assist them accordingly.

The term interest is from Latin, which means ‘it matters’ or ‘it concerns’. And so interest in a particular aspect for an individual matters much and important. Though interest patterns because of the complexity of the individual, are difficult to analyse, different authorities in the field have tried to define the term in many different ways.

8.3.2 Interest: Definitions

There are different views in which different definitions are expressed regarding the term interest by various exponents and a few standard definitions among them are:

Strong defined interest as “the total sum of likes and dislikes for a wide range of stimulus objects and activities”

Binham writes, “an interest is a tendency to become absorbed in an experience and to continue it.”

8.3.3 Interest: Characteristics

1. Interests are shaped by both hereditary and environmental factors.
2. Generally speaking, there is some relationship between interest and ability.
3. There is some relationship between vocational and educational interests.
4. The interests of the individuals tend to become less varied with increasing age.

8.3.4 Interest : Types

Interests are of four types:

1. Manifest Interest: Manifest interest are expressed by a person’s behaviour. A person does not express such interests in words but express in his behaviour. For example, some persons are fond of seeing a hockey match but some like to see a cricket match. Some persons like to listen religious talks. Such types of interests expressed in the behaviour are more reliable
2. Expressed interests Expressed interests are those which are presented in words or language. Such types. of interests are known by asking the persons. For example, we ask a question to a pupil, Do you have an interest in science? In what type of literature you have interest? But it is often observed that the interests expressed by language are not very reliable.
3. Inventoried Interests: Inventoried interest are those which we know the help of tests and interest inventories. Much labour is needed to know such interests.
4. Tested Interests: Tested interests are those which are verified by possessing knowledge in some subject and there is equality in the scores achieved by that person, i.e., if a person’s knowledge in a subject and marks obtained in that subject match, then we can say that he has interest in acquiring the knowledge. These interests can .be known through various performance tests.

8.3.5 Interest: Measurement

In order to measure interests in vocations, The academic courses and subjects, in curricular and social activities, certain interest inventories have been organized. Some of these are given as under:

1. Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB)
2. Kuder Preference Record-Vocational (KPR)

1. Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB), 1966

A number of vocational interest inventories concerning gender, age etc, were developed by Strong. These inventories are intended to reveal the degree to which one’s interests agree or disagree with those of successful men and women in a given occupation. The 1966 edition of this inventory consists of 339 items which are grouped into eight parts as (i) occupation1 (ii) school subjects. (iii) amusements, (iv) activities, (v) types of people,(vi) order of preference of activities (vii) comparison of interest between two items, (viii) rating of present abilities and characteristics. The majority of the items are answered by encircling L, I, 0 (like, indifferent, dislike). An another interest inventory was developed in 1974 which blends the separate inventories for men and women into one and it is termed as ‘Strong Campbell Interest Inventory’.

strong-Campbell Interest inventory (SCII),. 1974:

The Strong Campbell Inventory’ was developed as mentioned above, inorder to combine, the 1966 form for men and the 1969 form for women which were presented in the interest inventory, ‘Strong Vocational Interest Blank’. Because of strong opposition and severe Criticism due to the sex bias nature of the previouS inventory this was developed in 1974. This inventory is suitable for later adolescents arid adults (14 year olds and more). It has six General Occupational Themes (GOT); 23 Basic Interest Scales (B1S); 124 Occupational Scales (OS); 3 types of Administrative Indexes and 2 special scales. There is no time limit but it normally takes 20 to 60 minutes to complete. In all it has 325 items which are grouped under such topics as 1) Occupations. 2) School subjectS. 3) ActivitieS, 4) Amusements, 5) Type of people, 6) Preference between activities and 7) Your characteristics. The items are both vocational and avocational of 325 items, the subject responds to 231 of them on a three-point key - Like (L), Dislike (D) and Indifferent (I).

2.Kuder Preferable  Record-vocational (KPR)

G.F.Kuder developed this interest inventory. The inventory contains a number of activities arranged in three groups. The individual is forced to decide which one of the three activities

he likes most and which one he likes least. It measures interest in the following ten general areas Outdoor, MechicaI, Computation, Scientific, Persuasive, Literary,Musical, Artistic, Social and Clerical. This inventory is suitable for high school level people and adults.

The ‘Kuder Preference Record-Vocational’ is replaced by the recent form of inventory, the ‘Kuder Occupation Interest Survey (KOIS) Form DD’, 1964. It is accompanied by a revised manual and interpretive leaflet of.1970. It is available in one form and contains 300 items arranged in 100 trades. In this, the subject is undergoing a choice. test where he selects a statement he likes most and also one he likes least. The KO1S can be used for 11th and 12th graders, college students and adults. For men, there are 77 occupational scores and 29 college major scores; for women there are 57 occupational scores arid 27 college major scores. There are High experimental scales and verification score also as supplements.

8.3.6 Interest Inventories : Use

According to the specific interests of children, organising learning materials is considered to be a good mode of education. Likewise, interest, whether expressed, manifested, tested or inventoried, offer important contributions in the guidance in making educational and vocational choices.

1. The student is helped to review and analyse his interests and to find those educational courses and occupations about which he knows very little and which he should study and examine more, through interest inventories.
2. Interest inventories provide the information about the likes and dislikes which represents the real interests and as such have a real value even though they are often not safeguards for the choice of an education or an occupation.
3. The teachers and the guidance workers come to know the individual’s interests and more or less all the information about him which will lead them to guide him accordingly.