A "unisex" occupational scale for the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory

Abstract

Previous research has shown that the female Pharmacist scale on the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) was more valid than the male Pharmacist scale for both male and female college students. The female scale was not as valid for men as it was for women, however, because of the sex differences reflected in its item content. In an attempt to develop a "unisex" occupational scale which would be equally effective for men and women, all items which differentiated between males and females by 10 percentage points or more were eliminated from the female scale. The remaining items (20 of 39 original items) formed a short unisex scale that was nearly as reliable and valid as the original scale over short time periods. The unisex version did not require separate norms or different interpretations of the scores for men and women. The possibility of constructing an abbreviated form of the SCII that contains only sex-balanced items merits further consideration.