Concurrent validity of the 2004 Strong Interest Inventory: an examination of gender and college major

Graduating With a Science Major

“…These findings support prior cross-sectional research that showed that investigative interests and science interests were influential in differentiating among families of educational majors (e.g., Gasser et al, 2007;Harmon et al, 1994;Ralston et al, 2004;Rottinghaus et al, 2003). These findings are also consistent with two longitudinal studies showing that high school seniors' levels of science interests were predictive of whether or not they were pursuing science majors in the middle of their postsecondary education (Larose, Ratelle, Guay, Senecal, & Harvey, 2006;Nauta & Epperson, 2003).…”

“…Science interests are assessed under the umbrella of investigative interests, which also includes mathematics interests. Science interests in particular, along with other basic domains of interest beyond Holland's Big Six, have also been shown to distinguish among different families of majors (Gasser et al, 2007;Ralston et al, 2004;Rottinghaus et al, 2003).…”

“…Interests have been shown to be stable for single individuals over many years (Hansen & Swanson, 1983;Low & Rounds, 2007;Rottinghaus, Coon, Gaffey & Zytowski, 2007;Strong, 1955;Swanson & Hansen, 1988). Moreover, investigative interests, one of John Holland's (1997) Big Six (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional), have been shown to help differentiate among families of educational majors (e.g., Gasser et al, 2007;Harmon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994;Ralston, Borgen, Rottinghaus, & Donnay, 2004;Rottinghaus, Betz, & Borgen, 2003). Science interests are assessed under the umbrella of investigative interests, which also includes mathematics interests.…”

“…We intentionally sampled students who were enrolled in introductory science courses. The predictor variables we examined were science interests and educational aspirations, which have been related in the literature to choice of educational major (e.g., Gasser, Larson, & Borgen, 2007;Ware & Lee, 1988).…”

Interpretative implications of revision: calibration of the 1994 and 2004 Strong Interest Inventories

“…Additional research is required to establish the validity of the 2004 Strong. Such research has begun (Borgen, Larson, Bailey, Thompson, & Donnay, 2004;Gasser, 2005).…”