LISREL ANALYSES OF THE RIASEC MODEL - CONFIRMATORY AND CONGENERIC FACTOR-ANALYSES OF HOLLAND SELF-DIRECTED SEARCH

A sample of 401 apprentice plumbers was administered the Australian version of Holland's [(1977) Self-Directed Search: A guide to educational and vocational planning. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press] Self-Directed Search (SDS), in an investigation of the construct validity of the multidimensional interest inventory. Both exploratory (iterative principal factoring with oblique simple structure rotation), as well as LISREL confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), provided only partial support for the six-factor RIASEC typological model on which the SDS instrument was structured. Indeed, only one RIASEC factor (Artistic) was supported unequivocally from the exploratory factor analysis while the CFA statistics indicated a poor fit overall of the data to the RIASEC model. More specific LISREL congeneric factor analyses for each RIASEC dimension, however, provided tentative support for five of the six RIASEC themes. Moderately acceptable Adjusted Goodness of Fit indices, and Root Mean Square Residual estimates were obtained in each instance, except for the Realistic dimension, wherein the fit of the empirical data to the congeneric model was not supported. A further finding was the predominance of the RSE summary code, compared with the predicted summary code for a plumber which is REI (U.S.A.) or REC (Australia). On the basis of the present findings, therefore, Holland's RIASEC model and SDS instrument appear to require extensive revision before being suitable for use in the Australian context.