Andrei Ion

The structure of vocational interests in Romania.

Using data provided by the Self-Directed Search (SDS) on a sample of 1,519 participants comprising 3 subsamples containing high school students, university students, and working adults, the authors examine the structure of vocational interests in Romania. Three competing structural models of vocational interests (Hollands circumplex model and Gatis and Rounds and Traceys hierarchical models) are analyzed with 3 different approaches: (a) frequency analysis of 2-letter codes, (b) randomization test of hypothesized order relations, and (c) structural equation modeling. The stability of the structure of vocational interests across age is also analyzed. The findings suggest mixed evidence for the 3 models, with Hollands model receiving more support from structural equation modeling, and Gatis and Rounds and Traceys models receiving more support from the frequency analysis of 2-letter codes. The data conclusively show that the structure of vocational interests becomes clearer with age.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Personality Structure Through the Lens of the HEXACO Model.

ABSTRACT Across 5 different samples, totaling more than 1,600 participants from India, Indonesia, Oman, Romania, and Thailand, the authors address the question of cross-cultural replicability of a personality structure, while exploring the utility of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) as a data analysis technique in cross-cultural personality research. Personality was measured with an alternative, non–Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality framework, provided by the HEXACO–PI (Lee & Ashton, 2004). The results show that the HEXACO framework was replicated in some of the investigated cultures. The ESEM data analysis technique proved to be especially useful in investigating the between-group measurement equivalence of broad personality measures across different cultures.

Age and Gender Differences in the Variability of Vocational Interests

Gender- and age-related differences in the variability of various human attributes and abilities have been investigated. This article investigates the age and gender differences in the variability of Holland’s six vocational dimensions with a sample including 1,519 participants, divided into four age groups: early adolescence (12–15 years old), adolescence (16–20 years old), young adulthood (21–30 years old), and adulthood (31–59 years old). The results showed nontrivial differences in the variability of vocational interests across gender and age groups alike. Although significant differences in variability were observed for all vocational interest dimensions except investigative, the most pronounced differences in variability across age and gender were observed for realistic and conventional dimensions. Generally, the observed differences in variability were larger in adolescence than in adulthood. Overall, vocational interests displayed less differentiation within the younger age groups (early adolescence and early adulthood) as compared to adulthood.