GZII WRITEUP
GENERAL PROBLEM: On Interest
SPECIFIC PROBLEM: Determination of the Interest of the testee using the Guilford-Zimmerman
Interest Inventory
BASIC CONCEPT:
Interest is a behaviour, an orientation towards certain objects, activities or experiences. As Arthur S.
Reber says, "The meaning of interest is loose at best and at one time or another has been used to
imply all of the following: attention, curiosity, motivation, focus, concern, goal-directedness,
awareness worthiness and desire." (Penguin's Dictionary of Psychology, 1996). According to
Bingham, interest can be defined as "a tendency to become absorbed in an experience and continue
it".
Interest, aptitude, and ability are related concepts but they are not the same thing.
Interest refers to a person's liking or preference for a particular activity, subject or area of
knowledge. It is a subjective feeling that influences a person's motivation to engage in an activity or
pursue a certain career path.
Aptitude refers to a person's natural ability or potential to acquire a skill or knowledge in a
particular area. Aptitude is usually measured through standardized tests or assessments and is
believed to be an innate or genetically determined trait.
Ability refers to a person's acquired skill or knowledge in a particular area. Unlike aptitude, ability
is developed through learning, practice, and experience. It can be improved with effort and training.
In summary, interest is the person's liking or preference, aptitude is the potential to acquire a skill,
and ability is the skill or knowledge that has been acquired through learning and experience.
According to Super and Crites(1962), interest can be classified as follows:
1. Expressed interest: It is defined as an interest whenever a person overtly states his or her
preference for one activity over another. For example, a student may express his interest in reading
a history textbook over a physics textbook.
2. Manifest interest: An interest is made manifest when a person voluntarily participates in an
activity. There is no relation between express interest and manifest interest, do in many situations
they tend to coincide or overlap. For example, a student attending a calligraphy class clearly
demonstrates their interest in the same and this is manifest interest.
3. Inventoried interest: These are those interests which are measured by interest tests that do
compare interest in different activities. Most of these inventories measure only unlimited sample or
a set of interests. The interest assessed by such inventories are called inventory interest.
Interest Inventory is an instrument designed to evaluate a person's interest in or preference for a
variety of activities (Thorndike and Hagan,1995).
The tools for measurement of interest are of two types: formal and informal.
The formal methods are specialised and standardized instruments like interest inventories, interest
test batteries.
The informal methods include a person's own statement, a record of their activities and observations
by parents and teachers.
Questionnaires and inventories are the most important methods of measuring interest. Some of the
widely used measures are mentioned below:
1) Strong Vocational Interest Blank(SII)
It is a psychological test used in career assessment and for educational guidance as one of the most
popular personality assessment tools. The test was developed in 1927 by psychologist E.K. Strong,
Jr. to help people exiting the military find suitable jobs.
2) Occupational Values Inventory
It was developed as one of the data collection instruments for the Vocational Development Study to
measure the occupational values held by ninth graders. The 35 items on the OVI consist of three
statements representing three different values. The individual is forced to select the phrase or
statement most important to him in selecting a job as well as the least important.
3) Kuder Preference Record
This test was originally developed in 1939 by G. Frederic Kuder and it covers a wider field,
comprising nine separate scales of occupations, viz. mechanical, computational, scientific,
persuasive, artistic, literary, musical, social and clerical. They are in the form of three Preference
Records. The subject selects the activity that relates to one of the three interests that he possesses.
These are designed for use with children from grade 9 onwards and with adults.
4) The Thurstone Interest Schedule:
Devised by Thurstone, this schedule is a checklist by which a person can systematically clarify the
understanding of his vocational interests. It is designed as a counselling instrument to be used in
situations in which the client-counsellor relationship is straightforward and honest. It is more
effective in inducing thoughtful self-appraisal on the part of the student; it is more informative; is
convenient to use and is more economical of time and money
Another important and widely used Interest Inventory is the Guilford-Zimmerman Interest
Inventory.
The Guilford-Zimmerman Interest Inventory (GZII) is a nonprojective personality measure for
describing an individual’s interests for use in occupational settings. It was developed by Joan S.
Guilford and Wayne S. Zimmerman in 1963. It was designed to provide a short yet comprehensive
reliable instrument for measuring interests.
The GZII was preceded by a preliminary experimental version consisting of 450 items in 1960. This
version was administered to more than 800 college freshmen evenly divided by sex. An internal
consistency analysis was performed on the data from this group: for each scale, 15 items were
chosen that best discriminated the high scoring 27% from the low scoring 27% on total scale scores.
The most homogenous scale was found to be Scientific, while the least homogeneous scale was
found to be Creative.
To determine the face validity of the scale items, a judgemental procedure was implemented in
which each of the 150 items on the scale were classified by a trained psychometrician into one of
the ten conceptual categories serving as the framework for item construction. About 97% of the
items were correctly classified, thus ending considerable support to the face validity of the scale
items. Based on the analysis, five items that were miscoded (4, 62, 72, 134, 145) were modified to
enhance their content validity.
The aim to be served by the present format as pointed out by Guilford and Zimmerman are:
1. To reduce testing time by accomplishing with fewer items, the same complete major field of
interest as have been covered by longer more time-consuming inventories.
2. To bring the interest inventory categories in tune with the factor analysis findings.
3. To avoid rank ordering preferences
4. To add a new scale, 'creative', which then combined with other scales, might serve to identify
examinees who would be motivated to contribute originally or inventories to the performances of
work within their vocational fields.
GZII is designed to gauge interest patterns related to major vocations where the inventory scores
serve as measures of occupational interests. It measures interest patterns in the following 10 interest
categories:
1. Natural: Interest in being outdoors; a desire to work with plants and animals; a concern for the
protection of natural resources; a desire to escape the confinement of buildings and crowded places.
Possible vocations related to this category are Farmer, gardener, animal trainer, fish and wildlife
management, soil conservationist, etc.
2. Mechanical: Interest in machines and tools; a preference for taking things apart and putting them
back together; interest in technical knowledge concerning the operation of mechanical devices;
construction, repair and design of machines and tools. Possible vocations include auto mechanic,
carpenter, radio repairperson, machine operator, electrician, etc.
3. Scientific: Interest in investigation in any of the areas of science; a preference for testing or
research that is painstaking and detailed; a desire to explain natural phenomena. Possible vocations
include anatomist, biochemist, computer programmer, geologist, medical researcher, physicist,
research scientist, etc.
4. Creative: Interest in devising new ideas, theories, or objects; interest in discarding conventional
ideas or methods and replacing them with unique substitutes or original creations. Possible
vocations include design engineer, inventor, novelist, playwright, urban designer, etc.
5. Literary: Appreciation of written and spoken language; interest in reading and writing; a
preference for working with verbal materials so as to evaluate, use, or improve them. Possible
vocations include book reviewer, librarian, literary critic, translator, editor, journalist, philologist,
etc.
6. Artistic: Appreciation of beauty in art, music, dancing, or drama; an interest in and desire to
enjoy, evaluate, or participate in the creation of works of art that have emotional or aesthetic appeal.
Possible vocations include art critic, floral designer, music critic, photographer, architect, musician,
interior decorator, etc.
7. Service: Interest in helping people in a personal way; for humanitarian concerns; a preference for
working for the welfare of others. Possible vocations include guide, clinical psychologist, red cross
worker, welfare worker, beautician, lifeguard, minister, etc.
8. Enterprising: Interest in buying and selling; enjoyment of business dealings for their own sake;
orientation toward a profit motive; willingness to assume risks for possible financial gain. Possible
vocations include business promoter, broker, hotel manager, contractor, travel agent, financial
advisor, businessperson, etc.
9. Leadership: Interest in leading or directing other people; a preference for organizing groups and
taking responsibility for their actions; liking for administrative activities and for assuming authority.
Possible vocations include campaign manager, civic leader, politician, salesperson, branch director,
committee chairperson, etc.
10. Clerical: Interest in office work; a preference for activities involving detail, precision, accuracy,
and keeping things in order; interest in operating office machines and in doing routine computations
or calculations. Possible vocations include accountant, bookkeeper, secretary, inventory clerk,
internal auditor, income tax clerk, etc.
The interest scales proposed by Guilford and Zimmerman bear a close resemblance to the general
occupational themes proposed by Holland (1973), yet they appear to be somewhat more
differentiated.
GZII is used in vocational counselling both with adolescents and adults. Since this test measures
only interests and not ability, the value as predictors of occupational success is limited. This is
especially useful in helping high school and college students become familiar with career options
and aware of their vocational interests.
GZII looks at a person's likes and dislikes, their favourite activities and their personality. Then it
compares those qualities with the normal population and finds out where the person belongs in the
NPC. When an individual takes and completes the assessment, the resulting data is reflected by
scores in each of the 10 fields. This tool evaluates personality interests and work habits in a variety
of environments and helps to think about how a person's values or interests might match some
specific career field. One can then use these insights to assess job opportunities and whether they
align with their interests. People can use this information to find career paths or jobs that let them
use those abilities regularly. Because those are individual's strengths, they also demonstrate the
types of roles that one might perform more successfully.
For example, a person's results may show that they have strengths related to creative thinking,
scientific thinking and leadership qualities. Software development can serve as a good career match,
as it requires a person to innovate new software capabilities while also using clients' needs to make
decisions. Understanding individual strengths can also be helpful during the application and
interviewing process. Hiring managers commonly ask candidates to describe their professional
strengths. By using GZII, one can note the strengths, which are demonstrated in their results and use
them to develop effective interview answers to that question.
While GZII helps to identify a person's strengths, it can also show weak points. These details don't
necessarily demonstrate things at which the person is bad at — instead, they
represent the traits that are less aligned with them. These weaknesses can be used to
identify careers that one may not want to pursue.
The aim of the present test is to determine interest of the testee using Guilford-Zimmerman Interest
Inventory.
PRELIMINARIES:
Name of the testee
Age of the testee
Gender of the testee
Educational qualification of the testee
Condition of the testee – Apparently suitable for the test
Date of the testing
Time of the testing
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
1. Guilford-Zimmerman Interest Inventory booklet developed by Guilford and Zimmerman (1989)
2. Response sheet
3. Report form
4. Norms
5. Stationaries
DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST:
The Guilford-Zimmerman Interest Inventory (GZII) was designed to provide a short yet
comprehensive and reliable instrument for measuring interest. It is a self-report and self-scorable
measure composed of 150 items. The items reflect a variety of activities designed to gauge interest
patterns related to major vocations and avocations. Respondents are asked to rate an activity (ex.
Going on a backpacking trip to the mountains, designing a detailed plan for a scientific experiment,
writing book reviews for publication, beating competition through smart business practices, etc.) on
a 4-point scale, where 0 signifies Definite Dislike, and 3 signifies Definite Like. 15 different
category scores are derivable through sum score composites of item ratings. The Inventory is used
primarily in guidance and counselling contexts where clients are motivated to identify a vocation,
avocation, or curriculum to satisfy their needs. Inventory scores serve as indices of occupational
interests and motivations and are normally to be considered in light of potential educational or
vocational satisfaction and adjustment.
The items are arranged in a “spiral omnibus” format so that nine items from other scales intervene
in between them. This arrangement simplifies the scoring procedure. Furthermore, since the GZII is
a self-descriptive inventory that reveals the pattern of an individual’s vocational concerns and
interests, its interpretation can be both normative (pertaining to a particular standard of comparison
for a person or group of people) and ipsative (forced choice between two or more equally socially
acceptable options).
STANDARD METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION:
The GZII is self-scorable and may be administered to groups or to individuals. It is best for the
examiner to read the directions aloud while the examinee reads them silently. This guarantees that
careful attention is paid to the instructions. Questions about the administration should be answered
before testing begins. The GZII can normally be completed in 20 minutes; however there is no time
limit. The examiner is advised to check at the stat of testing to see that the explicit instructions
should ensure accurate correspondence between booklet and answer sheet item numbers.
It is important that the examinee grasp the meaning of the alternative responses to each item. It is
possible that in the absence of emphasis on these definitions, they might adopt one’s own subjective
scale of interest in, may restrict the range of scores. Even in such a case, however, the relative
heights of the peaks and valleys on the profile sheet would remain consistent, and the pattern of test
results would be as valid as if the examinee had properly adopted the definitions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions given in the inventory booklet are to be read and followed before the administration of
the test. The test is self-administering in nature, still some basic instructions are provided. They are
as follows:
“Please sit comfortably and listen to me carefully. I shall provide you a booklet consisting of a
number of items and also an answer sheet. Do not open the booklet untill you are told to do so.
First, write your name, age, gender on the provided place in the answer sheet. Tun the booklet and
read the instructions written on it. If you face any problem, please inform me immediately.”
SCORING STANDARDS:
Item responses are scored as follows:
0 = Definite Dislike
1 = Mild Dislike
2 = Slight Like
3 = Definite Like
Scale scores are obtained by a sum composite of item scores associated with each scale. Scale
scores range from 0 to 45. A score of 45 suggests that all activities described by the 15 items for the
scale are activities strongly favoured by the examinee. The score for any given scale is derived by
summing the weighted values of item responses listed in one blocked column of the answer sheet,
Directions for scoring are provided on the second page of the 150-item sheet, thus providing the
counsellor and/or client with a profile of scores for use in interpretation.
It is important to note that there is no total interest score – it is the profile of interest scores, i.e., the
higher or lower interpretation that provide the useful information.
PROCEDURE:?
Rapport was established with the testee. The answer sheet was handed over to the participant and
she was guided to fill all the details. The instructions \were read aloud by the test administrator
while the testee was asked to read them simultaneously. The GZII booklet was then provided. She
was asked not to make any mark on the booklet and answer the test items as directed on the separate
response sheet. After the testee had completed answering all the items, the scoring and calculation
was done according to the manual. Lastly, the interpretation was written from the scores and
conclusion was drawn.
DATA AND CALCULATION:
Range of scores for female according to the class norm on GZII:
(Mention the Mean, SD, and range calculation for each category)
RESULT TABLE:
INTERPRETATION:
CONCLUSION:
