A vocational interest inventory for clothing, textiles, and interior design

The purpose of this research was to evaluate, analyze, and revise or update the Johnson Home Economics Interest Inventory (JHEII) forming a vocational interest inventory for clothing, textiles, and interior design, Using the JHEII, as a base inventory, 20 items were chosen to describe each of the six vocations for the field.

In the first phase of this study, the 20 items for each occupation, were reviewed by five professionals presently employed in these occupations. A comparison was made of the returns from professionals and a listing of 15 items representing each of the vocations was compiled into an initial inventory of 90 items, This preliminary inventory was administered to 403 non-senior college students in phase two of this study.

Factor analysis of the inventory, using orthogonal and oblique varimax rotation, resulted in an optimal extraction of four factors, rather than the six originally described constructs (occupations). These four factors were named, apparel and fashion business, interior design, scientific textiles, and service to people.

In further refinement of the inventory, ten items which loaded significantly on each of the four vocations, were selected to comprise the final instrument. The 40 items of the inventory were administered to a sample of graduating seniors. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated. that the items, describing each of the four vocations, do measure vocational interest in clothing, textiles, and interior design. The graduating seniors did choose those items which described the vocational area that had been their major area of concentration through college.