Translating interests into images: a pictorial approach to career interest assessment in middle childhood

Lesmes Palacios, Diana Esperanza

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132464 Copy

Description

Title

Translating interests into images: a pictorial approach to career interest assessment in middle childhood

Author(s)

Lesmes Palacios, Diana Esperanza

Issue Date

2025-09-11

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

• Rounds, James
• Kern, Justin

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

• Rounds, James
• Kern, Justin

Committee Member(s)

• Napolitano, Chris
• Hidalgo, Edward

Department of Study

Educational Psychology

Discipline

Educational Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• vocational interests
• career development
• middle childhood
• pictorial assessment
• RIASEC
• Holland’s theory
• Pictorial Interests Profiler
• PIP

Abstract

This research addresses the absence of empirically validated vocational interest measures for children by developing and evaluating the Pictorial Interest Profiler (PIP), a RIASEC-based assessment for grades 3-5. Study 1 established a four-phase methodology for translating written interest items into developmentally appropriate pictorial representations, involving design guidelines, systematic development, expert validation, and pilot testing. Study 2 examined PIP’s psychometric properties with 199 elementary students (ages 8-11) from the southeastern United States. Content validity reached 86% interpretation accuracy, exceeding the 80% benchmark. For the overall sample, five of six RIASEC scales (Holland, 1973, 1997) demonstrated adequate internal consistency (α = .66-.78), with Enterprising falling below threshold (α = .58). Structural validity analyses using Circular Unidimensional Scaling revealed good fit to Holland's circumplex model (VAF > .60 for quasi-circumplex), with fifth grade showing optimal theoretical structure. Criterion validity yielded 31% correspondence between PIP scores and coded occupational aspirations. Grade-level analyses revealed developmental progression, with interest structure differentiation improving from third to fifth grade. While 20% of items (6 of 30) require revision, findings demonstrate that pictorial adaptation of vocational measures for late middle childhood is feasible. The study contributes a replicable methodology for developing age-appropriate assessments and empirical evidence about early vocational interest emergence, supporting career exploration interventions before middle school transitions.

Graduation Semester

2025-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132464

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Diana Lesmes Palacios

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