2026-09-21T21:45:10Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132464 2026-02-20 col_2142_5131 col_2142_8800 com_2142_5130 com_2142_5132

application/pdf en text Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms The student, Diana Lesmes Palacios, accepted the attached license on 2025-09-10 at 13:37. The student, Diana Lesmes Palacios, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-09-10 at 13:51. This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-09-11 at 15:54. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22799 on 2026-02-19 at 18:24:16 Translating interests into images: a pictorial approach to career interest assessment in middle childhood Lesmes Palacios, Diana Esperanza 2025-09-11 Rounds, James Kern, Justin Rounds, James Kern, Justin Napolitano, Chris Hidalgo, Edward vocational interests career development middle childhood pictorial assessment RIASEC Holland’s theory Pictorial Interests Profiler PIP eng 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. 2025-12 Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132464 Copyright 2025 Diana Lesmes Palacios Educational Psychology Educational Psychology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Ph.D. Dissertation