Case analysis:personality test

Case analysis:personality test

Introduction

Though careers are often personal decisions, counsellors have applied personality tests to advice on careers that best suit university students. Through personality tests, they can understand student’s values, interests, weaknesses, strengths, and skills that assist them in mapping the best career for them. Administered computer personality tests are in a position to identify a student’s feelings, thoughts and behaviour before the onset of their careers. They utilize online-based questionnaires to arrive at a student’s most notable personalities. Once a counsellor has administered a computer test, then he or she becomes well acquitted with the best career path that a student can undertake. From the case, it is evident that the university student values their career choice and its importance in offering the student an opportunity to provide students with a career that would ensure that they explore their best interests. However, the scenario rose questions regarding the viability of computer-based personalities, the number of students willing to undertake the tests and the importance of career advice before enrolling for a graduate program.

Factors affecting the performance of objective tests

Motivation, competence and role perception have been formed to influence the performance of objective tests. A counsellor carrying out computer-administered personality tests thus should consider these factors throughout their evaluation of students.

1. Motivation

Motivation is the primary force that triggers a person to act. It has a multiplier effect of increasing a student’s ability to focus on studies and future engagement. Through motivation, a student is engaged in a gal directed behavior that is important in satisfying future academic goals. It, therefore, remains the prime force that promotes academic performance. Career counselors are an essential asset within universities and other institutions of higher learning. Student effectiveness reflects their abilities, knowledge (Burns, Shoda & Roebke,2017). Skills and characteristics. To achieve career goals, student must be highly motivated. Competent students are often goal-oriented. Identifying student motivation thus remains crucial for a counselor who offers administered computer personality tests as a relationship between motivation and performance exists.

1. Competence

Student performance is equally affected by a student’s ability to study. Competence refers to the extent to which a student regards himself or herself capable of undertaking a particular career. It means that the student has control of events happening within their surroundings rather than the events having control over them (König, Jansen & Mathieu,2017).  Apart from motivation, competence equally influences individual performance. Personality with the ability to control events tends to have an internal locus of control and those affected by circumstances that go beyond their control have an external locus. Individuals with internal locus are competent and perform better than their counterparts. Causal attribution is one of the most significant concepts in reviewing student competences. According to this concept, internal causes are often stable and not likely to be affected by external changes. A positive outcome of performance tests is influenced by the interaction between stability and locus of control. Success revolves around the internal variable factor as it motivates one t continue doing more to achieve future goals. Another failure is attributed to the interaction of external and internal factors such as effort and luck.

• Role perception

Role refers to the specific position that an individual occupies within a given system. It is defined by reviewing the activities that one carries out concerning the expectations of other members of the system. The role becomes essential when it comes to linking students with career goals. It also serves as an important aspect when it comes to integrating students with learning environments. Hence, it remains an important aspect when it comes to counselling being the central concept that promotes interactions between students and their designated learning environments. Student performance in a particular career is affected by how they perceive their role. It serves to portray how students think about a particular career in relating to other existing ones. Students who seek a counselor’s advice on careers often have role conflict between different careers. They are confused about the most appropriate career path that they should undertake within the course of their studies.

Reliability and validity concerns

Personality tests, whether computer-administered or through interviews, are aimed at enabling the counsellor to make valid, meaningful and reliable statements regarding individuals. Even though computers administered are utilized in measuring particular attributes, they don’t guarantee to offer the desired results (Hopwood, 2019). Though there have been advances in validity and reliability tests, available test instruments have been associated with imitations and defects. Some of the major legality and reliability issues concerned with computer-administered personality tests to advise students on career choice include deception, length involved and accuracy.

1. Subjective judgment

One of the major concerns of utilizing administered computer personality test is the likely would of deception on the side of students seeking for advice. This comes in when students deceive the counselor when answering questions included in the personality test. Though this technique offers room for counselors to detect deception, some of the students can still provide false information successfully (Usman, M., & Minhas, 2019). The motive behind this move could be the intention to divert the counselor’s attention and make the student more suitable for a particular career.

1. Accuracy

Another outstanding concern is the fact that people are not perfect when it comes to describing their behavior. The student could tend to underestimate some of the tendencies more so those that are viewed as socially desirable and overestimate other characteristics. If such an aspect occurs, it greatly affects the outcome of computer-administered personality tests. It can trigger the counselor to make a different opinion regarding career advice.

• Length

Computer administered personality tests are, at times, lengthy taking a reasonable amount of time to complete. On most occasions, students are often impatient, which can trigger them to become frustrated and bored. In such a scenario, respondents are more likely to answer questions hurriedly, often without taking the time to read the items they contain. As a result, the outcome of the personality test is compromised, something that could lead the counselor to offer a divergent opinion.

Ethical concerns

            American Psychiatric Association (APA) offers a guideline to conducting personality assessment. Personality test involves analyzing an individual’s personality to predict future outcomes. Counselors, according to APA ethical code, should offer an opinion after examining an individual’s opinion resulting from personality tests. Some of the significant ethical concerns within APA ethical code about computer-administered personality tests include invasion of individual privacy, lack of validity and confidentiality. Such concerns often result in public skepticism that is directed towards the viability of personality tests.

1. Invasion of individual privacy

Privacy is a serious ethical concern when it comes to carrying out personality tests as required by the APA guidelines. Students will varnish the counselor with information that concerns their private and public life. The counselor will, in turn, utilize this particular information in offering the best advice regarding career life. Thus in practice, the counselor is expected to keep this information personal and not utilize it in any other manner that would compromise the private privacy of the students in any of their endeavors. This can be achieved through strictly following APA guidelines on Ethical code.

1. Lack of validity

Validity refers to the extent to which the resulting test can be relied upon. Validity can only be achieved through ensuring that both the counselor and student seeking career advice follow the APA ethical code guidelines (Vrana & Vrana,2017). The validity of the personality test can be established by interviewing other students who previously sought similar advice and ended up becoming successful. Additionally, it can also be said to be valid if it adheres to all the required guidelines as provided by the APA ethical code of conduct. Lack of validity can be avoided by ensuring that all the provided guidelines are followed and the results end up addressing career issues to student satisfaction.

• Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an ethical concern in undertaking computer-based personality tests. The system being utilized should be free from access by unauthorized individuals to prevent a data breach. Additionally, information gathered should be only accessible to the counselor and particular students seeking career guidance. Confidentiality of personality tests can be improved by respondents offering precise information to the career adviser.

Conclusion

Computer administered personality tests have gained credibility in the recent past due to their ability to offer valid results in different circumstances. Students and counselors find them more viable as they utilize less time and are equally flexible. In this regard, it is evident that the counselor can effectively advise students on career choice with adherence to APA ethical code guidelines.

Reference

Vrana, S. R., & Vrana, D. T. (2017). Can a computer administer a Wechsler Intelligence Test?. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(3), 191.

Usman, M., & Minhas, N. M. (2019). Use of Personality Tests in Empirical Software Engineering Studies A Review of Ethical Issues. In Proceedings of the Evaluation and Assessment on Software Engineering (pp. 237-242).

Hopwood, C. J. (2019). Introduction to a New Clinical Applications Section: Positive Response Sets in Personality Assessment.

Burns, G. N., Shoda, E. A., & Roebke, M. A. (2017). Putting applicant faking effects on personality tests into context. Journal of Managerial Psychology.

König, C. J., Jansen, A., & Mathieu, P. L. (2017). What If Applicants Knew How Personality Tests are Scored?. Journal of Personnel Psychology.