DIMENSIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL PREFERENCE

ABSTRACTThis study was undertaken to: (a) determine the dimensionality of the occupational preferences of college students, and (b) relate other measures of preference and ability to the dimensions which result from analysis of occupational preferences.Occupational preference rankings were obtained from 280 undergraduate males. The preference questionnaire consists of 31 occupational titles cast into a “balanced incomplete blocks” design as described by Gulliksen and Tucker. The subjects ranked occupational prestige and the desirability of various job attributes and general goals of life on separate questionnaires which were constructed with variations on the incomplete blocks design. Allport‐Vernon, Kuder‐Preference, and SCAT scores were also obtained.A principal axis factor analysis was performed on the cross‐products among the 46 occupational preference and job attribute variables using the technique derived by Tucker for double‐centered matrices. Ten factors were retained following a translation with respect to the preference variables and a rotation according to the varimax criterion.Eight factors were interpreted. Six are defined predominantly by the occupations and indicate preference for: scientific‐technical occupations (I), persuasive occupations (III), occupations which involve teaching (IV), artistic occupations (V), outdoor‐scientific occupations (VI), and occupations which require artistic‐technical skills (VII). Factor II is defined both by occupations and attributes and was interpreted as preference for high‐income occupations. Factor VIII is a bipolar factor which contrasts preference for the activity‐related attributes versus the role‐related attributes of a job.These results suggest that occupational preferences are determined by the activities which are involved in a job rather than by more general attributes which may characterize the occupation. The only attributes which appear to relate to job preferences are those which contrast material and nonmaterial rewards.The remaining prestige, preference, and ability measures which were obtained were related to the factors through the factor extension technique. The pattern of the loadings for the prestige variables is generally the same as for the corresponding preference variables. The loadings of the Allport‐Vernon, Goals of Life, and Kuder variables are small but consistent with and give support to the interpretation of the factors. The ability measures do not relate to the preference factors.