| Company
Profile |
| Career Dimensions
was founded in 1987 by Dr. Frank J. Minor, (Ph.D., Industrial/Organizational
Psychology). Our executive staff consists of Counseling and Industrial
Psychologists, College Professors, Human Resource Management specialists,
and High School Educators, with Ph.D., M.Ed., and MA degrees and with
membership in the American School Counselors Association (ASCA), National
Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE), the National Career Development
Association (NCDA), Association for Computer-Based Systems for Career
Information (ACSCI), the American Psychological Association (APA),
and The Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM). |
| Our administrative
and advising offices are located in Mahwah, NJ, Brewster, NY, New
Fairfield, CT, Moultonborough, NH, and a Technical Support Center
located in Newton Center, MA. |
| History |
| MCP,
for use in High Schools, is a byproduct of the IBM Corporation's Education
& Career Exploration System (ECES) for use in high schools,
the IBM Employee Development Planning System (EDPS) for use
by adults in career transition, and the more recent FOCUS Career
& Education Planning System, for use in colleges and universities.
FOCUS
is one of the most widely used systems in the USA according to a national
survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE,
Summer 2000 Journal of Career Planning & Employment, Page 46).
A survey by The University of Michigan and publications by
the American Psychological Association report that FOCUS
is the "most preferred system, easiest to use, most affordable
and most liked by users. |
| The development team for the IBM systems consisted of: Professor Donald E. Super, who was the chief architect of the design of all of our systems. Professor Super of Columbia University is the career theorist who postulated the "Career Life Span, Life Space Theory", Professor Roger A. Myers of the Columbia University, former president of the American Psychological Association Division of Counseling Psychology, Professor David Campbell, co-developer of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory and the Campbell Interest & Skill Inventory, Professor David Tiedeman, of Harvard University, career theorist and designer of the Harvard "Career Information System For Decision Making ", and Dr. Frank Minor, IBM Psychologist who proposed the IBM career systems and led the development team. |
| The IBM ECES system development effort took place in the IBM Advanced Systems Development Division in Yorktown Heights, New York. Students Self-assessments focused on interests, values and educational preferences. The first ECES system was launched in high schools in New Jersey where a formal evaluation was conducted by a Columbia University Teachers College team directed by Professor Donald E. Super. An enhanced version of ECES was installed in high schools and colleges in the state of Michigan with funding provided by the Charles Stuart Mott Foundation of Flint Michigan. Here again the Columbia University Teachers College team conducted research studies to evaluate the effectiveness the ECES system. |
| The MCP system draws upon the best features of the earlier IBM systems
and FOCUS, along with the most recent research results and technology
in the field of computer based career exploration and planning. |
| Technical
Reports: Reliability and Validity* |
| * All reliability and validity studies were conducted on data samples
collected using FOCUS. MCP uses the identical assessments
as FOCUS. It is our contention that MCP would produce
results similar to those that follow. |
| Samples |
Sample size |
| College and University students |
2,788 |
| Working adults |
2,469 |
| High School students |
2,314 |
|
Statistical Methods Used
Item-scale correlations and item-factor analyses were calculated for all samples.
Reliability Measures: Two measures of reliability were computed,
one for internal reliability (Alpha coefficient), and one for stability
(test-retest).
Validity Measures: Content Validity and Construct Validity were assessed
for all sets of items.
Content validity was established by (1) examining the "face validity"
of items (2) reviewing the theoretical models and methods used to
develop the items, and (3) item-scale correlations
Construct Validity: Construct validity was established by comparing
the results of the factor analysis across the 3 different samples.
The essential question was, did the factor structure remain the same
across the three different population samples i.e., (1) College and
University Students, (2) Working Adults, and (3) High School Students
|
Results of Statistical Analysis
Interest Inventory:
The original pool of items consisted of 75 questions. Item-scale correlations
and item-factor analyses were calculated for each of the 3 population
samples. The results yielded 6 factor scales with 6 items per scale.
A content validity analysis showed the factors to be equivalent to
the Holland RIASEC type factors. All items had factor analysis loadings
above .67 on their respective factors. Two measures of reliability
were computed, one for internal reliability (Alpha coefficient), and
one for stability (test-retest). The reliability coefficients for
all items reached or exceeded .85. Close inspection of the factor
structure across the 3 samples gives support to the construct validity
Personality Items: The original pool of items consisted of
82 items. Item-scale correlations and item-factor analyses were calculated
for each of the 3 population samples. The results yielded 4 factor
scales with 10 items per scale. A content validity analysis showed
the factors to approximate the key scales described in the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator inventory and in C. G. Jung's theories of Psychological
Types. All items had factor analysis loadings above .68 on their respective
factors. Two measures of reliability were computed, one for internal
reliability (Alpha coefficient), and one for stability (test-retest).
The reliability coefficients for all items reached or exceeded .86.
Close inspection of the factor structure across the 3 samples gives
support to the construct validity.
Skills Inventory: The skills used are drawn from the US Department
of Labor's skills lists found on their website O*NET Online (http://online.onetcenter.org/).
Validity and reliability studies were conducted by and are available
through the US Department of Labor. |
| Internal
CDI Tech File - December 1999 |
Sample 321 high
school students and 373 college students.
State of New Hampshire high school students and college students,
Sponsored by Career Dimensions |
| 1991:
ECES (FOCUS II) |
Sample: 425
employees.
IBM Employees in career transition, Sponsored by the IBM National
Service Division, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Published Report: Minor, F.
J., (1991). Field evaluation of a computer-based career planning system.
JOURNAL OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 18, 111-122. |
| 1975: ECES (FOCUS I) |
Sample: 2335
high school students.
State of Michigan High School Students, Sponsored by the Charles Mott
Foundation, East Lansing, MI and the IBM Corporation Advanced Systems
Development Division, Yorktown heights, NY Published Report : Myers,
R.A., Lindeman, R., Thompson, A. & Patrick, T. (1975) Effects of an
Educational and Career Exploration System (ECES) on Vocational Maturity.
JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR, 6, 245-254. |
| 1970: ECES (FOCUS 1) |
Sample: 400 high school students
State of New Jersey High School Students, Sponsored by the Columbia
University Teachers College, The Montclair Board of Education, and
the IBM Corporation Advanced Systems Development Division, Yorktown
heights, NY. Published Report: Thompson, A.S., Lindeman, R. H., Clack,
S., & Bohn M. J., The Education & Career Exploration System:
Field Trial and Evaluation, Teachers College, Columbia University,
New York, NY, 1970. |
| References and Bibliography |
|
Cairo, P.C. (1983) Evaluating the Effects of Computer-Assisted
Counseling Systems. THE COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST, 11 (4) 55-60.
Minor, F. J., (1991). Field evaluation of a computer-based career
planning system. Journal of Career Development, 18, 111-122.
Pilato, G. T., & Myers, R. A. (1975). The effects of computer-mediated vocational
guidance procedures on the appropriateness of vocational preference.
Journal Of Vocational Behavior, 6, 61-72.
Pilato, G. T., & Myers, R. A. (1973). Effects of computer-mediated vocational
guidance procedures: Accuracy of self- knowledge. Journal Of Vocational
Behavior, 3, 167-174.
Myers, R.A., Lindeman, R., Thompson, A. & Patrick, T. (1975) Effects of an
Educational and Career Exploration System (ECES) on Vocational Maturity.
JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR, 6, 245-254.
Super. D. E., (1970) Using Computers in Guidance: An Experiment in Secondary
Schools. CANADIAN COUNSELOR, Vol 4 , 11-21.
Minor, F.J., (1991) Field Evaluation of a Computer-Based Career
Planning System. JOURNAL OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1991, 18, 111-122.
Minor, F.J., Slade, A. & Myers, R.A., Career Transitions in Changing Times.
In R.F. Morrison and J. Adams (Eds.), Contemporary Career Development
Issues, L. Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, N.J., 1991.
Minor, F.J., & Slade, A., Managing Career Transitions. In J.W. Jones, B. Steffy
& D.W. Bray (Eds.), Applying Psychology in Business, Lexington Books,
1991.
Super, D.E., & Minor, F.J., Career Development and Planning in Organizations.
In B. Bass (Ed.) Advances in Organizational Psychology, International
Review, Sage Press, Beverly Hills, 1987.
Minor, F.J., Computer-Applications in Career Development Planning. In D.T.
Hall (Ed.) Career Development in Organizations. Jossey-Bass Publications,
San Francisco, (May 1986). (A Frontier Series book sponsored by
the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Division
14 of the American Psychological Association).
Minor, F.J., An Experimental Educational & Career Exploration System. In D.E.
Super (Ed.) Computer Assisted Counseling, New York Teachers College
Press, Columbia University, 1970.
Minor, F.J., Myers, R.A., & Super, D.E., An Experimental Computer Based Educational
and Career Exploration System. PERSONNEL AND GUIDANCE JOURNAL, 1969,
47, 564-569.
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