The Family of Inventories and Diagnostic Measures
Associated with the Holland Model
Among its most valuable contributions, Holland’s theory has gen-
erated a substantial array of practical devices for assessing persons
and environments, which are described next.
The Self-Directed Search. The Self-Directed Search (SDS; Hol-
land, Fritzsche, & Powell, 1994), one of the most widely used inter-
est inventories, consists of an Assessment Booklet, an Occupations
Finder, and an Interpretive Guide titled “You and Your Career.”
Unlike its competition, the SDS was designed to be self-administered
and self-scored. No sophisticated computer or mail in scoring is
required. Originally published in 1971, the SDS has been revised sev-
eral times, most recently in 1994 (Form R). Nearly a dozen studies
examine the functional utility, or outcomes, accomplished when the
SDS is properly used in a self-directing manner. The companion
materials include the following:
- Technical Manual (Holland, Fritzsche, &Powell, 1994)
- Professional Users Guide (Holland, Powell, & Fritzsche,
1994) - SDS Form E (Easy language) and SDS CP (Career Planning
[Corporate] Version) - SDS Career Explorer (Holland & Powell, 1994)
- Educational Opportunities Finder (Rosen, Holmberg, &
Holland, 1994) - Alphabetized Occupations Finder
- Leisure Activities Finder (Holmberg, Rosen, & Holland,
1990)
Foreign language editions are available for some versions.
Figure 9.3 presents a description of the steps involved in using
SDS (Form R). Included are directions for using the assessment
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