Examination of Holland’s Predictive Pattern Order Hypothesis for Academic Achievement William D. Beverly and Robert A. Horn Northern Arizona University, Educational Psychology, Flagstaff, AZ This study reexamined Holland’s assertion that higher educational achievement goes with the following primary personality order: I, S, A, C, E, R. Similar to prior research, mixed support emerged for Holland’s prediction. Current findings show a similar clustering of personality types when looking at GPA for males (see Table 5). That is, the top three types identified in the present study (I, S, A) match Holland’s prediction (I, S, A), but not with the same significance. The lowest three types identified in this study (E, R, C) are consistent with Holland’s lowest three (C, E, R). For females, A and S types clustered in the top three with R, and C and E types clustered in the lower three with I. Also shown in Table 5 are the rank orderings for males and females when looking at aptitude and at achievement controlling for aptitude. Similar clustering appears for this set of data, again providing limited support for Holland’s prediction. Similar to prior research, primary personality types appear to be a more valid predictor of academic achievement for males than for females. Holland’s model of career development is used in a number of applied settings, such as school guidance and counseling, and has been identified as the most popular model of counseling among elementary, middle, and high school counselors. Considering that this model is one of the most established guidance and counseling approaches used in academic settings, school counselors and other professionals should be aware that the evidence for Holland’s hypothesis regarding personality type and academic achievement is limited, and, at times, conflicting. A recommendation is for school counselors to use more than a student’s primary personality type to make any meaningful predictions. The more comprehensive and complete the personality profile, the more precise the explanatory power of the theory, as there is a more accurate understanding of the individual’s interests, traits, and preferences. Although Holland has proposed that there are six primary personality types, he also maintains that a three-letter code is a better estimate of an individual’s overall personality. Holland considers congruence, consistency, and differentiation central to his theory, and such variables can only be considered when using more than a primary personality type. Future research should also consider other factors such as SES and the possible influence of tied types. Introduction Research Questions Methodology Results Discussion and Implications 1.Is Holland’s pattern order hypothesis supported when looking at academic major GPA? 2.Is Holland’s pattern order hypothesis for academic achievement supported when looking at aptitude? 3.Is Holland’s pattern order hypothesis supported when looking at academic major GPA controlling for aptitude? Table 1 Observed GPA, ACT-Composite, and Adjusted GPA for Male and Female Primary Personality Types Participants A total of 1077 undergraduate students, consisting of 370 (34.4%) males and 707 (65.6%) females, comprised this study’s sample. Each of the six primary personality types was represented for males and females (see Table 1). Students were degree-seeking students at a mid-sized university who entered as first-time freshmen and subsequently earned a Bachelors degree. Procedures The participants’ primary Holland personality types were identified by determining each individual’s highest score obtained from the Entering Freshman ACT Assessment. Highest scores tied with one or more of the remaining five scores were categorized separately as tied. The participants’ ACT-Composite scores (aptitude) and academic major GPA (achievement) were obtained from official university records. Academic major GPA was chosen as our measure of academic achievement as it reflects coursework more consistent with a student’s expressed interest, and, as such, would be more congruent with one’s personality type. For males, looking at academic major GPA, the Holland personality types ranked as Tie, I, S, A, E, R, C, F(6, 363) = 2.30, p =.034, Partial  2 =.037. For females, the Holland personality types ranked as A, S, R, I, Tie, C, E, F(6, 700) = 3.86, p =.001, Partial  2 =.032. Post hoc multiple comparisons for males and females on academic major GPA are shown in Table 2. Table 2 Pairwise Comparisons for Males and Females Looking at Academic Major GPA For males, looking at ACT-Composite, the Holland personality types ranked as I, A, C, E, R, Tie, S, F(6, 363) =.95, p =.462, Partial  2 =.015. For females, the Holland personality types ranked as A, I, R, C, S, Tie, E, F(6, 700) = 4.31, p <.001, Partial  2 =.036. Post hoc multiple comparisons for females on ACT-Composite are shown in Table 3. Table 3 Pairwise Comparisons for Females Looking at ACT-Composite For males, looking at academic major GPA controlling for ACT- Composite (aptitude), the Holland personality types ranked as Tie, S, A, I, E, R, C, F(6, 362) = 2.63, p =.017, Partial  2 =.042. For females, the Holland personality types ranked as A, S, R, Tie, I, E, C, F(6, 699) = 2.80, p =.011, Partial  2 =.023. Post hoc multiple comparisons for males and females on academic major GPA controlling for ACT-Composite are shown in Table 4. Table 4 Pairwise Comparisons for Males and Females Looking at Academic Major GPA Controlling for ACT-Composite Table 5 Comparisons of Primary Personality Pattern Orders Holland proposed a personality theory which provides a parsimonious means of conceptualizing diverse aspects of vocational and personality development. His theory contends that individuals and environments can be characterized by their resemblance to one of six types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, or Conventional (R, I, A, S, E, C, see Figure 1). Holland views individuals’ vocational and educational choices, preferences, behaviors, and achievements as a function of their personality. Holland’s theory proposes three diagnostic relationships (i.e., congruence, consistency, and differentiation) to assist professionals with their assessments of individuals; he predicts that greater degrees of congruence, consistency, and differentiation will be associated with greater stability, satisfaction, and achievement. When put into an educational perspective, this should equate to greater levels of retention and academic achievement for students. Holland hypothesized an ordering of the primary personality patterns in terms of educational behaviors, asserting that higher educational achievement goes with the following primary personality pattern order: I, S, A, C, E, R. This hypothesis has received limited empirical research with mixed results. However, Holland maintains that this order exists in educational behavior, reaffirming that educational achievement follows the pattern order: Investigative, Social, Artistic, Conventional, Enterprising, and Realistic. The limited and conflicting research on Holland’s hypothesis was the catalyst for this study. Figure 1 Holland’s Hexagonal Model