1. WPI-II for Pharmacy Schools
AACP TechXPO
Nashville, TN
July 16, 2017
5:00-5:30 p.m.
Copyright © 2017 NCS Pearson, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Prepared for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.  Not for public distribution.

2. WELCOME
Background information on assessing non-cognitive characteristics
What is the WPI–II?
The WPI–II Study
2014–2016
How can the WPI–II be used by pharmacy schools?
Questions?

3. Background information on assessing non-cognitive characteristics

4. Non-Cognitive Characteristics
A person’s attitudes, behaviors, and habits of mind in everyday personal and professional situations
The characteristics other people might use to describe an individual:
— “She is calm, even tempered and rarely gets anxious.”
— “He is very inquisitive and innovative.”
— “She enjoys change and variety at work.”
— “He recognizes when he lacks sufficient information to make a decision.”
Useful to identify non-academic, non-intellectual distinctions and comparisons between people

5. Measuring Non-Cognitive Characteristics
Via questionnaires, which are:
Rigorously developed according to best practice standards
Administered in a standardized way
Scored and interpreted in a standardized way
Fair – Non-discriminatory against any ethnic, gender, national, or religious group
Reliable – Accurate and consistent over time
Valid – Appropriate for the intended purpose

6. What is the WPI-II?

7. Workplace Personality Inventory – II (WPI–II)
WPI introduced in 2007
Revised as WPI–II in 2013
Measurement aims:
Work relevant
Easy to interpret
Reliable, valid, and fair
Resistant to faking
Reasonably short
16 Work Styles linked directly to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network: O*Net

8. WPI–II Domains &Work Style Behaviors
Achievement/Effort Initiative Persistence
Achievement Orientation
Interpersonal Orientation
Concern for Others Cooperation
Independence Analytical Thinking Innovation
Practical Intelligence
Social Influence
Social Orientation Leadership Orientation
Domains
Attention to Detail Dependability Rule Following
Self Adjustment
Self Control Stress Tolerance Adaptability/Flexibility
Conscientiousness
Work Style Scales

9. Achievement Orientation:
WPI–II Domains & Work Styles Behaviors
Achievement Orientation:
Achievement/Effort – Establishes and exerts extensive effort toward achieving challenging work goals. Persistence – Tends to be highly persistent on the job, even when faced with obstacles or difficulties. Initiative – Enjoys taking on new or additional work responsibilities and challenges.
Social Influence:
Leadership Orientation – Is quick to take charge, lead others and offer options; very high scores may be overly assertive at times.
Social Orientation – Enjoys working with others; actively seeks out personal connections; very high scores may not be comfortable working alone.

10. Interpersonal Orientation:
WPI–II Domains & Work Style Behaviors
Self Adjustment:
Self Control – Keeps emotions in check even in difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance – Remains calm in high pressure situations; accepts criticism.
Adaptability/Flexibility – Enjoys change and variety in the workplace; comfortable with ambiguity.
Interpersonal Orientation:
Cooperation – Is likely to be seen by others as good-natured, approachable and quick to help others. Concern for Others – Viewed by others as perceptive and caring, able to discern other peoples’ feelings and needs.

11. WPI–II Domains & Work Style Behaviors
Conscientiousness:
Dependability – Seeks to consistently fulfill obligations with quality work. Attention to Detail – Is likely to excel at tasks requiring a strong focus on details and thoroughness. Rule Following – Strictly adheres to rules and regulations; does things “by the book.”
Practical Intelligence:
Innovation – Enjoys producing new or creative ideas to address work-related issues or problems.
Analytical Thinking – Enjoys analyzing complex issues in depth and using logic to address work-related issues or problems.
Independence – Prefers freedom to guide self with little or no supervision; develops own way of doing things; deals comfortably with ambiguity.

12. WPI–II Structure 192 Questions 25–35 minutes to complete
Work-relevant content
Non-academic in nature

13. WPI–II Sample Questions
“I have a reputation for carefully checking details.” (Attention to Detail)
“Others have said that I am calm under stress.” (Stress Tolerance)
Response options as a 4-point rating scale:
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
11-12 questions per scale
Scores on each Work Scale are computed based on the responses to the questions

14. WPI–II Results Reports
Development Report for the individual examinee
Profile Report for each score recipient school
Percentile scores on the work performance domains
Percentile scores on the 16 work style behaviors
Percentile scores that represent comparison to norm group
Suggestions on how to strengthen areas of weakness

15. Sample Page from a Development Report
How the individual compares to peers
Typical behaviors
Coaching tips for manager or mentor
Development suggestions for the individual

16. Sample Page from a Profile Report
How the individual compares to peers
Unlikely Virtues Score:
An indication of deliberate
attempt to portray
oneself favorably
Development suggestions for the manager
or mentor

17. The WPI–II Study 2014–2016

18. Purpose of the WPI-II Study
To use the WPI–II to evaluate the degree to which P4 students exhibit customer-oriented characteristics identified by the PCAT Advisory Committee as desirable for pharmacy school and subsequent work as a professional pharmacist
To collect comparative data to validate the P4 student data:
P1 students
Professional pharmacists
Mangers (a current WPI–II norm group)
All working adults in the U.S. (a current WPI–II norm group)
To determine the sample most appropriate to use as a norm group for assessing the non-cognitive characteristics of applicants to pharmacy school

19. WPI-II Mean and Standard Deviation Raw Score Comparisons

20. WPI-II Domains and Work Style Behaviors Matched with Customer-Oriented Characteristics Identified by the PCAT Advisory Committee
WPI–II domains/work style behaviors
PCAT Advisory Committee customer-oriented characteristics
Achievement Orientation
Persistence
Commitment to care
Interpersonal Orientation
Concern for Others
Cooperation
Interpersonal skills; Teamwork
Practical Intelligence
Analytical Thinking
Critical thinking
Innovation
Inquisitiveness/intellectual curiosity
Self Adjustment
Self Control
Interpersonal skills

21. Conclusions and Recommendations
P1 students ranked above the 50th percentile rank (PR) on all the work styles associated with a customer-oriented characteristic, with the highest PRs in:
“Ethical Reasoning/Integrity” and
“Interpersonal Skills” (Self Control and Cooperation)
The P4 students ranked above the 50th PR on all but one of the work styles associated with a customer-oriented characteristic, with the highest PRs for one of the work styles identified with:
“Commitment to Care” (Concern for Others) and
“Interpersonal Skills” (Cooperation)

22. Conclusions and Recommendations
P4 group is the appropriate sample to use for norms due to:
Demographic similarity between the P4 sample and population of pharmacy program enrollees
Close similarity between the raw score means for the P4 students and pharmacists
Relatively few number of medium or large standard differences (effect sizes) between the scores of the P4 and pharmacist samples

23. How can the WPI–II be used by pharmacy schools?

24. Using the WPI–II The study findings suggest that:
Five of the six customer-oriented characteristics identified by the PCAT Advisory Committee match one or more of the work styles measured by the WPI–II.
The P4 sample constitutes an appropriate norm group for assessing pharmacy school students.
For these reasons, the WPI–II is appropriate for use by pharmacy schools to:
Assess the non-cognitive characteristics of applicants to professional pharmacy school programs.
Assess changes in students’ non-cognitive characteristics during the course of a professional pharmacy course of study.

25. Using the WPI–II Taking the WPI–II and Receiving the Scores:
Each candidate registers and pays for the WPI–II at any computer with Internet access.
At the time of registration, the candidate indicates the pharmacy schools to receive a WPI–II Profile Report.
Immediately after completing the WPI–II, the candidate receives a Development Report suggesting work-based characteristics that are strengths and that can be improved.
At the same time, a WPI–II Profile Report for the candidate is sent via to each designated pharmacy school.

26. Using the WPI–II For More Information
Additional information about the WPI–II can be found at the website below, including:
Scoring and reporting
Sample Development and Profile Reports
A WPI–II Technical Manual
Final.pdf

27. Questions?

28. CONTACT INFORMATION: *Cindy Agonis *Don Meagher *Rachel Wegner *Nat Ybarra