Holland's Theory in a Post-Modern World: - The Career Center ...

Holland’s Theory 26This review has focused on the applicability of the RIASEC structure and theappropriateness of Holland-based assessments outside of the U.S. where these constructs andtools were originally created. It examined the literature published since the Rounds and Tracey(1996) meta-analysis in order to update information about the cross-cultural applicability ofHolland’s RIASEC structure and assessments. This discussion will summarize the overall “fit”of these Holland-based constructs from a global perspective, discuss its applicability to the 21 stcentury, and review limitations and implications for future research.To provide an overall evaluation of the “fit” of Holland’s theory throughout the world,we use the method cited by Leong et al. (1998). This method held that the functional, conceptual,linguistic, and metric equivalence should be evaluated when determining fit of a measure acrosscultures. Studies of Holland’s measures set out to establish cross-cultural equivalence in severalways. Many of the assessments, even when used in English-speaking cultures, were altered incontent to be consistent with the prestige and commonness of occupations in that setting.Research demonstrated that many of the instruments retained conceptual, linguistic, and metricequivalence as evidenced by similar internal consistency. Functional equivalence was not as welldemonstrated with the circular order model not fitting well across several of the cross-culturalsamples.21 st Century ApplicabilityOne purpose of this article was to explore the applicability of Holland’s theorythroughout the world; however, some scholars argue that the post-modern world renders mostestablished vocational theories irrelevant in a world marked by rapid change (e.g., Savickas etal., 2009). We suggest that established vocational theories, such as Holland’s, remain applicable