INVENTORIES

 INVENTORIES

                Inventories as an instrument of inquiry and data collection device that are most commonly and successfully used in the area of personality assessment. A number of attributes associated with personality characteristics and psychological state of the individual such as interest, temperament, attitude ,adjustment etc can be properly assessed through the use of inventories. In simple terms, an inventory is nothing but a self-reporting question

  CHARACTERISTICS

• It is a user- friendly device for obtaining information about the subjects.

• It helps the researcher to collect data about the subject's overt behavior the persons feelings about himself, other persons and his environment, resulting from introspection.

• This measuring device can be successfully used by the researchers in behavioral sciences.

• The administration of the inventories are quiet simple.

• It helps to overcome the subjectivity and time- consuming nature of individual interview.

• It provides an inquiry that is uniform in presentation and procedure for evaluation.

• An inventory contains standard set of questions presented in a standard way and scored with a standard scoring key.

  PURPOSES/ USES

• It helps the researcher to understand the subjects in a better way

• It helps to assess the overt as well as covert, conscious as well as unconscious, introvert as well as extrovert, adjusted as well as maladjusted and normal as well as abnormal behavior of the subjects 

• It helps to assess the interest, temperament, attitude, adjustment, life history, feelings, preferences etc.

• It gives direction and magnitude to one's way of behaving and living.

• It helps to provide educational as well as vocational guidance

• It provide data that are useful in suggesting the need for further analysis .

• It can be used as a research device to identify and describe the nature of the problems facing individuals and group in a school.

TYPES

1   PERSONALITY INVENTORY

    'Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of these

psycho social systems that determines his unique adjustment with the environment'

                                                                                                                    Allport

“Personality inventory is essentially a questionnaire in which a person report his / etc.” her feelings in a situation. It is assigned to measure single dimension of personality or general personality traits. eg -introversion, extroversion, dominance, submission

EXAMPLES

1. Allport Ascendence - Submission Inventory

2. Eysenck Personality Inventory

3. California Personality Inventory

4.Cornell Index

5. Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI)

2 ADJUSTMENT INVENTORY

A self -reporting questionnaire asking the subjects of the study to respond to the items of the instrument for providing the information helpful in drawing conclusion about the adjustment level of the subjects.

EXAMPLES

Bell Adjustment Inventory 

Heston Adjustment Inventory 

            Mooney adjustment invent     

           Asthana's adjustment inventory

           Mangal's adjustment inventory

          3 INTEREST INVENTORIES

              Interest blanks or inventories are examples of self - reporting instruments in to which individuals note their own likes and dislikes. These self- report instruments are really standardized in which the subjects, through introspection, indicates feelings that may be interpreted in terms of what is known about interest pattern. Interest inventories attempt yield a measure of the types of activities that an individual has a tendency to like and to choose.

EXAMPLES

• Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB)

• Kuder Preference Record

• Strong Cambell Interest Inventory.

• Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory

         ADVANTAGES 

• Interest inventories if administered to pupils will help them become aware of themself , about their own likes and dislikes.

• It can be used in the guidance and counselling programmes.

• It is effective in prediction of occupational arca

• It provides valuable information about general and specific interests of individual pupils

       LIMITATIONS

• If the subjects do not have sufficient self - understanding they may not be able to give true responses.

• Pupils who are in the process of development are changing and their interest are also liable to change.

• It is often not possible to base any judgements on transient or changing factors.

• Providing vocational and educational guidance on the basis of interest data alone may prove to be undesirable and hazardous

Strengths and Weaknesses of Self-Report Inventories in research

Self-report inventories are often a good solution when researchers need to administer a large number of tests in relatively short space of time. Many self-report inventories can be completed very quickly, often in as little as 15 minutes. This type of questionnaire is an affordable option for researchers faced with tight budgets.

Another strength is that the results of self-report inventories are generally much more reliable and valid than projective tests. Scoring of the tests a standardized and based on norms that have been previously established.

However, self-report inventories do have their weaknesses. For example, while many tests implement strategies to prevent "faking good" or "faking bad" (essentially pretending to be better or worse that one really is), research has shown that people are able to exercise deception while taking self-report tests.

Another weakness is that some tests are very long and tedious. For example, the MMPI takes approximately 3 hours to complete. In some cases, test respondents may simply lose interest and not answer questions accurately. Additionally, people are sometimes not the best judges of their own behaviour. Some individuals may try to hide their own feelings, thoughts, and attitudes.

References

Best .J.W.,&Kahn,J.V.(2010).Research in Education. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of  India Pvt Ltd

Koul,L.(2002).Methodology of Educational Research. New Delhi: Vikas  Publishing House.

Mangal, S.K.(2013).Research Methodology in Behavioural Sciences. New Delhi:PHI Learning Pvt Ltd