| dc.description.abstract | Psychological testing in South Africa has been placed under the spotlight since the inception of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, which consequently has a significant bearing on employment testing in organisations. Whilst the value of psychological testing is not denied, it becomes important to determine whether the psychological tests used in organisations are suitable for use in certain cultural groups. The main purpose of this research is thus to determine whether the results of the Occupational Personality Profile (OPP) are comparable in a cross cultural setting such as the Public Service.
The sample consisted of 270 individuals, identified for participation through their application for senior management positions in the organisation or for developmental purposes. The sample was divided into African and White individuals as well as males and females from different language backgrounds. Descriptive statistics were conducted in order to test for significant differences as well as Cronbach's coefficient alpha in order to examine the internal consistency of the constructs of the OPP.
The results showed that the gender variable did not have any significant influence on the scores obtained. Where the language groups are concerned, the African language group obtained lower means than the Afrikaans and English language groups, although only on some of the constructs of the OPP. Significant differences between the means of the African and White respondents were further found on the majority of the constructs. In general, the studies further revealed acceptable reliability coefficients. However, the results of the reliability studies revealed specific problems with the Motivational Distortion scale for the African and White and male and female sub-samples, as well as the Reserved-Gregarious scale, specifically for the White respondents, suggesting very low reliability coefficients. Significant differences between means for the African and White respondents and the relevant norm group were further found on many of the constructs of the OPP. Research to assess why these discrepancies exist and the likely practical implications for the Public Service was subsequently recommended. | en_US |
