Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA).

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA) by examining its factor structure and subscale reliability.

METHOD: This prospective cross-sectional study used two surveys (one for worker abilities and one for job demands) to collect the data needed for the psychometric evaluation of the VFA. Latent parallel analysis and ordinal exploratory factor analysis were used to iteratively refine VFA subscales.

RESULTS

Ten unidimensional subscales emerged from factor analysis of VFA items: (1) Cognitive Abilities, (2) Communication Skills, (3) Computer Skills, (4) Higher Task-Related Abilities, (5) Interpersonal Skills, (6) Lower Task-Related Abilities, (7) Physical Abilities, (8) Safety, (9) Self-Determination, and (10) Work Structure. Subscale internal consistency (ordinal α) was ≥.86 for VFA for worker abilities and ≥.77 for VFA for job demands.

CONCLUSION

The unidimensional structure of VFA subscales and estimates of internal consistency lend initial evidence in support of their reliability and validity.