Using the Differential Aptitude Tests for Selection and Prediction in Vocational Education and Training

Abstract

The Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) were first published in 1947 and have undergone numerous revisions since then. The tests were standardised in Australia and New Zealand in 1983 and are widely used by guidance counsellors, vocational psychologists, schools and business organisations. This paper reports the findings of a study focusing on the validity of the DAT as a predictor of performance in a post-secondary technical training program. Four subtests from the eight-test battery were used to predict student performance in two electronic engineering units: Electronic Principles and Digital Electronics. The sample consisted of 213 electronic engineering students with a mean age of 21.4 years (SD = 9.5 years). Principal Components Analysis and unweighted least squares factor analysis suggested that the DAT measures general ability and that its differential nature is limited. Hierarchical multiple regression was performed to measure the strength of association between the predictor variables and the criterion measures. The regression analysis indicated that general ability accounted for most of the variance in the criterion measures, ranging between 37 and 41% while specific abilities added, at most, 4% to these figures.

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