| Below are examples of the criteria that has been established for the utilization of the Uniform Guidelines of Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP) for the FIREHIRE® Inc. written examination. |
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(All direct quotations from the Guidelines are indented and shown in bold.)
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| In content validity, a selection procedure is justified by showing that it representatively samples significant parts of the job, such as a typing test for a typist. |
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The key idea is that the test is constructed by taking a "representative sample". Thus in classic content validity the content of the test is the same as the content of the job. This is, of course, the source of the name. Sameness is about as strong as a relationship can get!
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| In the technical standards section (14C) the guidelines make clear that those choosing a classic content validity strategy (page 38302): |
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should determine whether it is appropriate to conduct such a study in the particular employment context. A selection procedure can be supported by a content validity strategy to the extent that it is a representative sample of the content of the job.
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Thus using the classic approach is appropriate only if a test can be constructed by taking a representative sample of job content. The standards for demonstrating classic content validity are given in 14C(4):
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To demonstrate the content validity of a selection procedure, a user should show that the behaviors demonstrated in the selection procedure are a representative sample of the behavior(s) of the job in question or that the selection procedure provides a representative sample of the work product of the job.
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| The key word is activity. A work behavior is something that the worker does. Another part of the standards for demonstrating classic content validity require that all aspects of the test closely resemble the job (page 38302, column 3): |
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If a test purports to sample a work behavior or to provide a sample of a work product, the manner and setting of the selection procedure and its level and complexity should closely approximate the work situation. The closer the content and the context of the selection procedure are to work samples or work behaviors, the stronger is the basis for showing content validity. As the content of the selection procedure less resembles a work behavior, or the setting and manner of the administration of the selection procedure less resembles the work situation, or the result less resembles a work product, the less likely the selection procedure is to be content valid, and the greater the need for other evidence of validity.
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