Gordon’s Survey of Personal Values

Akshay Sharan

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Note: This test review was published by BPS in 2003

Description of the Test

The SPV provides measures of the relative importance of six areas of personal values - Practical mindedness (P), Achievement (A), Variety (V), Decisiveness (D), Orderliness (O), and Goal orientation (G). It uses a forced-choice format, and the instrument consists of 30 sets of three statements. Statements within a triad represent different value dimensions, and are balanced for social desirability. Interpretation of the SPV is based mainly on the profile of all six scales, but scores on individual scales can also be used. The SPV is a two-page document (three sides). On the first side is an explanation of the instructions for candidates. These are designed to be self-explanatory, so that there is no need for the tester to introduce the questionnaire. The instrument itself consists of 30 sets of statements. Each set contains three statements. The test taker has to choose one of the statements as representing what is most important to him or her, one statement as representing what is least important. There is no time limit for completing the questionnaire, although it is suggested that most finish within 15 minutes. The questionnaires are then scored using a hand overlay stencil, which is aligned in six different positions to count the number of statements ticked indicative of each value. There is also a method of checking both that the scoring has been done properly, and that the candidate has answered correctly - the scale scores must always sum to 90 if everything has been done correctly. The SPV is related in construction to the Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV).

Authors: Leonard V. Gordon

Test Publisher: GL Assessment


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