Researcher was introduced to the Keirsey instrument during 1996 and has since done evaluation and training of numerous people. The Keirsey instrument is a well-known self-assessment tool in America to help people understand themselves and those around them better – hence the name of the books “Please Understand Me” and “Please Understand Me II” For many years, it was accepted that all psychometric measuring had to be done by psychometrists and that Social Workers were not qualified to do any testing. In 1995, “a new concept “ecometrics” was defined and contextualized ….. The concept is of particular value in social work theory and practice …….. Ecometrics should be developed as a sub-discipline in social work …….” (Van Zyl 1995:30) The Main goal of this study is to do a critical evaluation of the Keirsey instrument of assessment from an ecometric perspective for use in South Africa. The objectives of the study would then be • To evaluate the Keirsey instrument in terms of the social work literature. • To explore the user value of the Keirsey instrument by means of the inputs of other frequent users. • To evaluate the Keirsey instrument against the most important ecometric development methodology. It is proposed to evaluate not only the original English Questionnaire, but also researchers’ own Afrikaans translation of the questionnaire. “That people are highly formed at birth, with fundamentally different temperaments or predispositions to act in certain ways, is a very old idea. Hippocrates first proposed it in outline around 370B.C., and Plato was more interested in the individual’s contribution to the social order than in underlying temperaments. Sigmund Freud claimed that we are all driven from within by instinctual lust and was followed by many others……. Then, in 1920, a Swiss physician named Carl Jung disagreed………… He claimed that people have a multitude of instincts, what he called ‘archetypes’ ……. and presented what he termed the ‘functional types’ or ‘psychological types’” (Keirsey 1998:2-3) It is important to note that social workers are familiar with the concept of ‘social functioning’ and researcher would like to address this aspect as part of the problem formulation. “It is the social context that determines which kind of personality will be more effective,” says Keirsey. (Keirsey 1998:3). This is exactly what researcher will be trying to establish in this study – the social context that influences the way a person react to certain incidents or issues. According to Faul and Hudson, “social work is a unique profession that operates within a specific value base. It is also a profession that is mainly involved with the enhancement of social functioning and the importance of the adaptation of the individual in his environment. Because of this, scale development in social work form part of certain unique processes that must be followed to distinguish them from other professions. (Faul & Hudson 1999:8). It would thus be important to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Keirsey instrument (although the original developer is of the opinion that it is a nearly impossible task to validate any questionnaire) for use as an ecometric–scale by the social work-profession in South Africa. If ecometry is the methodology of measurement of all aspects of social work, and focuses on the manner in which people adapt in their environments as Van Zyl claims (Van Zyl 1995:30), then it seems appropriate to help all individuals to function as effective as possible – taking their character and temperament into consideration – within their own frame of reference. The client can be empowered to understand his- or herself better and thus taking responsibility for his or her own functioning by enhancing their self-esteem. Faul and Hudson state that “ecometrics does not seek to diagnose or classify, but to measure social functioning, with the emphasis on behavioural strengths and positive coping skills” (Faul & Hudson 1999:21). The objective of this research project would be to try to argument that by using the Keirsey instrument, clients can be helped to overcome their own feelings of helplessness and lack of self-confidence that often lie at the root of their dysfunctional behaviour within their social context. It is also important to note in this regard, that Fauls’ study has been established as an accepted methodology in the field of ecometrics – a methodology that would be used in this research project. The South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) also realised the need for social workers to be empowered to assess clients’ functioning in their ecological context, and started a process for the accreditation of social work assessment instruments early in 2001. The SACSSP currently have a subcommittee to evaluate and accredit ecometric scales for use by social workers. Mouton and Marais defines a research design as “an exposition or plan of how the researcher decided to execute the formulated research problem. The objective of the research design is to plan, structure and execute the project concerned in such a way that the validity of the findings are maximized.” (Mouton & Marais 1996:193) According to De Vos et al, the developmental research and utilization model (also described as intervention research) can be used very effectively in the South African context. (De Vos et al 1998:384). This study will utilise the developmental research design as an existing tool will be evaluated for use in an ecometric context by social workers. Instead of “re-inventing the wheel”, knowledge acquired by Jung, Myers, Briggs, Keirsey and Bates amongst others, can be utilized to empower qualified social workers, in an ecometric context. / Dr. Wim Roestenburg
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:3412 |
| Date | 23 June 2008 |
| Creators | Struwig, Antoinette |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
Page generated in 0.003 seconds