Efficacy and cost of 'My Strengths' Test.

Department for Work and Pensions did not have the information requested.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

I am writing to request all information about the efficacy of the 'My Strengths' (http://www.behaviourlibrary.com/strength... test, from any internal external memos, emails, faxes and any other correspondence.

With specific regard to:

1. Does the test provide a constant measure of characteristics despite background fluctuations?

2. Do the results reflect an accurate measure of a persons ability?

3. Does the test have any test-retest reliability?

4. How internally consistent are the questions on the test with regards to characteristics and qualities?

4.1 How was the Cronbach's alpha determined?

And lastly,

Could you provide an itemised breakdown of the cost of the 'My Strengths' test, from idea, inception, development, testing, delivery and current maintenance and hosting.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Barsby

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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John Slater left an annotation ()

I've done more of these so-called tests than I care to remember over the years but this one is utter rubbish.

I ran through it twice. The first time always selecting the most like me answer and the second time selecting most unlike me answer and guess what, I got exactly the same answer word for word.

I do hope that the DWP hasn't actually paid any money for this.

Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Mr Barsby
 
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Dear Operations FOI Requests,

Thank you for your reply, however it hardly addressed any of my questions. 

I didn’t ask about what academic research the ‘My Strengths’ test was based on, nor how wide it was. My questions are about the validity of the psychometric test itself. 

In you reply, you state that research “shows that helping people self-identify their strengths”, I assume this was the goal of the test. If this is the case, then my questions are even more pertinent, as they will show how valid the test is at helping people identify their strengths.

With that in mind, could you please address the questions I put forward originally, I shall restate them again with some added clarification for you convenience. 

1. Does the test provide a constant measure of characteristics
despite background fluctuations?

In essence a persons mood changes daily, is the survey reliable in the sense it provides a consistent measure of an individuals important characteristics, as such does it reflect a “true” score. 

2. Do the results reflect an accurate measure of a person’s ability?

3. Does the test have any test-retest reliability?

Will the results of the survey be different or the same if two individuals with vastly different characteristics take the survey.

4. How internally consistent are the questions on the test with
regards to characteristics and qualities?

How consistent are the questions and results of the survey to the characteristics, attitudes and qualities that the test is meant to help people identify they possess.

4.1 How was the Cronbach's alpha determined?

How was the coefficient alpha determined, how well do the different items in the survey complement each other in their measurement of the same quality. Was any internal consistency considered?

I note your response that there was no development costs or procurement costs, however what about delivery, current maintenance and hosting fees?

Yours sincerely,

Peter Barsby

GEOFFREY REYNOLDS (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

The £520,000-a-year Cabinet Office unit run by Dr David Halpern was told by VIA – whose members devised the personality test – to stop using the questionnaire because it had failed its scientific validation.

Last week, the Guardian revealed that a single mother of two said she was threatened with having her benefits removed if she didn't complete the "my strengths" character survey. It asked users to give graded answers to questions such as "I never go out of my way to visit museums" and "I have not created anything of beauty in the last year".

Official letters sent to jobseekers by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stated that the test was "scientifically shown to find people's strengths".

GEOFFREY REYNOLDS (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

....and this is the "brains" behind the test....

Not the nutcase MARTIN SELIGMAN who thought he could cure homosexuality and turn them into heterosexuals...

What was Seligman’s previous work?

Martin Seligman is not a stranger to controversy.

After graduating from the Princeton University in 1964 Seligman he decided to follow an academic career and went on to study for his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. It was there as a PhD student there that he worked on using aversion to treat homosexuality. However Seligman later noted that this work was seriously flawed.

Sadly, for the DWP, this came too late.....
He disappeared over the hillside, fat cheque in hand..

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'Efficacy and cost of 'My Strengths' Test.'.

The DWP obfuscated in an addressing my original question and did not address any of the points I asked.

After receiving an unsatisfactory response, I restated my questions with added emphasis and clarity, to which I have heard nothing.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ef...

Yours faithfully,

Peter Barsby

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.

By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct. 

If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.

Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

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References

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Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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Please see the response to your Freedom of Information Internal Review
requests reference 465 and 525.

 

DWP Freedom of Information

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Operations FOI Requests, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Please see the response to your Freedom of Information Internal Review
requests reference 465 and 525.

 

DWP Freedom of Information

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