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Taking Affirmative Action in Education and Employment
Author(s) -
Wittig Michele Andrisin
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1996.tb01855.x
Subject(s) - affirmative action , outreach , psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , complement (music) , differential (mechanical device) , order (exchange) , term (time) , personnel selection , action (physics) , social psychology , political science , applied psychology , computer science , economics , engineering , management , law , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , finance , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , complementation , gene , phenotype , aerospace engineering
To complement psychological research evaluating the fairness, feasibility, and effectiveness of affirmative action policies and practices in the U.S., the author discusses the predictive validity of commonly used tests for educational and employment screening and selection and offers recommendations. The success of efforts to improve screening and selection systems rests on coordinating technical considerations and social structural concerns. At the technical level, racial group norming is not a substitute for direct improvement of test validity via the study of shared and unique group predictors. At the same time, affirmative action outreach and training as well as direct efforts to change the conditions that create the need for differential group predictors are in order. These efforts are needed in the short term to overcome barriers to equal opportunity in the long term.