Construct-driven development of a video-based situational judgment test for integrity: A study in a multi-ethnic police setting

In a field study conducted in a multi-ethnic selection setting at the Dutch police, we examined the construct validity of a video-based situational judgment test (SJT) aimed to measure the construct of integrity. Integrity is of central importance to productive work performance of police officers. We used a sample of police applicants, which consisted of a Dutch ethnic majority group and an ethnic minority group. The ethnic minority applicants came from one of the four largest ethnic minority groups in The Netherlands, namely groups with a Dutch Antillean, a Moroccan, a Surinamese, or a Turkish background. A critical issue is the often-found construct-heterogeneity of SJTs. However, we found that a construct-driven approach may be fruitful in the development of SJTs aiming to measure one single construct. Confirming our expectations, we found support for the construct validity of the SJT intended to measure the construct of integrity. These results held across ethnic majority and ethnic minority applicants. Therefore, the SJT is a promising test for personnel selection in a multi-ethnic setting. © 2010 Hogrefe Publishing.