Showing papers on "Core self-evaluations published in 1992"

Generalizing the importance of occupational and career views to job satisfaction attitudes

Abstract: There is a preponderance of theory postulating that the level of job satisfaction is a direct function of the perceived discrepancy between what the employee desires from a job and what the employee actually receives from it. To date, the only job satisfaction research program that has systematically examined the relationship between job satisfaction and the degree to which perceptions of job rewards match the expressed desires of the individual is that conducted by the Minnesota Work Adjustment Project (MWAP). Although the MWAP has had success in predicting job satisfaction some of the time, it also encounters many unpredictable cases. Based on research with industrial R&D personnel, Scarpello and Campbell (1983a) suggested that one reason for the unpredictable cases is that people's views of their occupations and careers help explain their reactions to current job situations. This paper discusses the limitations of the MWAP for job satisfaction research and reports the results of a study with 806 manufacturing plant employees, that assessed the external validity and thus, generalizability of Scarpello and Campbell's (1983a) findings. Results supported the external validity and generalizability of the previous findings. Implications for future job satisfaction research are discussed.

Ability as a moderator of the relationship between personality and job performance.

Abstract: This study tested the validity of the use of personality tests with aptitude tests as predictors of performance for 203 warehousers. Results indicated cognitive ability explained a significant 2% o...

The policy implications of job satisfaction ratings for recruiting and retaining early childhood teachers

Abstract: This paper analyzes the policy implications of the relationships among early childhood teachers' ratings of job satisfaction, their opinions of proposed reforms for improving the teaching profession, and their likelihood of leaving their jobs. Survey data from 559 teachers (336 public school, 134 Day Care and 89 Head Start) showed that teacher job satisfaction was positively related to their pay and working conditions. Job satisfaction, in turn, was negatively related to likelihood of a job change. These results are discussed in the context of shaping policies to assure a stable early childhood workforce.

An examination of referent selection

Abstract: Using two different methods of assessment, the goal of the present research was twofold: (1) to examine the relative influence that different standards of comparison have in determining satisfaction with various job facets; and (2) to examine the relative consistency of each standard's influence across job facets. According to both direct reports and the strength of empirical relationships, the results indicated that some standards of comparison were stronger predictors of facet satisfaction than others. The consistency of a standard's influence or predictive power depended on the particular standard of comparison under consideration. Some standards were consis- tently strong or consistently weak predictors of facet satisfaction, regardless of the particular job facet. However, for other standards of comparison, the amount of predictive influence depended on the particular job facet. Within the context of discrepancy-based theories of job satisfaction, results are discussed in terms of their comparability across the two different methods of assessment, and the directions they suggest for future research. The question of how to enhance workers' feelings of job satisfaction has long plagued both managers and researchers alike. Within the field of industrial and organizational psychology, job satisfaction is one of the most intensely studied topics. Indeed, the quantity of job satisfaction research is somewhat overwhelming. As of 1976, Locke (1976) esti- mated that there were 3000 books, articles, and dissertations devoted to this topic. Today, the total number of publications must easily exceed 5000. In view of the shrinking labor market, and the concomitant interest in employee recruitment and retention, we can only expect continued, if not enhanced, interest in job satisfaction research.

The effect of social support on job satisfaction at the varying levels of job stress and task structure

Abstract: Thirty six males, 18 with high and 18 with low levels of experience with children were compared in three consecutive settings (unstructured, structured, unstructured) with a trained child confederate. Verbal behavior, content of conversation and nonverbal behaviors were measured. Personality and family characteristics were obtained through the completion of a questionnaire immediately following the experimental sessions but were not analyzed in the present study. Significance was not obtained for experience level with any of the dependent measures. Sex of confederate effects were also not found except for the proximity measure. Men consistently sat closer to the boys in all three settings. Setting effects for proximity revealed that men sat closer to both boys and girls in the last two settings, compared to the first setting. Setting effects were obtained for number of words spoken by the adult, with more words spoken during the unstructured settings than in the structured setting. Men also exhibited more head nods in the unstructured settings, suggesting attentiveness during the unstructured settings and preoccupation with the task during the structured setting. Men leaned forward more in the structured setting, which seemed to be a function of the task itself. Experience level, per se, may produce too subtle of an effect for accurate measurement utilizing these procedures. Future studies should, therefore, focus on different types of experience, rather than solely on the amount of experience with children.