Interest fit and job satisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Personal values and career-related preferences among young adults

OBJECTIVE

The present study investigated personal values underlying career-related preferences among young adults deliberating on their career choice. As a fundamental component of one's identity, personal values can offer valuable insights into how individuals prioritize their career-related preferences.

METHOD

We employed two complementary approaches: variable-centered and person-centered, using a sample of 636 young adults (69.5% women; Mage = 21.9, SD = 2.12).

RESULTS

Using a variable-centered approach, we identified 14 value-expressive career-related preferences, demonstrating that individuals are less willing to compromise on these preferences than on non value-expressive preferences. Using a person-centered approach, we applied latent profile analysis to identify four groups of young adults with distinct value profiles: (1) growth-focus (n = 212; 33.3%), (2) protection-focus (n = 206; 32.4%), (3) self-focus (n = 122; 19.2%), and (4) social-focus (n = 96; 15.1%). Importantly, the four profiles varied in 18 of 31 career-related preferences, revealing the composition of values underlying these career preferences. Fourteen of these preferences were identified as value-expressive in a variable-centered approach.

CONCLUSION

The two complementary approaches employed in the present study introduce a fine-grained understanding of the value-expressiveness of career-related preferences.

Effects of person-job fit on occupational commitment among kindergarten teachers: occupational well-being as mediator and perceived organizational support as moderator

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of person-job fit on occupational commitment among Chinese kindergarten teachers, and to identify strategies for improving the occupational commitment of this professional group.

METHODS

A survey was conducted among kindergarten teachers utilizing the Occupational Commitment Scale, Person-job Fit Scale, Occupational Well-being Scale, and Perceived Organizational Support Scale, resulting in the acquisition of 1539 valid data.

RESULTS

A significant positive correlation was observed between person-job fit and occupational commitment, with occupational well-being serving as a partial mediator in this association. Additionally, the direct effect of person-job fit on occupational commitment was moderated by perceived organizational support. Specifically, a significant positive correlation between person-job fit and occupational commitment was evident when the scores of perceived organizational support were below 0.21, whereas a significant negative correlation was observed when the scores of perceived organizational support were above 1.67.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to enhance the degree of occupational commitment among kindergarten teachers, it is imperative to pay attention to their person-job fit, perceived organizational support, and occupational well-being.

The Role of Subjective Expectations for Exhaustion and Recovery: The Sample Case of Work and Leisure

We propose a new model of exhaustion and recovery that posits that people evaluate an activity as exhausting or recovering on the basis of the subjective expectation about how exhausting or recovering activities related to a certain life domain are. To exemplify the model, we focus as a first step on the widely shared expectations that work is exhausting and leisure is recovering. We assume that the association of an activity related to a life domain associated with exhaustion (e.g., work) leads people to monitor their experiences and selectively attend to signs of exhaustion; in contrast, while pursuing an activity related to a life domain associated with recovery (e.g., leisure), people preferentially process signs of recovery. We further posit that the preferential processing of signs of exhaustion (vs. recovery) leads to experiencing more exhaustion when pursuing activities expected to be exhausting (e.g., work activities) and more recovery when pursuing activities expected to be recovering (e.g., leisure activities). This motivational process model of exhaustion and recovery provides new testable hypotheses that differ from predictions derived from limited-resource models.

Resilience and Job Satisfaction: Effect of Moderated Mediation on the Influence of interpersonal Justice on the Performance of Public Servants

The perception of interpersonal justice is one of the key resources for improving employees' performance intention. Elements such as employees' level of satisfaction or their self-perception of their ability to cope with problematic situations are key factors in this relationship according to the job demands-resources model. The objective of this study was to analyze how the perception of job satisfaction and the self-perception of resilience influence how interpersonal justice affects employee performance. A total of 315 public sector employees, who perform administrative and customer service tasks, have contributed to this study. The results show that the relationship between interpersonal justice and intra-role performance is completely mediated by job satisfaction; however, when we include the modulating effect of resilience between interpersonal justice and job satisfaction, the influence of the former is reduced as the self-perception of resilience. This indicates that the positive effects of justice are reduced as workers' self-perception of resilience increases.

Exploring Late Adolescents’ Experiences with Career-Related Messages on Entertainment TV and in Social Media in Belgium: A Focus Group Study

Media is an important socialization actor through which adolescents can learn about careers. Nine focus group interviews were conducted with 44 late adolescents ( Mage = 16.27; SDage= 0.54; 56.82% female) in high schools in Belgium to explore how youth in this age group receive career-related messages, the work tasks, skills, values, and ethics that are cultivated, and the ways adolescents experience and judge the perceived realism of career-related messages received via entertainment TV/social media. A combined inductive and deductive thematic analysis of the data revealed various pathways through which adolescents intentionally and unintentionally received career-related messages. Moreover, the adolescents had been cultivated to value specific work tasks/skills (e.g., social skills) and intrinsic and extrinsic work values and work ethics (e.g., working hard to succeed, centrality of work) when consuming career-related messages through TV/social media. Lastly, the perceived realism of such messages depended on content elements (e.g., a balanced portrayal of work values). Differences related to career-related messages on social media versus entertainment TV were observed. Practical implications for various groups (e.g., career counselors, media content producers) are discussed.

Psychometrische Überprüfung des Berufswahl- und Laufbahnplanungsinstruments Explorix

Zusammenfassung. Das Instrument Explorix, eine Adaptation des Testverfahrens Self-Directed Search (SDS) von John Holland für den deutschsprachigen Raum, wird in einer Serie von Analysen psychometrisch evaluiert. Grundlage ist ein Datensatz mit N = 40 053 (56 % weiblich) Personen. Aufbauend auf Item- und Skalenanalysen werden eine Multitrait-Multimethod-Analyse, konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen sowie weitere Methoden zur Prüfung der zugrundeliegenden Strukturhypothese angewendet. Die Item- und Skalenqualität erfüllt oder übertrifft in weiten Teilen die Anforderungen an die Qualität psychometrischer Verfahren. Die MTMM-Analyse und auch die Faktorenanalysen untermauern überdies die konvergente und divergente Validität der verschiedenen Testabschnitte. Schwächen zeigt Explorix im Hinblick auf die zugrundeliegende Strukturhypothese sowie in der Berücksichtigung neuer Berufs- und Interessenfelder.

Development of the short Creative Expression Interest Scale based on item response theory

This study develops a short Creative Expression Interest Scale (CEIS) among Chinese freshmen based on the perspective of item response theory (IRT). Nine hundred fifty-nine valid Chinese freshmen participated in the Creative Expression Interest survey. Researchers applied the initial data for unidimensionality, item fit, discrimination parameter, and differential item functioning to obtain a short CEIS. The results show that the Short CEIS meets the psychometric requirements of the IRT. Pearson correlation coefficient of theta between the short and long CEIS is 0.922. The marginal reliability of the short CEIS is 0.799. These indicate that the short CEIS developed in this study among Chinese freshmen, meets the psychometric requirements. Although the Short CEIS can eliminate redundant, uninformative items, save time, and improve the quality of data collection. However, the validity of this short scale needs further validation.

Does the Attainment of Vocational Aspirations Make Youths Happy?

The current study aims to investigate the developmental perspective on the relationships between person-vocation (P-V) fit and its criteria (extrinsic job satisfaction, workplace satisfaction, and happiness) using longitudinal data of 1041 youths in South Korea. While most previous studies on P-V fit examined the fit between vocational interests and characteristics of actual vocation, we examined the fit between aspired and attained occupation in its prestige levels. We utilized data collected at two time points with an 8-year interval: when the participants were high school seniors and when they were in early adulthood. Polynomial regression and response surface graphs revealed that the levels of the criteria increased as attained occupation matched with the aspired occupation at a high-high fit compared to a low-low fit. However, P-V misfit did not have a systematic relationship with any criteria. Happiness was the most relevant outcome, suggesting important implications regarding youths’ vocational aspirations and attainment.

What Do Interest Inventories Measure? The Convergence and Content Validity of Four RIASEC Inventories

Despite the widespread use of RIASEC interest inventories, little is known about whether these inventories actually measure the same core constructs and provide similar career recommendations to individuals. This study investigates the construct validity among four major interest inventories—the Self-Directed Search (SDS), O*NET Interest Profiler (IP), ACT Interest Inventory (UNIACT), and Strong Interest Inventory (SII). Results showed that RIASEC interest scores from the four inventories were highly correlated, but the measures often gave respondents different high-point codes. Item content analysis revealed that the basic interests reflected in each RIASEC scale both overlapped and diverged across inventories, providing an explanation for why RIASEC inventories are not interchangeable. We integrate findings across our analyses to offer cautionary notes for choosing among established RIASEC inventories and interpreting interest results. Furthermore, we also provide recommendations for constructing the next generation of basic interest inventories.

Stereotypical descriptions of computer science career interests are not representative of many computer scientists

Using responses from a large respondent-initiated online survey, we find that the career interests of many current and aspiring computer scientists in the United States diverge from a popular and official depiction of computer scientists' interests used for career and workforce development worldwide. Distinct profiles of career interests emerged from the data. These profiles suggest that many women in the field value social and artistic expression in a way not currently recognized by established depictions of computer scientists' interests. Better capturing the diversity of interests in computer science might help to boost women's, and men's, engagement in this STEM field.

Impact of Interest Congruence on Study Outcomes

Grounding on Holland’s RIASEC model of vocational interests and the respective assumptions on person-environment fit (congruence), this paper focuses on how congruence is related to study outcomes, especially students’ persistence, performance, and satisfaction. The paper distinguishes the measure of congruence with respect to social congruence (SOC) (interest fit with the study mates) and aspirational congruence (ASP) (interest fit with the occupation aspired) and also distinguishes the effects of congruence for gender and six different study areas including Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), medicine, economics, education, and languages. The paper analyses 10,226 university freshmen of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) and follows them longitudinally with respect to their study outcomes. The results show that students’ persistence was more related to SOC than to ASP, especially for male students. Furthermore, SOC was particularly important for students in STEM areas. Regarding performance, however, ASP was more important. Here, we notably found correlations for STEM subjects with a balanced proportion of female students. Regarding satisfaction, mainly marginal correlations could be found. The results indicate conceptual differences between social and aspirational congruence as well as specific effects for gender and study area. While research might take this into account by specifically developing their models for different study areas, career counseling may reflect on the different significance of the interest-based person-environment fit for different study areas. Initiatives for raising young people’s participation in STEM should therefore specifically focus on students that have high chances to develop interest profiles that are congruent to STEM rather than students who show profiles which already indicate a low congruence.

Influence of Person-Vocation Fit on Satisfaction and Persistence in Vocational Training Programs

Positive effects of person-environment fit on job satisfaction and persistence are well documented. However, little is known about the consequences of person-vocation (P-V) fit for vocational education and training (VET). Using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we examine the influence of selected P-V fit indicators (educational match, interest congruence, skill congruence) on training satisfaction and premature contract termination (PCT) for 4,097 trainees in VET. We find that most P-V incongruences do not lead to negative consequences. Training satisfaction is not affected by interest congruence and skill congruence. However, moderate overeducation (intermediately qualified adolescents working in occupations with high shares of low-qualified trainees) enhances training satisfaction. For PCT, there is a general effect of undereducation; undereducation increases the probability of PCT independent of educational qualification for the occupation. PCT is not affected by skill congruence and only for Realistic interests, congruence with the vocational environment reduces PCT probability.

Evidence for “Pushed Out” and “Opt Out” Factors in Women’s Career Inclusion Across the World of Work in the United States

There is an ongoing debate over the extent to which women “opt out” and/or are “pushed out” of various occupations ( Kossek et al., 2017 ). To advance this debate, we explore the correspondence of women’s interests in stereotypically masculine work activities with the work activities of their occupations/occupational-aspirations. We examine 42,631 responses to a survey of employed and unemployed persons in the United States and analyze associations along all six of Holland’s ( 1997 ) interest/work-activity dimensions. Overall, we find support for a “pushed out” perspective as women’s interests in hands-on/practical, analytic/scientific, and managerial/sales-related work activities are less strongly associated with being employed in occupations with those activities – in comparison to similarly interested men. However, these effect sizes are small and we find support for “opt out” dynamics in relation to hands-on/practical occupations. Altogether, our results indicate the need to continue looking beyond women’s vocational interests as explanations of their underrepresentation.

Assessing Interests in the Twenty-First-Century Workforce: Building on a Century of Interest Measurement

Recent research has re-emphasized the importance of vocational interests for understanding workplace attitudes and behavior. As a result, there is a renewed interest in the assessment of vocational interests in organizations. Numerous interest assessments have been developed over the past century, and they are now administered to millions of people throughout the world. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done, particularly as interest assessments are increasingly being used in organizational settings. This article reviews developments in interest assessments and discusses the implications of their use for both research and practice. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of examining vocational interests in organizational contexts and proposes future research directions.

Concepts and Coefficients Based on John L. Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice—Examining the R Package holland

John L. Holland’s theory of vocational choice is one of the most prominent career theories and is used by both researchers and practitioners around the world. The theory states that people should seek work environments that fit their vocational interests in order to be satisfied and successful. Its application in research and practice requires the determination of coefficients, which quantify its core concepts such as person-environment fit. The recently released R package holland aims at providing a holistic collection of the references, descriptions and calculations of the most important coefficients. The current paper presents the package and examines it in terms of its application for research and practice. For this purpose, the functions of the package are applied and discussed. Furthermore, recommendations are made in the case of multiple coefficients for the same theoretical concept and features that future releases should include are discussed. The R package holland is a promising computational environment providing multiple coefficients for Holland’s most important theoretical concepts.

Impact of Work Value Perception on Workers' Physical and Mental Health: Evidence from China

Research on the effect of work value perception on workers’ health, especially in emerging economies, is scarce. This study, therefore, explored how work value perception affects the physical and mental health of workers in China. We also examined the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between work value perception and health. Taking a random sample of 16,890 individuals in China, we used ordered probit regression and instrumental variable ordered probit regression to test the links between work value perception and workers’ health based on existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory. The results showed that work value perception significantly affected both the physical and mental health of workers; the results remained robust after solving the endogeneity problem. The subsample regression results showed that work value perception significantly affected the physical and mental health of female, male, married, unmarried, religious, and nonreligious workers. Furthermore, life satisfaction mediated the effect of work value perception on workers’ health. These results shed light on the relationship between work value perception and health and thus have implications for improving workers’ physical and mental health. This study can provide a reference for both governmental and corporate policymakers in emerging economies.

Fit gets better: A longitudinal study of changes in interest fit in educational and work environments

Theories of person–environment fit describe a dynamic process in which fit should improve over time due to changes in a person’s attributes, the environment, or both. Although these ideas are central in several theoretical perspectives, they have largely gone untested. Here, we report a longitudinal examination of interest congruence (i.e. interest fit) across 12 years during the transition from education to the workforce. The study uses four methods to capture interest congruence and the drivers of fit change: growth models, latent congruence models, person and environment latent difference scores, and piecewise growth models based on environmental transitions. Each method uses a different lens to understand interest congruence in educational and work domains. Across methods, three results were typically found: (1) interest congruence improved over time in school and at work, (2) participants’ interests often predicted educational and work changes, and (3) participants’ interests rarely changed in response to their environment. These results support a dynamic conceptualization of fit and suggest that selection—rather than socialization—is the main mechanism through which individuals achieve better interest fit during young adulthood. Other implications are discussed for theory development and the applied use of interest assessments.