Integrating person and situation perspectives on work satisfaction: A social-cognitive view

Social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) was originally designed to help explain interest development, choice, and performance in career and educational domains. These three aspects of career/academic development were presented in distinct but overlapping segmental models. This article presents a fourth social cognitive model aimed at understanding satisfaction experienced in vocational and educational pursuits. The model posits paths whereby core social cognitive variables (e.g., self-efficacy, goals) function jointly with personality/affective trait and contextual variables that have been linked to job satisfaction. We consider the model’s implications for forging an understanding of satisfaction that bridges the often disparate perspectives of organizational and vocational psychology.     

Predicting the job and life satisfaction of Italian teachers: Test of a social cognitive model

This study tested a social cognitive model of work and life satisfaction (Lent & Brown, 2006, 2008) in a sample of 235 Italian school teachers. The model offered good overall fit to the data, though not all individual path coefficients were significant. Three of five predictors (favorable work conditions, efficacy-relevant supports, and positive affectivity) produced significant, direct paths to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction, progress at personal work goals, and positive affectivity were predictive of teachers' life satisfaction. Task self-efficacy was related indirectly both to job satisfaction (via work conditions) and life satisfaction (via goal progress). Implications of the findings for future research and efforts to promote teachers' job satisfaction are discussed.     

公费教育政策满意度对师范生教师职业认同的影响—社会认知因素的影响

采用问卷法,以839名公费师范生为研究对象,探究公费师范生政策满意度对师范生教师职业认同的影响,考察公费教育政策满意度、职业决策自我效能感、职业结果预期以及教师职业认同的关系。结果发现：（1）公费教育政策满意度显著正向预测教师职业认同;（2）职业决策自我效能感和职业结果预期在政策满意度和教师职业认同的关系中起中介作用,完全中介支持性政策满意度与教师职业认同的关系,部分中介限制性政策满意度与教师职业认同的关系。本研究通过社会认知职业理论解释了公费教育政策满意度与教师职业认同的关系路径,为提升公费师范生的教师职业认同提供了参考和借鉴。     

Are economic conditions related to nonnormative life satisfaction development? Evaluating the relative impact of economic conditions,personality, and subjective health

This study examined the relative contribution of psychological and socioeconomic resources to explaining qualitative individual differences in life satisfaction development. We used growth mixture modeling and a cohort‐sequential design to investigate life satisfaction development from ages 25 to 65, in a nationally representative panel (the Socioeconomic Panel). Eighty‐three percent of the participants experienced stability in life satisfaction. In a subgroup of individuals (10%), life satisfaction declined. This subgroup lived under less favorable economic conditions and reported downward moves on an index of socioeconomic status. In another subgroup (7%), life satisfaction was low at age 25 and increased up to age 65. This group was also socioeconomically disadvantaged but scored higher on adaptive personality traits and experienced upward social mobility. Generally, personality traits explained level differences in life satisfaction better than economic conditions. However, economic conditions explained nonnormative life satisfaction development better than generalized control beliefs and the Big Five traits.     

建言效能感结构及其在员工建言行为发生中的作用

作为一种组织促进性行为, 员工建言在知识经济时代对组织的作用日益显著。学界从多角度探讨了建言的发生机制, 然而从认知的视角的研究则较为缺乏。本研究从社会认知理论视角, 构建了建言效能感结构(研究一), 并探索了建言效能感在建言行为发生中的作用(研究二)。研究一从长三角地区企业的26名基层员工中提取建言效能感关键事件, 编制初始问卷, 通过对188个样本的探索性因子分析及对另188个样本的验证性因子分析, 探索并验证了建言效能感的结构及其量表; 研究二通过对401份“员工－上级”配对样本的问卷研究显示, 一般自我效能感对建言行为有着正向影响, 且建言效能感在其中起着中介作用, 工作可得性缓冲调节建言效能感与建言行为之间的关系。     

Social cognitive predictors of well-being in African college students

Lent and Brown's (2006, 2008) social cognitive model of work well-being was tested in two samples of African college students, one from Angola (N = 241) and one from Mozambique (N = 425). Participants completed domain-specific measures of academic self-efficacy, environmental support, goal progress, and satisfaction, along with measures of global positive affect and life satisfaction. Path analyses indicated that the model fit the data well overall, both in the full sample and in separate sub-samples by country and gender. Contrary to expectations, however, self-efficacy predicted academic satisfaction only indirectly, via goal progress; and goal progress predicted life satisfaction only indirectly, via academic satisfaction. The predictors accounted for substantial portions of the variance in both academic domain satisfaction and life satisfaction. Implications for research and practice involving the social cognitive model are considered.     

Social cognitive and self-construal predictors of well-being among African college students in the US

We examined social cognitive and cultural predictors of academic satisfaction in African students studying at American universities. In addition to predictors drawn directly from the social cognitive model of work and educational well-being (Lent, 2004; Lent & Brown, 2006, 2008), self-construal was included in the predictive model as a culture-specific variable with potential relevance to academic satisfaction. Self-construal refers to the way in which one's thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are guided by one's relationship to self and others (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). The findings indicated that the model, with some modification, fit the data well and accounted for 59% of the variance in academic satisfaction. The findings also suggested that the three indicators of self-construal (personal, relational, and collective) do not relate directly to academic satisfaction but rather operate through mediated pathways. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.     

高中生生涯学习经验问卷的编制及信效度检验

在文献分析基础上,以Holland（1997）职业理论和社会认知生涯理论为理论依据,结合国内高中生生涯活动的实际情况,编制了高中生生涯学习经验问卷。验证性因素分析结果表明,该问卷属于多维度因素结构,包含Holland六种生涯领域学习经验分问卷,每种分问卷包括成就表现、口头劝服、替代学习和积极情绪唤起等四个学习经验。信效度检验结果表明,该问卷多维构念合理,拟合良好,具备良好的内部一致性信度和构念效度。以中国个人球形职业兴趣量表简版中的生涯自我效能分量表为关联效标,发现在每种生涯领域下的生涯学习经验与生涯自我效能感都显著正相关,支持了量表的实证效度。该问卷可以作为我国高中生生涯学习经验的测量工具。     

Social cognitive predictors of academic adjustment and life satisfaction in Portuguese college students: A longitudinal analysis

A social cognitive model of well-being [Lent, R. W. (2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 482--509.] was adapted to the context of academic adjustment and tested using a longitudinal design. Participants were 252 students at a university in northern Portugal. They completed measures of academic self-efficacy, environmental support, goal progress, and adjustment, along with global measures of positive affect and life satisfaction. Path analyses indicated that the model fit the data well overall. As expected, self-efficacy and environmental support were predictive of goal progress and academic adjustment, and the latter was predictive of students’ global life satisfaction. Self-efficacy and positive affect were found to be reciprocally related to one another. Contrary to expectations, goal progress did not contribute uniquely to the prediction of academic adjustment or life satisfaction. We consider directions for future research applying the social cognitive model to satisfaction in, and adjustment to, educational and work settings.     

Social cognitive career theory and the prediction of interests and choice goals in the computing disciplines

We tested the fit of the social cognitive choice model [Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance [Monograph]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79-122] to the data across gender, educational level, and type of university among students in a variety of computing disciplines. Participants were 1208 students at 21 historically Black and 21 predominantly White universities. They completed measures of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, goals, and social supports and barriers with respect to computing majors. The SCCT model yielded adequate fit to the data across each of the grouping variables. Implications for future research on SCCT’s choice hypotheses in the context of science and engineering-related fields are discussed.     

职业可续视角下的工作重塑行为研究：动力、路径及干预机制

社会经济高质量、可持续发展的实现, 须依托具备可持续职业能力的人才来引领、支撑和保障。鉴于此, 本研究考虑职业与日间工作行为的联动效应, 探究个体于工作中实现持续竞争优势的潜在动力、路径及干预机制。首先, 确定职业可持续力的概念界定与结构测量, 并揭示其潜在的影响因素、动态发展机理以及对职业主动行为的作用路径。其次, 结合资源保存理论和社会认知理论, 探究职业可持续力与员工工作重塑行为的动态交互作用机制。最后基于职业可持续视角, 探讨组织层面对个体工作重塑行为的纵向干预机制。本研究将为个体实现职业可持续发展以及组织开展共赢的职业管理支持提供策略依据。     

Testing a longitudinal social cognitive model of intended persistence with engineering students across gender and race/ethnicity

We examined the temporal relations within Lent et al.'s (2013) integrative SCCT model of academic satisfaction and intended persistence in a sample of 551 engineering undergraduates from a Hispanic serving institution. They completed measures of instrumentality, support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, academic satisfaction, and intended persistence at two time points approximately 12 months apart. Using longitudinal cross-panel design, the findings supported a model where: (a) instrumentality predicted self-efficacy, (b) self-efficacy was a temporal precursor for both interests and academic satisfaction, (c) support was a temporal precursor for outcome expectations, while also predicting academic satisfaction, (d) academic satisfaction and intended persistence had a reciprocal relation with one another, and (e) relations in the model did not differ by gender or race/ethnicity. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Applications of social cognitive theory to the career development of women of color

This article provides a review of the literature on the educational and career development of women of color within the context of social cognitive career theory (Lent, et al, 1994 and Lent, et al, 1996). Specifically, possible gender, ethnic, racial, and cultural influences on career self-efficacy and outcome expectations are explored to delinate the potential mechanisms whereby ethnicity, culture, and ethnic and racial identity development, in interaction with gender, affect career choice and adjustment. Suggestions for future research on social cognitive career theory and the career development of women of color are presented.     

The careless or the conscientious : Who profits most from goal progress?

Although research indicates that making progress on personal work goals predicts positive job attitudes, little is known about the role of conscientiousness in moderating this relationship. Congruence theories suggest that job attitudes will be more dependent on goal progress when employees are high in conscientiousness, whereas compensation theories suggest the opposite. We test these competing hypotheses in a three-wave, 4-month longitudinal panel study of 121 trainee teachers, who are at their early stages of career development. Conscientiousness moderated the relationships between progress on personal work goals and job attitudes according to the compensatory pattern, such that employees displayed stronger increases in job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment in response to goal progress when they were low rather than high in conscientiousness. Our results help to resolve conflicting findings about the relationship between goal progress and job attitudes and adjudicate competing hypotheses about the role of conscientiousness in moderating this relationship.     

Test of a social cognitive model of work satisfaction in teachers

Lent and Brown [Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (2006). Integrating person and situation perspectives on work satisfaction: A social-cognitive view. Journal of Vocational Behavior,69, 236-247] recently proposed an integrative model of work satisfaction linked to social cognitive career theory. The model posits that work satisfaction is predicted by five classes of variables: work conditions, goal progress, self-efficacy, goal and efficacy relevant supports, and personality traits (e.g., positive affect). We tested this model in a sample of 366 teachers, finding good overall model-data fit. Of the five predictor classes, work conditions, self-efficacy, and positive affect were each found to explain unique predictive variance. This suggests that teachers who are most satisfied with their jobs see their work environment as supportive, are confident in their abilities to complete work-related tasks and goals, and report high levels of trait positive affect. Findings also offered support for the contention that measures of subjective person-environment fit may not be empirically distinct from work satisfaction. Implications of these findings for future research and applied efforts are considered.