Correlates of procrastination and performance at work: The role of having “good fit”

Abstract

Occupational research often emphasizes the importance of workplace characteristics for understanding job stress and employee well-being, but the role of personal characteristics and having a good match with the job is mostly neglected. We explored how job crafting and feelings of being authentic at work were related to work engagement, work engagement of performance, and procrastination. A structural equation model analyzed self-reports from 380 Dutch office employees. Job crafting and authenticity were positively related to work engagement, and high work engagement predicted? better in-role and extra-role performance and less work procrastination. Moreover, performance and procrastination were negatively related. Results emphasize the importance of having a “good fit” between the employment settings and employees to promote engagement. By improving employee’s work engagement, organizations might improve the likelihood that personnel respond favorably with organizational goals and reduce the chances of engaging in workplace procrastination.     

Career Search Efficacy Among an At-Risk Sample

SUMMARY

Since the introduction of welfare reform more job training programs have become available to welfare recipients; however, these programs rarely undergo thorough assessments of their effectiveness in improving the psychological well-being of participants. The purpose of this study was to examine how career search efficacy may change among welfare (n= 14) and non-welfare recipients (n= 27) enrolled in a 10-week work training program that included classroom instruction, job simulation practice, and an internship. Results suggested that both welfare and non-welfare recipients improved on two career search efficacy factors (interviewing and network efficacy) from the start to end of the training program.     

国外警察职业倦怠研究述评

职业倦怠是人们对工作中的慢性情感压力和人际压力延迟反应的一种现象。国外警察在倦怠三个纬度上的得分相差不是很大,多为情感耗竭和个人成就感低落方面得分较高,而人格解体方面得分相对较低。职业倦怠带给人们的负面影响远远大于正面影响,所以警察职业倦怠预防尤为重要。     

The Middle Years

Abstract

This paper examines career stages from an occupational stress perspective. Specifically, relationships among job demands, career stages, and health-related strains are analyzed in a sample of over 6,000 United States Postal Workers. Results from these analyses suggest that for individuals in the middle stage of their careers, job Stressors lose some of their potency in affecting physical health status while stressful events outside of the job domain become increasingly deleterious. Moreover, the beneficial effects of social support on mental health were found to vary by career stage, being most pronounced among middle career workers. Findings from the study emphasize the necessity for stress researchers to consider career stress effects.     

Chapter 5: The Search for Systemic Variables

Abstract

Many students do not devote enough time 10 properly map out a career search strategy that is consistent with their values and goals. Consequently, graduation heralds a stressful transition into the work world. Without a good job search strategy, the first job after college or graduate school can be a frustrating experience that can negatively impact motivation and ambition. The first job never should be considered the final career choice. However, it is important that the job choice be a positive experience that will serve as a foundation for continued career success.     

Breaking Fresh Ground

ABSTRACT

In the present paper, the author introduces her roles and duties at her current job. The author then describes how she got into community psychology and primary prevention and how her graduate school and previous work experiences have influenced her current work. Focusing on primary prevention, the author delineates how the two community psychology concepts -primary prevention and action research -can be applied to the promotion of adolescent mental health in the Korean society. The author then adds advice for foreign students who are considering studying community psychology in the U.S.     

Unsafe Feelings Among Teachers

Abstract

Teachers feeling unsafe in front of their classes tend to show a reduced commitment to their educational task. This can have a negative effect on pupils' performance and may cause behaviour problems. Feelings of unsafety are generally associated with pupils' antisocial behaviour.

We examined this proposition and found the correlation between the two factors to be less direct than is generally supposed. Subjective criminality-related factors (subjective victimization risk and own victimization experience) and well-being (including job perception, satisfaction with the pupils) are very important intermediate factors.

Measures intended to reduce teachers' feelings of unsafety should, therefore, not focus directly on pupil behaviour but on the situation in which the teacher has to work. More in particular, attention should be paid to the development of a positive image of and a respectful attitude towards young people, to teamwork and teacher support, and to the optimization of conditional factors (class size, work pressure, etc.).

The research material was collected via questionnaires completed by 1,432 teachers from 91 schools and secondary analyses of questionnaire data from 4,829 pupils (12 — to 18-year-olds) from the same schools. To complement the questionnaire data, twelve focus groups with teachers and eight with pupils were organised.     

岗位实训量化管理模式构建与实践——安徽省2011年省级示范实习实训中心项目研究内容

岗位实训是指公安院校的校外实训。岗位实训量化管理模式是根据实训计划内容和要求,对学生在公安机关基层工作中所承担工作任务进行分解统计,将工作内容转化为一定数据,及时、客观反映实训过程、状态和效果,并以此为依据实施实训管理的方式。实训中,对学生从事的工作进行统计量化,形成反映实训实时动态的量化数据,以此作为管理基础,可增强管理的科学性和有效性。由于工作量统计内容多、过程复杂,为确保量化管理模式有效运行,必须建立和完善实训量化机制,在统计项目、统计人员、统计过程、统计职责等关键环节上要有明确规定,以保证统计结果的真实性和教学管理的有效性。实践证明,将量化统计方法应用岗位实训中,构建实训量化管理模式,着力解决管理难题,能为岗位实训教学实现精细化发展奠定坚实基础。     

Views on workplace culture and climate: through the lens of retention and Title IV-E participation

ABSTRACT

Retention of public child welfare (PCW) workers is the focus of much scholarly research. Examinations of the topic have ranged from assessments of workers’ background to job factors and attitudinal components about the workplace. Unlike most studies, the present study uses agency administrative data on retention. In it, 502 PCW workers responded to a point-in-time survey covering a wide range of topics including job satisfaction, commitment to child welfare, perceptions of culture and climate, Title IV-E status, and demographic variables. While Title IV-Es were more likely to leave the agency, several significant interactions between Title IV-E and retention status showed that Title IV-Es who left the agency had significantly lower supervisor satisfaction and influence than Title IV-Es who stayed; and lower efficacy scores than non-Title IV-Es who left. No such differences were found for non-Title IV-E stayers and leavers. Implications for these differences for county agencies and universities are discussed.     

Factors affecting turnover rates of public child welfare front line workers: comparing cohorts of title IV-E program graduates with regularly hired and trained staff

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of a statewide intervention (BSW level Title IV-E Program) on both the workers’ intent to leave the job and their actual exit from a state administered public child welfare agency. Employees completed an extensive survey including scales assessing individual, team, and organizational variables that might impact turnover. Results show that more Title IV-E graduates stay with the agency than do regular hires and leave at a slower rate. Different variables impact intent to leave compared to actual exit and vary across type of employee. Implications for the workforce are discussed.     

Quality of work environment (QWE): Effects on office workers

Abstract

This article focuses on the physical environment of work as an important, and overlooked, component of working conditions. Quality of Work Environment (QWE) is viewed as one facet of the Quality of Worklife (QWL) movement. Attention is thus paid not only to direct health effects of adverse environmental conditions, but also to how the physical conditions of work contribute to a sense of competence and to job satisfaction and performance. Based on empirical research and theory, a set of general criteria for improving the quality of the work environment are proposed.     

The Pinjarra Massacre Site Project

SUMMARY

The work described in this article came about as a result of the author's doctoral studies. What began as a program of action research developed into concrete social action dealing with issues of social justice and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in a town in Australia's Southwest. The strong collaborative partnerships that developed during the research process led to employment on a project concerned with promoting the recognition of a massacre of local Indigenous people in the early days of European invasion. While a community psychologist was not necessarily the obvious person for the job, the article demonstrates how key principles of community psychology guided the project, and were in fact vital for its success.     

Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs About Bullying

Abstract

Two exploratory studies were conducted to investigate U.S. teachers' attitudes and beliefs about bullying. Although most teachers believed they were doing a good job at preventing bullying, results indicate that some teachers hold beliefs that are at odds with current best practices in bullying prevention and intervention. First-year teachers would like more training in bullying despite reported confidence in their abilities to handle bullying, and report they did not receive such training either in teacher preparation programs or in-service training.     

An Exploratory Study of Violence and Aggression Against Teachers in Middle and High Schools: Prevalence,Predictors, and Negative Consequences

ABSTRACT

Limited empirical findings suggest that teacher victimization at school is highly prevalent, with detrimental negative impacts on victimized teachers. Given the scarce body of literature on teacher victimization, further research is necessary to investigate its extent, predictors, and negative consequences. The present research, using a representative sample of 1,628 teachers in the southwest region of the United States, indicates a high prevalence of violence and aggression directed against teachers. Also, the research found that teachers’ uncertain and helping/friendly behaviors toward students were significantly related to various types of teacher victimization. Experiences involving the five victimization types (theft/property damage, physical assault, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and noncontact aggression) are correlated with teachers’ self-reported job performance, student trust, safety at school, and thoughts about quitting. Directions for future research and policy implications are considered in the context of these findings.     

The Illusion of Empowerment

Abstract

This paper presents a community development experience in Puerto Rico which was guided by the goal of empowerment. It describes the socio-historical context in which the effort is embedded. its values, and its theoretical background. The intervention was carried out in a poor rural community of approximately 1,400 families. Specific strategies and tactics used to facilitate ideological and skill development among the residents are presented. The article concludes with an analysis of the achievements and limitations of the effort. Guidelines toward future conceptual and practical developments are suggested.     

Role of School Psychologists in Violence Prevention and Intervention

Abstract

Kansas school psychologists were extremely accurate in their estimates of violence in their own schools and viewed school violence prevention as an important part of their job, regardless of the rates of violence in their districts. Most had at least some involvement in their own school's violence prevention program, although many reported that they had little or no training. Despite the fact that the majority of respondents work in districts with relatively low rates of violence, over half reported that fighting, bullying, and substance abuse, early warning signs of school violence, occur a lot or a fair amount in their districts.     

Providing Financial Empowerment to Mothers on Welfare

SUMMARY

Three samples of urban Latina and African-American women in hospitality training programs were assessed on their perceived self-efficacy. In Sample 1, the typical Latina (n= 25) and African-American (n= 71) woman was a young, single, mother of three children who had received benefits for over six years and who, at the start of a two-week training program, reported low self-efficacy and moderate social desirability. Sample 2 participants were mostly single Latina (n= 25) or African-American (n= 49) mothers who received six weeks of training/internship, but reported no significant change in their level of self-efficacy, social desirability, or hopefulness from pre- to post-training. Sample 3 (16 Latinas, 36 African-Americans) was a subset of women from the first sample who were interviewed by telephone four months after completing the two-week training program and were now employed. These working women reported a significant increase in their level of self-efficacy compared to the start of training. Results suggest that some minority women may benefit from job skill training in terms of their sense of mastery over their life situation, although the impact of such training may not emerge until after they have been actively employed.     

Managing Bullying and Managing Difference

Abstract

Much work on school bullying focuses on developing our understanding of the various factors that contribute to bullying and its management. This case study focuses on the possible connections between parts and offers a metaperspective of one mainstream secondary school. Demonstrating that bullying and its management is embedded within the network of relationships which together form the school system, a range of issues and dilemmas relevant to all schools are highlighted and discussed.     

关注青少年网络粉丝俱乐部群体

网络粉丝俱乐部群体如今已经发展成为一支特殊的非正式群体，具有很大的分析和研究的价值。分析这类群体的特征、正反两方面的作用，并通过对青少年这一流行文化的研究，来把握青少年教育的主导权。