Abstract
This study aimed to examine longitudinal effect whether work volition is associated with academic satisfaction, and test the moderating effect of implicit theories about work volition on this association among female college students in Chinese (N = 586). Results indicated that work volition was positively associated with academic satisfaction, and this link was stronger for those with an incremental theory than those with an entity theory. These results provide an insight into understanding the link between work volition and academic satisfaction that is underpinned by integrated two psychology theories including the psychology of working theory and social-cognition theory. The implications and limitations are discussed.
Résumé
Volonté de travail et satisfaction académique chez les étudiantes chinoises: le rôle modérateur de la théorie incrémentale de la volition de travail. Cette étude visait à examiner l'effet longitudinal si la volition au travail est associée à la satisfaction scolaire, et à tester l'effet modérateur des théories implicites sur la volition au travail sur cette association chez les étudiantes en chinois (N = 586). Les résultats ont indiqué que la volonté de travailler était positivement associée à la satisfaction scolaire, et ce lien était plus fort pour ceux qui avaient une théorie incrémentale que pour ceux qui avaient une théorie de l'entité. Ces résultats donnent un aperçu de la compréhension du lien entre la volonté de travail et la satisfaction académique qui est étayée par deux théories psychologiques intégrées, notamment la psychologie de la théorie du travail et la théorie de la cognition sociale. Les implications et les limites sont discutées.
Zusammenfassung
Arbeitswilligkeit und akademische Zufriedenheit bei chinesischen Studentinnen: Die moderierende Rolle der inkrementellen Theorie der Arbeitswilligkeit. Diese Studie zielte darauf ab, den Längsschnitteffekt zu untersuchen, ob der Arbeitswillen mit der akademischen Zufriedenheit verbunden ist, und den moderierenden Effekt impliziter Theorien über den Arbeitswillen auf diesen Zusammenhang bei weiblichen College-Studenten in Chinesisch (N = 586) zu testen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Arbeitswille positiv mit der akademischen Zufriedenheit assoziiert war, und diese Verbindung war für diejenigen mit einer inkrementellen Theorie stärker als für diejenigen mit einer Entitätstheorie. Diese Ergebnisse geben einen Einblick in das Verständnis der Verbindung zwischen Arbeitswillen und akademischer Zufriedenheit, die durch integrierte zwei psychologische Theorien untermauert wird, darunter die Psychologie der Arbeitstheorie und die Theorie der sozialen Kognition. Die Implikationen und Einschränkungen werden diskutiert.
Resumen
Volición al trabajo y satisfacción académica en estudiantes universitarias chinas: El papel moderador de la teoría del incremento de la voluntad de trabajo. Este estudio tenía como objetivo examinar el efecto longitudinal de si la voluntad de trabajo está asociada con la satisfacción académica, y probar el efecto moderador de las teorías implícitas sobre la voluntad de trabajo en esta asociación entre las estudiantes universitarias en chino (N = 586). Los resultados indicaron que la voluntad de trabajo se asoció positivamente con la satisfacción académica, y este vínculo fue más fuerte para aquellos con una teoría incremental que para aquellos con una teoría de entidad. Estos resultados permiten comprender el vínculo entre la voluntad de trabajo y la satisfacción académica que se sustenta en dos teorías psicológicas integradas que incluyen la teoría de la psicología del trabajo y la teoría de la cognición social. Se discuten las implicaciones y limitaciones.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
Allan, B. A., Sterling, H. M., & Duffy, R. D. (2020). Longitudinal relations among economic deprivation, work volition, and academic satisfaction: A psychology of working perspective. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 20, 311–329. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-019-09405-3
Betz, N. E. (2008). Women’s career development. In F. L. Denmark & M. A. Paludi (Eds.), Psychology of women: A handbook of issues and theories (pp. 717–752). Greenwood Press.
Blustein, D. L. (2008). The role of work in psychological health and well–being: A conceptual, historical, and public policy perspective. American Psychologist, 63(4), 228–240. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.4.228
Bouchard, L. M., & Nauta, M. M. (2018). College students’ health and short–term career outcomes: Examining work volition as a mediator. Journal of Career Development, 45(4), 393–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845317699517
Burnette, J. L. (2010). Implicit theories of body weight: Entity beliefs can weigh you down. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(3), 410–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209359768
Burnette, J. L., & Pollack, J. M. (2013). Implicit theories of work and job fit: Implications for job and life satisfaction. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35(4), 360–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2013.803964
Burnette, J. L., O’Boyle, E., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mindsets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation. Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 655–701. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029531
Burnette, J. L., Pollack, J. M., Forsyth, R. B., Hoyt, C. L., Babij, A. D., Thomas, F. N., & Coy, A. E. (2020). A growth mindset intervention: Enhancing students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and career development. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 44(5), 878–908. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719864293
Chen, P., Ellsworth, P. C., & Schwarz, N. (2015). Finding a fit or developing it: Implicit theories about achieving passion for work. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(10), 1411–1424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167215596988
Chen, P., Powers, J. T., Katragadda, K. R., Cohen, G. L., & Dweck, C. S. (2020). A strategic mindset: An orientation toward strategic behavior during goal pursuit. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 117(25), 14066–14072. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2002529117
Coffman, D. L., & Gilligan, T. D. (2002). Social support, stress, and self-efficacy: Effects on students’ satisfaction. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 4(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.2190/BV7X-F87X-2MXL-2B3L
DeLaRosby, H. R. (2017). Student characteristics and collegiate environments that contribute to the overall satisfaction with academic advising among college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 19(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115611618
Duffy, R. D., & Dik, B. J. (2009). Beyond the self: External influences in the career development process. The Career Development Quarterly, 58(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2009.tb00171.x
Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Diemer, M. A., & Autin, K. L. (2016). The psychology of working theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(2), 127–148. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000140
Duffy, R. D., Bott, E. M., Torrey, C. L., & Webster, G. W. (2013). Work volition as a critical moderator in the prediction of job satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 21(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712453831
Duffy, R. D., Diemer, M. A., & Jadidian, A. (2012). The development and initial validation of the Work Volition Scale-Student Version. The Counseling Psychologist, 40(2), 291–319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000011417147
Duffy, R. D., Douglass, R. P., & Autin, K. L. (2015). Career adaptability and academic satisfaction: Examining work volition and self efficacy as mediators. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 90, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.07.007
Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Psychology Press.
Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256
England, J. W., Duffy, R. D., Gensmer, N. P., Kim, H. J., Buyukgoze-Kavas, A., & Larson-Konar, D. M. (2020). Women attaining decent work: The important role of workplace climate in Psychology of Working Theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67(2), 251–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000411
Good, C., Aronson, J., & Inzlicht, M. (2003). Improving adolescents’ standardized test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotype threat. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 24(6), 645–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2003.09.002
Hartung, P. J., & Cadaret, M. C. (2017). Career adaptability: Changing self and situation for satisfaction and success. In K. Maree (Ed.), Psychology of career adaptability, employability and resilience. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66954-0_2
Holmbeck, G. N. (2002). Post-hoc probing of significant moderational and mediational effects in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(1), 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/27.1.87
Hu, S., Hood, M., & Creed, P. A. (2017). Negative career feedback and career goal disengagement in young adults: The moderating role of mind–set about work. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.07.006
Hui, C. M., Bond, M. H., & Molden, D. C. (2012). Why do (n’t) your partner’s efforts at self-improvement make you happy? An implicit theories perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(1), 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211420734
Jadidian, A., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Work volition, career decision self-efficacy, and academic satisfaction: An examination of mediators and moderators. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(2), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711420851
Kim, J., Shin, Y., Tsukayama, E., & Park, D. (2020). Stress mindset predicts job turnover among preschool teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 78, 13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.11.002
Li, P., Zhou, N., Zhang, Y., Xiong, Q., Nie, R., & Fang, X. (2017). Incremental theory of intelligence moderated the relationship between prior achievement and school engagement in Chinese high school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01703
Ma, Y., Huang, G., & Autin, K. L. (2020). Linking decent work with academic engagement and satisfaction among first-generation college students: A psychology of working perspective. Journal of Career Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072720943153
Maurer, T. J., Wrenn, K. A., Pierce, H. R., Tross, S. A., & Collins, W. C. (2003). Beliefs about ‘improvability’ of career-relevant skills: Relevance to job/task analysis, competency modelling, and learning orientation. Journal of Organizational Behavior: THe International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 24(1), 107–131. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.182
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2018). China Statistical Yearbook. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2018/indexch.htm
Nauta, M. M. (2007). Assessing college students’ satisfaction with their academic majors. Journal of Career Assessment, 15(4), 446–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072707305762
Pang, L., He, H., Wang, H., & Yuan, Q. (2021). Views on the treatment guarantee for different nature kindergarten teachers: Status, main causes analysis and policy suggestions (改革完善不同身份学前教师待遇保障政策制度的思考). Teacher Education Research, 33(3), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.13445/j.cnki.t.e.r.2021.03.007
Parker, K., & Funk, C. (2017). Gender discrimination comes in many forms for today’s working women. Retrieved April 1, 2020, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/14/gender-discrimination-comes-in-many-forms-for-todays-working-women/
Pollack, J. M., Burnette, J. L., & Hoyt, C. L. (2012). Self-efficacy in the face of threats to entrepreneurial success: Mind-sets matter. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 34(3), 287–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2012.674452
Qi, X., & Melhuish, E. C. (2017). Early childhood education and care in China: History, current trends and challenges. Early Years, 37(3), 268–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2016.1236780
Romero, C., Master, A., Paunesku, D., Dweck, C. S., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Academic and emotional functioning in middle school: The role of implicit theories. Emotion, 14(2), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035490
Rosenberg, E. R., Burt, K. B., Forehand, R. L., & Paysnick, A. A. (2016). Youth self-views, coping with stress, and behavioral/emotional problems: The role of incremental self-theory. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(6), 1713–1723. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0346-9
Schleider, J., & Weisz, J. (2018). A single-session growth mindset intervention for adolescent anxiety and depression: 9-month outcomes of a randomized trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(2), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12811
Schleider, J. L., Abel, M. R., & Weisz, J. R. (2015). Implicit theories and youth mental health problems: A random-effects meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 35, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.11.001
Schroder, H. S., Moran, T. P., Donnellan, M. B., & Moser, J. S. (2014). Mindset induction effects on cognitive control: A neurobehavioral investigation. Biological Psychology, 103, 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.004
Soto, C., & Deemer, E. D. (2018). Communal goals, campus racial climate perceptions, and cultural differences in perceived academic satisfaction. The Career Development Quarterly, 66(2), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12120
Tamir, M., John, O. P., Srivastava, S., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Implicit theories of emotion: Affective and social outcomes across a major life transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(4), 731–744. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.4.731
Taris, T. W. (2000). A primer in longitudinal data analysis. Sage.
Valentiner, D. P., Mounts, N. S., Durik, A. M., & Gier-Lonsway, S. L. (2011). Shyness mindset: Applying mindset theory to the domain of inhibited social behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(8), 1174–1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.021
van Aalderen-Smeets, S. I., & van der Molen, J. H. W. (2018). Modeling the relation between students’ implicit beliefs about their abilities and their educational STEM choices. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 28, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-016-9387-7
Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2020). What can be learned from growth mindset controversies? American Psychologist, 75(9), 1269–1284. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000794
Funding
This study was supported by the 2021 Annual Project of the 14th Five-year Plan of Shenzhen Education Science (bskt21004).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fangfang, Z., Youhuan, W. & Li, P. Work volition and academic satisfaction in Chinese female college students: the moderating role of incremental theory of work volition. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 23, 599–614 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09542-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09542-2