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Articles

The relationship between student core self-evaluations, support for school, and the work–school interface

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Pages 253-272 | Received 29 Aug 2014, Accepted 02 Sep 2016, Published online: 27 Oct 2016
 

ABSTRACT

More students than ever before are combining the experience of higher education with paid employment, but relatively little research has been done exploring how students manage these roles. In the current study, we explored the association between personality (i.e. core self-evaluations) and support, both specific to the school context. The relationship between support for school and both work–school conflict (WSC) and work-school enrichment (WSE) were also studied, and in turn, associated outcomes (i.e. grade point average, job satisfaction, general psychological health, and school burnout) of inter-role conflict and enrichment. In a two-wave study of 291 employed college students, we found that individuals high in school-specific core self-evaluations perceived greater organizational support and family support for school, which was associated with decreased WSC and increased WSE (through organizational support). In turn, WSC was related to lower general psychological health and higher school burnout whereas WSE was related to higher job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with theories of personality and stress, conservation of resources theory, and organizational support theory, and suggest that both organizations and universities have a role to play in helping students manage ‘learner’ and ‘earner’ roles.

RÉSUMÉ

Plus d’étudiants que jamais combinent l’expérience d’enseignement supérieur avec l’emploi payé, mais relativement peu de recherche a été menées en explorant comment les étudiants gèrent ces rôles. Dans l’étude actuelle, nous avons exploré l’association entre la personnalité (c’est-à-dire, des noyaux des évaluations de soi) et le support, spécifiquement au contexte scolaire pour les deux. La relation entre le soutien pour l’école et le conflit travail/scolaire et l’enrichissement travail/scolaire a été aussi étudiée et, à son tour, des résultats associés (c’est-à-dire, la moyenne générale, la satisfaction au travail, la santé psychologique générale, l’épuisement scolaire) du conflit d’inter-rôle et de l’enrichissement. Dans une étude à deux vagues de 291 étudiants universitaires employés, nous avons trouvé que les individus qui sont haut pour des noyaux des évaluations de soi pour l’école spécifiquement ont perçu que le soutien organisationnel et le soutien familial étaient plus grands, qui a été associée avec une diminution de conflit travail/scolaire et une augmentation de l’enrichissement travail/scolaire (par le soutien organisationnel). À son tour, le conflit travail/scolaire a été lié à une diminution de la santé psychologique générale et une augmentation de l’épuisement scolaire tandis que l’enrichissement travail/scolaire a été lié à une augmentation de la satisfaction au travail. Ces découvertes sont en accord avec les théories de personnalité et de stress, la théorie de conservation de ressources, et la théorie de soutien organisationnel en suggérant que les organisations et les universités aient un rôle de jouer pour aider d’étudiants gérer des rôles d’étudiant et d’employé.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Laurel A. McNall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York. Her current research interests include employee attitudes, the work-life interface (with an emphasis on the benefits of multiple life roles) and worker well-being. She has published in journals such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, and Journal of Business and Psychology.

Jesse S. Michel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Auburn University. His current research activities revolve around the dynamics between work-family domains (e.g., work-family conflict, work-family balance, benefits of multiple life roles), the role of personality and individual differences in the workplace, and scale development and validation projects. His research has appeared in journals such as Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Journal of Business and Psychology.

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