An examination of the relationships between job congruency and job satisfaction, organizational commitment, perceived stress, and coping strategies in college student workers.

Abstract

One area of industrial/organizational psychology that has been overlooked is job congruency (also referred to as occupational-educational fit) and the relationship it may have among employees' job performance. During the past several years, research has been conducted on the relationship between job congruency and job satisfaction (Kane, Healy, & Henson, 1992; Kressel, 1990; Richards, 1984). Researchers, however, need to address the relationship between job congruency and organizational commitment, job congruency and perceived stress, and job congruency and coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed among the following factors: job congruency, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, perceived stress, and coping strategies in college students in part-time employment positions. These factors affect how a college student perceives a part-time job and behavior on the job. Seventy participants completed an informed consent statement, a demographic profile, and five questionnaires. A Pearson coefficient correlation was computed to determine the relationship between job congruency and each of four factors: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, perceived stress, and coping strategies. A low positive correlation was found to exist between job congruency and job satisfaction, and job congruency and organizational commitment. An analysis of variance indicated a statistically significant difference between student college placement classification and job congruency. An analysis of variance between varied educational majors and the five job factors, revealed only one statistically significant difference, perceived stress. Statistically significant differences in job congruency and job satisfaction were found when examining the types of jobs students hold.