Vocational aptitude: An empirical study of its assessment validity and effects

doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-2778.2020.04.013

Abstract

Abstract: Based on the Holland occupational classification and situational judgment tests, taking Holland’s enterprising jobs as an example, a new vocational aptitude assessment tool was developed. A mediation model was developed and tested, which demonstrates the indirect effects of vocational aptitude on task performance via person-job fit and work engagement, and the moderating effects of person-group fit. Data from 471 effective samples was used to conduct an empirical analysis. The results revealed that: ①vocational aptitude exerts a significantly positive effect on task performance; ②vocational aptitude has an indirect effect on task performance through person-job fit and work engagement, respectively; ③person-job fit and work engagement play significantly as serial mediators between vocational aptitude and task performance;④the examined mediating effects are moderated by person-group fit.

Key words: vocational aptitude, task performance, person-job fit, work engagement, person-group fit

CLC Number:

F272.92

WENG Qingxiong,LI Yanfei. Vocational aptitude: An empirical study of its assessment validity and effects[J]. Journal of University of Science and Technology of China, 2020, 50(4): 479-496.

References

［1］
翁清雄, 席酉民. 职业成长与离职倾向：职业承诺与感知机会的调节作用[J]. 南开管理评论, 2010, 13(2): 119-131.
WENG Qingxiong, XI Youmin.The impact mechanism of career growth on turnover intention: The mediated role of career commitment and perceived opportunities[J]. Nankai Business Review, 2010, 13(2): 119-131.
[2] WENG Q X, MCELROY J C. Vocational self-concept crystallization as a mediator of the relationship between career self-management and job decision effectiveness[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2010, 76(2): 234-243.
[3] 张雪永. 积极应对人口老龄化视域下的涉老人才教育初探[J]. 西南交通大学学报 (社会科学版), 2017, 1(7): 32-39.
ZHANG Xueyong. A study on talents cultivation for aging population: An active response to aging[J]. Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University (Social Sciences), 2017, 1(7): 32-39.
[4] AKKERMAN S J, KUBASCH S. Trending topics in careers: A review and future research agenda[J]. Career Development International, 2017, 22(6): 586-627.
[5] LIPSHITS-BRAZILER Y, GATI I, TATAR M. Strategies for coping with career indecision:Convergent, divergent, and incremental validity[J]. Journal of Career Assessment, 2017, 25(2):183-202.
[6] VAN IDDEKINGE C H, ROTH P L, PUTKA D J. Are you interested? A meta-analysis of relations between vocational interests and employee performance and turnover[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2011, 96(6): 1167-1194.
[7] NYE C D, PERLUS J G, ROUNDS J. Do ornithologists flock together? Examining the homogeneity of interests in occupations[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2018, 107(3):195-208.
[8] SACKETT P R, LIEVENS F, VAN IDDEKINGE C H. Individual differences and their measurement: A review of 100 years of research[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2017, 102(3): 254-273.
[9] GOTTFREDSON L S. The challenge and promise of cognitive career assessment[J]. Journal of Career Assessment, 2003, 11(2): 115-135.
[10] PANAGIOTIS T, PANAGIOTIS R. Leadership competencies profiles and managerial effectiveness in Greece[J]. Procedia Economics and Finance, 2014, 9(7): 380-390.
[11] PAYNE H J. Reconceptualizing social skills in organizations: Exploring the relationship between communication competence, job performance, and supervisory roles[J]. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 2005, 11(2): 63-77.
[12] MCDANIEL M A, HARTMAN N S, WHETZEL D L, et al. Situational judgment tests, response instructions, and validity: A meta-analysis[J]. Personnel Psychology, 2007, 60(1): 63-91.
[13] ARMSTRONG P I, ROUNDS J. Integrating individual differences in career assessment: The atlas model of individual differences and the strong ring[J]. The Career Development Quarterly, 2010, 59(2): 142-153.
[14] HIRSCHI A. Vocational identity as a mediator of the relationship between core self-evaluations and life and job satisfaction[J]. Applied Psychology, 2011, 60(4): 622-644.
[15] TURNER S, UNKEFER L C, CICHY B E,et al. Career interests and self-estimated abilities of young adults with disabilities[J]. Journal of Career Assessment, 2011, 19(2): 183-196.
[16] MASLACH C, SCHAUFELI W B, LEITER M P. Job burnout[J]. Annual Review of Psychology, 2001, 52(1): 397-422.
[17] CHI N W, PAN S Y. A multilevel investigation of missing links between transformational leadership and task performance: The mediating roles of perceived person-job fit and person-organization fit[J]. Journal of Business and Psychology, 2012, 27(9): 43-56.
[18] FU H W, YANG H O, CHU K L. Correlations among satisfaction with educational training, job performance, job characteristics, and person-job fit[J]. The Anthropologist, 2014, 17(1): 65-74.
[19] LIN Y C, YU C, YI C C. The effects of positive affect, person-job fit, and well-being on job performance[J]. Social Behavior and Personality, 2014, 42(9): 1537-1547.
[20] 苏中兴, 杨姣. 让员工更加投入的工作：对高绩效工作系统影响组织绩效内在机制的检验[J]. 中国人力资源开发, 2006, 11(9): 67-79.
SU Zhongxing, YANG Jiao. How HPWS lead to high performance for organization? The mediating role of employee work engagement[J]. Human Resources Development of China, 2006, 11(9): 67-79.
[21] 王元元, 时勘, 殷融.多重匹配因素对员工工作投入的影响机制：员工-主管匹配的调节效应[J]. 中国人力资源开发, 2018, 35(1): 27-36.
WANG Yuanyuan, SHI Kan, YIN Rong. The mechanism of multiple fit factors to employees’ work engagement: The moderated effect of person-supervisor fit[J]. Human Resources Development of China, 2018, 35(1): 27-36.
[22] 钱宝祥, 蔡亚华, 李立. 个人团队匹配与团队创造力关系研究: 团队认同的中介作用[J]. 科技进步与对策, 2016, 33(18): 134-139.
QIAN Baoxiang, CAI Yahua, LI Li. Study on the relationship between person-group fit and group creativity: Mediating role of team identity[J]. Science & Technology Progress and Policy, 2016, 33(18): 134-139.
[23] KORMOS J, TREBITS A. The role of task complexity, modality, and aptitude in narrative task performance[J]. Language Learning, 2012, 62(2), 439-472.
[24] SNOW R E. Aptitude theory: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow[J]. Educational Psychologist, 1992, 27(1): 5-32.
[25] WILCOCK A A. Reflections on doing, being and becoming[J]. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1998, 65(5): 248-256.
[26] ACKERMAN P L. Aptitude complexes and trait complexes[J]. Educational Psychologist, 2003, 38(2): 85-93.
[27] KRISTOF-BROWN A L, ZIMMERMAN R D, JOHNSON E C. Consequences of individuals’ fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person-supervisor fit[J]. Personnel Psychology, 2005, 58(2): 281-342.
[28] EDWARDS J R, CAPLAN R D, VAN HARRISON R. Person-environment fit theory: Conceptual foundations, empirical evidence and direction for future research[M]// Theories of Organizational Stress. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1998: 28-67.
[29] SU R, MURDOCK C, ROUNDS J. Person-environment fit[M]// APA Handbook of Career Intervention. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2015: 81-98,.
[30] ROBERTS B W, WOOD D. Personality development in the context of the neo-socioanalytic model of personality[M]// Handbook of Personality Development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2006:11-39, .
[31] MILLIMAN J, GATLING A, BRADLEY G, et al. The implications of workplace spirituality for person-environment fit theory[J]. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2017, 9(1): 1-12.
[32] KIM T Y, CABLE D M, KIM S P. Socialization tactics, employee proactivity, and person-organization fit[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2005, 90(2): 232-241.
[33] SAKS A M, UGGERSLEVK L, FASSINA N E. Socialization tactics and newcomer adjustment: A meta-analytic review and test of a model[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2007, 70(3): 413-446.
[34] YU K Y T. Affective influences in person-environment fit theory: Exploring the role of affect as both cause and outcome of P-E fit[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2009, 94(7): 1210-1226.
[35] NYE C D, SU R, ROUNDS J, et al. Vocational interests and performance: A quantitative summary of over 60 years of research[J]. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2012, 7(4): 384-403.
[36] GREGURAS G J, DIEFENDORFF J M. Different fits satisfy different needs: Linking person-environment fit to employee commitment and performance using self-determination theory[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2009, 94(2): 465-477.
[37] GRIFFIN M, NEAL A, NEALE M. The contribution of task performance and contextual performance to effectiveness: Investigating the role of situational constraints[J]. Applied Psychology, 2000, 49(3): 517-533.
[38] KLUEMPER D H, DEGROOT T, CHOI S. Emotion management ability: Predicting task performance, citizenship, and deviance[J]. Journal of Management, 2011, 39(4): 878-905.
[39] CARROLL J B. Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies[M]. London: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
[40] ACKERMAN P L, WOLMAN S D. Determinants and validity of self-estimates of abilities and self-concept measures[J]. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2007, 13(2): 57-78.
[41] DUFFY R D, AUTIN K L, BOTT E M. Work volition and job satisfaction: Examining the role of work meaning and person-environment fit[J]. The Career Development Quarterly, 2015, 63(2): 126-140.
[42] EDWARDS J R. Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique[M]// International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 1991, 6: 283-357.
[43] LU Changqin, WANG Haijiang, LU Jingjing, et al. Does work engagement increase person-job fit? The role of job crafting and job insecurity[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2014, 84(6): 142-152.
[44] RESICK C J, BALTES B B, SHANTZ C W. Person-organization fit and work-related attitudes and decisions: Examining interactive effects with job fit and conscientiousness[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2007, 92(5): 1446-1455.
[45] EBY L T, BUTTS M, LOCKWOOD A. Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career[J]. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2003, 24(6): 698-708.
[46] TSABARI O, TZINER A, MEIR E I. Updated meta-analysis on the relationship between congruence and satisfaction[J]. Journal of Career Assessment, 2005, 13(2): 216-232.
[47] 王红芳, 杨俊青. 员工总体报酬、要求-能力匹配对工作满意度的影响——以非国有企业为例[J]. 经济问题, 2015, 20(5): 73-78.
WANG Hongfang, YANG Junqing.The effect of employee total rewards and demands-abilities fit on job satisfaction: Taking non-state-owned enterprises for example[J]. On Economic Problems, 2015, 20(5): 73-78.
[48] 王雪莉, 马琳, 张勉. 基于独生子女的调节作用的个人-工作匹配、工作满意度与员工离职倾向研究[J]. 管理学报, 2014, 11(5): 691-719.
WANG Xueli, MA Lin, ZHANG Mian. Person-job fit, job satisfaction and turnover intention: The moderating effect of the only children in China[J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2014, 11(5): 691-719.
[49] BOON C, BIRON M. Temporal issues in person-organization fit, person-job fit and turnover: The role of leader-member exchange[J]. Human Relations, 2016, 69(12): 2177-2200.
[50] 翁清雄, 卞泽娟. 组织职业生涯管理与员工职业成长：基于匹配理论的研究[J]．外国经济与管理, 2015, 37(8): 30-42.
WENG Qingxiong, BIAN Zejuan. Organizational career management and career growth: A study from the perspective of fit theory[J]. Foreign Economies & Management, 2015, 37(8): 30-42.
[51] BECTONJ B, CARR J C, MOSSHOLDER K W, et al. Differential effects of task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and job complexity on voluntary turnover[J]. Journal of Business and Psychology, 2017, 32(6): 495-508.
[52] BOON C, HARTOG D, BOSELIE P,et al. The relationship between perceptions of HR practices and employee outcomes: Examining the role of person-organization and person-job fit[J]. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2011, 22(1): 138-162.
[53] SCHAUFELI W B, SALANOVA M, GONZLEZ-ROM V, et al. The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach[J]. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2002, 3(1): 71-92.
[54] BUI H, ZENG Y, HIGGS M. The role of person-job fit in the relationship between transformational leadership and job engagement[J]. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2017, 32(5): 373-386.
[55] KONG H Y. Relationships among work-family supportive supervisors, career competencies, and job involvement[J]. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2013, 33(9): 304-309.
[56] SUUTARI V, MKEL K. The career capital of managers with global careers[J]. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2007, 22(7): 628-648.
[57] PARKER S K, COLLINS C G. Taking stock: Integrating and differentiating multiple proactive behaviors[J]. Journal of Management, 2010, 36(3): 633-662.
[58] BOTHMA F C, ROODT G. Work-based identity and work engagement as potential antecedents of task performance and turnover intention: Unravelling a complex relationship[J]. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 2012, 38(1): 1-17.
[59] SHANTZ A, ALFES K, TRUSS C,et al. The role of employee engagement in the relationship between job design and task performance, citizenship and deviant behaviors[J]. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013, 24(13): 2608-2627.
[60] 杨坚, 吴悦, 张研. 医护人员工作投入、工作倦怠对离职倾向与任务绩效的预测[J].中国卫生事业管理, 2017, 60(5): 60-64.
YANG Jian, WU Yue, ZHANG Yan.Correlation analysis of work engagement, job burnout, turnover intention and task performance among medical staffs[J]. Chinese Health Service Management, 2017, 60(5): 60-64.
[61] CHRISTIAN M S, GARZA A S, SLAUGHTER J E. Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance[J]. Personnel Psychology, 2011, 64(11): 89-136.
[62] CAI D, CAI Y, SUN Y,et al. Linking empowering leadership and employee work engagement: The effects of person-job fit, person-group fit, and proactive personality[J]. Frontiers in Psychology, 2018, 9(6): 1-12.
[63] DEBEER L T, ROTHMANN S J, MOSTERT K. The bidirectional relationship between person-job fit and work engagement: A three-wave study[J]. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 2016, 15(1): 4-14.
[64] 马金鹏, 蔡地, 徐伟涛, 等. 求同存异的力量：“个人-团队匹配”的研究述评与未来展望[J]. 中国人力资源开发, 2018, 35(1): 6-18.
MA Jinpeng, CAI Di, XU Weitao. Be together, not the same: A literature review on person-team fit[J]. Human Resource Development of China, 2018, 35(1): 6-18.
[65] VOGEL R M, FELDMAN D C. Integrating the levels of person-environment fit: The roles of vocational fit and group fit[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2009, 75(1): 68-81.
[66] TUNG Y C, LIN Y P. Cross-level effects of deep-level diversity on person-group fit[J]. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 2015, 7(2): 109-126.
[67] SEONG J Y, CHOI J N. Effects of group-level fit on group conflict and performance: The initiating role of leader positive affect[J]. Group & Organization Management, 2014, 39(2): 190-212.
[68] KRISTOF-BROWN A L, SEONG J Y, DEGEEST D S, et al. Collective fit perceptions: A multilevel investigation of person-group fit with individual-level and team-level outcomes[J]. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2014, 35(7): 969-989.
[69] KIM M S, KIM S Y, SHIN Y. Effects of gender similarity on relationships between person-group value fit and work attitudes[J]. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2011, 14(1): 1-14.
[70] HOLLAND J L. A personality inventory employing occupational titles[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1958, 42(5): 336-342.
[71] SWANSON J L, GORE P A. Advances in vocational psychology theory and research[M]// Handbook of Counseling Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2000: 233-269
[72] ROTTINGHAUS P J, FALK N A, PARK C J. Career assessment and counseling for STEM: A critical review[J]. The Career Development Quarterly, 2018, 66(1): 2-34.
[73] PREDIGER D, SWANEY K, MAU W C. Extending Holland’s hexagon: Procedures, counseling applications, and research[J]. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1993, 71(4): 422-428.
[74] CAMPION M A, FINK A A, RUGGEBERG B J,et al. Doing competencies well: Best practices in competency modeling[J]. Personnel Psychology, 2011, 64(1): 225-262.
[75] JANSEN A, MELCHERS K G, LIEVENS F, et al. Situation assessment as an ignored factor in the behavioral consistency paradigm underlying the validity of personnel selection procedures[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2013, 98(2): 326-341.
[76] 翁清雄, 余涵. 评价中心与情境判断测验：两种人事选拔方法的对比研究[J]. 中国人力资源开发, 2019, 36(10): 117-131.
WENG Qingxiong, YU Han. Assessment centers and situational judgment tests: A comparative study of two kinds of selection methods[J]. Human Resources Development of China, 2019, 36(10): 117-131.
[77] WEEKLEY J A, PLOYHART R E. Situational Judgment Tests: Theory, Measurement, and Application[M]. New York: Psychology Press, 2006: 152-170.
[78] WENG Q, YANG H, LIEVENS F,et al. Optimizing the validity of situational judgment tests: The importance of scoring methods[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2018, 104(6): 199-209.
[79] CHRISTIAN M S, EDWARDS B D, BRADLEY J C. Situational judgment tests: Constructs assessed and a meta-analysis of their criterion-related validities[J]. Personnel Psychology, 2010, 63(1): 83-117.
[80] MOTOWIDLO S J, DUNNETTE M D, CARTER G W. An alternative selection procedure: The low-fidelity simulation[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1990, 75(6): 640-647.
[81] MCDANIEL M A, MORGESON F P, FINNEGAN E B. Predicting job performance using situational judgment tests: A clarification of the literature[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2001, 86(4): 730-740.
[82] PODSAKOFF P M, MACKENZIE S B, LEE J Y,et al. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2003, 88(5): 879-903.
[83] CABLE D M, DE RUE D S. The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions[J]. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2002, 87(5): 875-895.
[84] SCHAUFELI W B, BAKKER A B, SALANOVA M. The measurement of work engagementwith a short questionnaire: A cross-national study[J]. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 2006, 66(5): 701-716.
[85] WILLIAMS L J, ANDERSON S E. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors[J]. Journal of Management, 1991, 17(9): 601-617.
[86] SEONG J Y, KRISTOF-BROWN A L. Testing multidimensional models of person-group fit[J]. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2012, 27(6): 536-556.
[87] 周浩, 龙立荣. 共同方法偏差的统计检验与控制方法[J]. 心理科学进展, 2004, 12(6): 942-950.
ZHOU Hao, LONG Lirong. Statistical remedies for common method biases[J].Advances in Psychological Science, 2004, 12(6): 942-950.
[88] 尹奎, 孙建敏, 陈乐妮. 基于串联中介模型的认知重塑对工作投入的影响研究[J]. 管理学报, 2017, 14(4): 528-536.
YIN Kui, SUN Jianmin, CHEN Leni. The effect of cognitive crafting on job engagement: A chain-mediation model[J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2017, 14(4): 528-536.
[89] 方杰, 温忠麟. 基于结构方程模型的有调节的中介效应分析[J]. 心理科学, 2018, 41(2):453-458.
FANG Jie, WEN Zhonglin. The analyses of moderated mediation effects based on structural equation modeling[J]. Journal of Psychological Science, 2018, 41(2): 453-458.
[90] STRIDE C B, GARDNER S, CATLEY N,et al. Mplus code for the mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation model templates from Andrew Hayes’ process analysis examples[EB/OL]. [2015-06-17]. http://www.figureitout.org.uk.
[91] AIKEN L S, WEST S G, RENO R R. Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions[M]. Newbury Park, California: Sage, 1991.
[92] EDWARDS J R, LAMBERT L S. Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: A general analytic framework using moderated path analysis[J]. Psychological Methods, 2007, 12(1): 1-22.
[93] TIMS M, DERKS D, BAKKER A. Job crafting and its relationships with person-job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study[J]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 2016, 92(8): 44-53.
[94] BARBIER M, HANSEZ I, CHMIEL N,et al. Performance expectations, personal resources, and job resources: How do they predict work engagement[J]. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 2013, 22(6): 750-762.

()
()