JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2008 | Volume:15 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

A model of the precedents and outcomes of work motivation was developed and tested with survey responses from 652 employees of National Iranian South Oil Company in Ahvaz region, Iran. The variables in the model were arranged in five layers, which included: 1) distal precursors of motivation (motivational traits, procedural constraints and job goal difficulty), 2) proximal precursors (Islamic work ethic, pay satisfaction, basic psychological needs, self-efficacy, job characteristics and job security), 3) work motivation variable, 4) proximal outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job involvement, effort and turnover intention), and 5) distal outcomes of motivation (job performance and job stress). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS-7 and SPSS-15 software packages were used for data analysis.The results of the hypothesized CFA model indicated that the relationship between each indicator variable and its respective latent variable was statistically significant. On the basis of the overall model fit indices, findings indicated that the revision of the hypothesized structural model was warranted. Better fit and more meaningful results were obtained by developing optimal model. The implementation of x2 difference test had also indicated the improvement trend of the final model. Implications for designing motivation systems are discussed.

This study investigates the relationships between job satisfaction and the Big Five personality' variables among the high school teachers in Tehran (Iran) and Puna (India) in 1385. Job satisfaction variables included satisfaction with work, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with promotions, satisfaction with supervisor, satisfaction with people at work, and personality;, variables consisted of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The sample consisted of 224 teachers from Tehran and 223 teachers from Puna, teaching in the high schools, who were randomly selected. The instruments of this research consist of two questionnaires including: The Neo-Five Factors Inventory (Neo-FFI) by Costa & McCrae (1992) and Job Descriptive Index (JDI) by Smith, Kendall, & Hulin (1969). The results showed that there were significant negative correlations between neuroticism1md satisfaction with nature of work, satisfaction with job in general, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with people, satisfaction with promotions, and satisfaction with supervisor among Iranian and Indian high school teachers. Also there were significant positive correlations between extraversion and satisfaction with people, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with promotions, satisfaction with supervisor, and satisfaction with nature of work in general among Iranian and Indian high school teachers. There were significant negative correlations between openness and satisfaction with people among Iranian and Indian high school teachers. But there were significant positive correlations between openness and satisfaction with promotions and satisfaction with work in general among Iranian and Indian high school teachers. There were significant positive correlations between agreeableness and satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with promotions, satisfaction with work in general among Iranian and Indian high school teachers.Iranian teachers, compared to Indian teachers, were higher in job satisfaction, and there were different personality factors among Iranian and Indian teachers.

The relationships of some important environmental (perceived organizational justice, interpersonal conflict at work, and organizational constraints), attitudinal Gob satisfaction), personality (neuroticism, openness, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, trait anxiety, and trait anger) and affective (positive and negative affects) variables with counterproductive workplace behaviors were investigated. Five-hundred and forty six employees were randomly selected. Results indicated that four types of organizational justice (including distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational), job satisfaction, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and positive affects were negatively correlated with both organizationally and interpersonally counterproductive workplace behaviors. Moreover, interpersonal conflict at work, organizational constraints, neuroticism, trait anxiety, and trait anger were correlated positively. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that predictor variables account for 24 and 39 percent of variance of interpersonally and organizationally counterproductive workplace behaviors, respectively. Moderated regression analyses showed that personality characteristics (trait anxiety and anger, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) moderated the relationships between environmental variables (interpersonal conflict and distributive justice) and counterproductive behaviors.That is, the relationships between environmental variables and counterproductive behaviors were stronger for individuals high in trait anxiety and anger and low in agreeableness and conscientiousness than for individuals low in trait anxiety and anger and high in agreeableness and conscientiousness. Inconsistent with expectations, personality characteristics did not moderate the relationships oforganizational constraints and counterproductive behaviors.

The recognition of effective factors on "reactions to stressful events, has a substantial role in the management and control of stress, and always had been a substantial issues in studies connected to coping behaviourology. The aim of this study was to determine the difference between individuals with different levels of self-esteem, in regard to coping styles in stressful situations. Data were collected from 373 students (140 men and 233 women) of Yazd University, from seven faculties, between 22 June and 22 July 2006. These students were selected via proportional stratified sampling. Students then were responded to Standardized Scales: Coping Strategies Scale (CSS) and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The results showed significant difference among students with different levels of self esteem, about coping styles (p<0.001), in generally, and about components of coping styles: reappraisal! adjustment (p<0.001), avoidance coping (p<0.001), Problem-focused coping (p<0.001), emotion-focused coping (p<0.001), and self-control (p<0.01). The results of this study was different from the previous findings about higher use of emotion-focused coping styles by individuals with lower self-esteem.

The present study examined the relationship of some personality variables (sensation seeking, assertion and psychological hardiness), religious attitudes and marital satisfaction with addiction potential in the personnel of an industrial factory in Ahvaz.489 subjects were selected randomly from the personnel who participated in in-service classes during two months. The scales used for this study were Iranian Addiction Potential Scale, Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Sensation Seeking Scale, Psychological Hardiness Scale, Religious Attitudes and Assertion Inventory. The results showed significant positive correlation between sensation seeking and addiction potential.However, there were significant negative correlations between marital satisfaction, hardiness, religious attitudes and addiction potential.Also, the multiple regression analysis showed that marital satisfaction, sensation seeking, hardiness and religious attitudes predicted addiction potential.

The effect of assertion training on acquisition of pounding serving in volleyball, social anxiety and assertiveness among vocational-school students has been investigated in this research. The method of this study was quasi-experimental. The first sample consisted of 300 students who were selected randomly from the four school districts in Ahvaz. The sampling method was multi-stage sampling. The second sample consisted of 60 students who had less assertion and were selected randomly from the first sample. The second sample was assigned to four groups. The first group consisted of students who received both assertion training and pounding serving in volleyball as treatment. The students in the second group received only pounding serving volleyball; the third group received only assertion training, and the fourth group received no treatment. The instruments used in this study consist of Assertiveness Self-Report Inventory (ASRI) Social Anxiety Scale and the Test for Volleyball Seving of I ford. The research design of pre-test and post-test was considered. The analysis of the data, using analysis of variance, showed that the assertion training increased both assertiveness and acquisition of pounding serving in volleyball and reduced social anxiety.

In the present study, the organizational justice, job satisfaction and mental health of disable and normal employees were compared. The research sample consisted of 135 disable and 160 normal employees, of Ahvaz public organizations, who completed the organizational justice, job satisfaction, and mental health scales. Results of MANOVA and ANOVA revealed that disable employees had higher scores in distributive justice, pay satisfaction, work satisfaction, physical complaine, OCD, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, aggression, phobias, and psychosis than normal employees.There were no differences between disable and normal employees. In interactional justice, procedural justice, supervisory satisfaction, promotion satisfaction, coworker satisfaction, and paranoid thoughts.

The present research was conducted to study depression, sensation seeking, aggression, attachment styles, and socio-economic status as predictors of drug dependency among Ahvaz teenage boys. The subjects included 112 drug-dependent teenage boys and 112 non-drug dependent teenagers. To select the sample of drug-dependent group, accessible sampling was used and to select the non-dependent group, the multiphasic random sampling method was used. All the subjects were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory, Zuckerman Sensation- Seeking Scale, Ahvaz Aggression Inventory and Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment. To analysis data the discriminant analysis was used. The results of this research showed that teenage-drug dependency can be predicted from depression, sensation-seeking, attachment styles and socio-economic status.

The purpose of this study was to compare cohesion, adaptability, communication and marital satisfaction of forgiving and unforgiving married employees of Ahvaz offices. The sample consisted of 270 married personnel who were selected randomly, using the multi-stage sampling method. The measures used in this study were Family Forgiveness Scale, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale and Enriching as well as Nurturing Relationship Issue, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH). The findings showed that the high forgiving married personnel who had higher levels of cohesion, adaptability, communication and marital satisfaction in comparison with the low forgiving ones.