Satisfaction as a mediator of the task-specific self-efficacy and performance relationship

Abstract

Problem: The current study focused on the relationships between task-specific self-efficacy, satisfaction with the task and task performance. It tested the hypothesis that the satisfaction mediates the influence of self-efficacy on performance. It built upon Bandura‘s conception of self-efficacy (1994) and studies that confirmed the individual relationships between satisfaction and performance (e.g. Riketta, 2008), between self-efficacy and satisfaction (e.g. Judge, Locke, & Durham, cited by Smith, Choi, Fuqua, & Newman, 2011) and between self-efficacy and performance (e.g. Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998). Method: The research sample consisted of 96 Czech and Slovak university students of natural science (46,9 % women) in ages ranging between 19 and 26 years (M = 21,1; SD = 1,86). The task-specific self-efficacy was measured using an adapted version of the General selfefficacy scale (Křivohlavý, Schwarzer, & Jerusalem, 1993) after the task was described to the respondents. The scale was adjusted to measure the task-specific construct. Internal consistency of the adjusted scale was measured using Cronbach’s alpha and was satisfactory (? = .70). Satisfaction was measured using the adjusted Stone’s (1977) Satisfaction scale after the task was described and respondents completed a training task designed to allow them to judge their task satisfaction. Cronbach’s alpha was used again to measure the internal consistency of the satisfaction scale (? = .88). Finally, respondents completed the actual task, during which they were instructed to write words starting with four prescribed syllables. Their task performance was operationalized as the number of words written within a time limit. Results: The results showed a weak positive significant relationship between self-efficacy and satisfaction (r = .26*), satisfaction and performance (r = .23*) and self-efficacy and performance (r = .23*). The hypothesis that satisfaction is the mediator of the relationship between task-specific self-efficacy and performance was tested by the ?2 indicator of effect size (Preacher & Kelly, 2011) and by a bootstrap test of indirect effect (Hayes, 2012). According to the ?2 indicator, there was a weak mediation effect (?2 = .05, 95%LLCI ? .00, 95% ULCI = .16) and the indicator was significantly larger than 0. However, the bootstrap analysis did not reveal a significant indirect effect (B = .17, SE = .16, 95%LLCI = -.04, 95%ULCI = .61). Discussion and conclusion: The study contributes to the integration of attitudinal and personality theories that explain work performance. It helps to understand the nature of the relationship between self-efficacy and performance. The use of a single standardized task is both the strength and limit of the study. It served to reduce the impact of external variables, yet it also led to a reduction of the ecological validity of the research.

Keywords

• task-specific self-efficacy
• work satisfaction
• work performancese