Psychological appraisal in personal engagement : the influence of mindsets

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dc.contributor.advisorTheron, Callieen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorde Bruin, Deonen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorvan der Bank, Francoisen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-07T08:38:45Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-16T12:43:06Z
dc.date.available2022-11-07T08:38:45Z
dc.date.available2023-01-16T12:43:06Z
dc.date.issued2022-12
dc.descriptionThesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH SUMMARY: The study investigates the role of psychological appraisal in the development of personal engagement, focusing on goal orientations and core self-evaluation as underlying cognitions influencing how people subjectively interpret objective features in their environment. The more cognitive approach followed in the study differs from the majority of past research studies in that it focuses on the psychological process of engagement, as opposed to searching for “drivers” of engagement. In order to test the premise that employees can appraise the same situation differently, the sample consisted of participants (N = 368) from a similar environment (i.e. full-time academics at three South African universities) and with the focus on the same target role, namely that of academic researcher. The study also controlled for the objective environment by developing an objective index measuring verifiable features in the environment and subsequently used residualised centring to remove the variance in the measurement model explained by the objective index. The study used a crosssectional correlational design, with structural equation modelling as the analytical technique for evaluating the proposed appraisal-focused personal engagement structural model. The structural model produced acceptable fit statistics (RMSEA = .055; p > .05) and 19 (82.6%) of the 23 path-specific hypotheses were supported by the data. Overall, the model explained 87% of variance in the personal engagement construct. The results confirm the intermediate and proximal role of the critical psychological states (representing employees’ appraisal of the environment) leading to personal engagement; although the current study suggests that meaningfulness and psychological availability can compensate for psychological safety. The study also demonstrates that learning goal orientation, along with the newly developed purpose goal orientation (representing mid-level cognitive schemas) is likely to result in positive appraisals of the situation, while performance goal orientation mostly leads to negative appraisals. The data further supported the influence of core self-evaluation (conceptualised as more fundamental self-beliefs) on the three goal orientations, with it having a positive effect on learning and purpose goal orientation, but an inverse effect on performance goal orientation. Finally, the results of the indirect effects corroborate the view of core self-evaluation as a distal variable, positively influencing personal engagement via a stream of intermediate variables, including the goal orientations. The cross-sectional correlational design represents a limitation in the study as it does not allow for causal interpretations on the same level as experimental designs. In addition, a longitudinal design could have provided more insight into the psychological process, given the long stream of variables, ranging from fundamental core self-beliefs to mid-level cognitions (goal orientations) to psychological appraisal, and eventually personal engagement behaviour. The study shows that to fully understand personal engagement, consideration needs to be given to both the objective environment as well as people’s subjective, internal interpretation and experiences of the environment and themselves. In terms of subjective appraisals, it is recommended that organisations focus on goal orientations as they may offer therapeutic potential to facilitate higher levels of personal engagement.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie ondersoek die rol van sielkundige beoordering in die ontwikkeling van persoonlike betrokkenheid, met die fokus op doelorientasies en kern-selfevaluering as onderliggende kognisies wat beinvloed hoe mense objektiewe kenmerke in hul omgewing subjektief interpreteer. Die meer kognitiewe benadering wat in die studie gevolg is, verskil van die meerderheid vorige navorsingstudies in die opsig dat dit op die sielkundige proses van betrokkenheid fokus, in teenstelling met die soeke na “drywers” van betrokkenheid. Ten einde die uitgangspunt te toets dat werknemers dieselfde situasie verskillend kan beoordeel, het die steekproef bestaan uit deelnemers (N = 368) uit 'n eenderse omgewing (d.i. voltydse akademici aan drie Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite) en met die fokus op dieselfde teikenrol, naamlik die van akademiese navorser. Die studie het ook vir die objektiewe omgewing gekontroleer deur 'n objektiewe indeks te ontwikkel wat verifieerbare kenmerke in die omgewing meet en vervolgens geresidualiseerde sentrering gebruik om die variansie in die metingsmodel wat deur die objektiewe indeks verklaar word, te verwyder. Die studie het 'n dwarssnit korrelatiewe ontwerp gebruik, met strukturele vergelykingsmodellering as die ontledingstegniek vir die evaluering van die voorgestelde beoordeling-gefokusde persoonlike betrokkenheid strukturele model. Die strukturele model het aanvaarbare pasgehaltestatistieke opgelewer (RMSEA = .055; p > .05) en 19 (82.6%) van die 23 baanspesifieke hipoteses is deur die data ondersteun. In totaal het die model 87% van variansie in die persoonlike betrokkenheidkonstruk verklaar. Die resultate bevestig die intermediere en proksimale rol van die kritieke sielkundige toestande (wat werknemers se beoordeling van die omgewing verteenwoordig) wat lei tot persoonlike betrokkenheid; alhoewel die huidige studie daarop dui dat betekenisvolheid en sielkundige beskikbaarheid vir sielkundige veiligheid kan kompenseer. Die studie demonstreer ook dat leerdoel-orientasie, tesame met die nuut ontwikkelde betekenisgerigte doel-orientasie (“purpose goal orientation”) (wat middelvlak-kognitiewe skemas verteenwoordig) waarskynlik positiewe beoordelings van die situasie tot gevolg sal he, terwyl prestasiedoelwit-orientasie meestal tot negatiewe beoordelings lei. Die data het verder die invloed van kern-selfevaluering (gekonseptualiseer as meer fundamentele selfoortuigings) op die drie doelwitorientasies ondersteun, met 'n positiewe effek op leer- en betekenisgerigte doel-orientasie, maar 'n inverse effek op prestasiedoelorientasie. Laastens bevestig die resultate van die indirekte effekte die siening van kern-selfevaluering as 'n distale veranderlike, wat persoonlike betrokkenheid positief beinvloed via 'n stroom van tussenkomende veranderlikes, insluitend die doelorientasies. Die dwarssnit korrelatiwe ontwerp verteenwoordig 'n tekortkoming in die studie aangesien dit nie voorsiening maak vir kousale interpretasies op dieselfde vlak as eksperimentele ontwerpe nie. Daarbenewens kon 'n longitudinale ontwerp meer insig gee in die sielkundige proses, gegewe die lang stroom veranderlikes, wat wissel van fundamentele kern-selfoortuigings tot middelvlakkognisies (doelwitorientasies) tot sielkundige beoordeling, en uiteindelik persoonlike betrokkenheidsgedrag. Die studie toon dat om persoonlike betrokkenheid ten volle te verstaan, oorweging gegee moet word aan beide die objektiewe omgewing sowel as mense se subjektiewe, interne interpretasie en ervarings van die omgewing en hulself. In terme van subjektiewe beoordeling word dit aanbeveel dat organisasies fokus op doelorientasies aangesien dit terapeutiese potensiaal kan bied om hoer vlakke van persoonlike betrokkenheid te fasiliteer.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctorate
dc.format.extentxiii, 280 pages : illustrations, includes annexures
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125959
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch University
dc.subjectPersonality Assessmenten_ZA
dc.subjectPsychological Testsen_ZA
dc.subjectPsychology, Positiveen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTD
dc.titlePsychological appraisal in personal engagement : the influence of mindsetsen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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