Identifying a missing link between participation and satisfaction: The mediating role of procedural justice perceptions

This study examined the mediating role of procedural justice in the relatio nship between participation and satisfaction. The study design used 3 possi ble goal-setting methods-assigned, self-set, and participative. A total of 235 undergraduate students participated in 3 trials of a class scheduling t ask. Structural equation modeling of the predicted model showed that percei ved participation affected satisfaction through effects on the perceived fa irness of participation in decision-making procedures. Tests of an alternat ive model further supported the hypothesized relationship. The results sugg ested that perceived justice may be responsible, at least in part, for part icipation effects on satisfaction and may provide an explanation for incons istencies in prior participation studies.