The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) for educational sector occupations: An evaluation of model properties of the Job Characteristic Model among teachers,university staff members, and nursery school teachers with job-specific versions of the JDS

In the Job Characteristics Model (JCM, Hackman & Oldham, 1975, 1980), relat ions between core job characteristics, critical psychological states, and j ob satisfaction, as well as internal work motivation, are postulated. The J ob Diagnostic Survey (JDS), an instrument designed to measure the key eleme nts of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM), is frequently and successfully used in research projects dealing with production and management. The aim o f this study was to determine, using a German translation of the JDS, wheth er the JCM can be applied to jobs outside the commercial sector. The items were modified and adopted to the situation of the specific occupations. The JDS was given to two samples of teachers (N =201, N = 190), university sta ff (N = 146), and nursery school teachers (N=80). The factorial structure o f the JDS could not be replicated exactly. With newly constructed scales th e predictions of the JCM were examined by means of structural equation mode ling (EQS): To reach a good model fit in all samples a direct influence of the core job characteristics on job motivation had to be induced. The core job characteristics showed the predicted influence on the critical psycholo gical states, experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility, and t he knowledge of the actual results. The last-mentioned variable is not gene rally connected with the outcomes of the work, as predicted by Hackman and Oldham.