Applying the job characteristics model to the college education experience
Boredom is one of the most common complaints among university students, with studies suggesting its link to poor grades, drop out, and behavioral problems. Principles borrowed from industrial-organizational psychology may help prevent boredom and enrich the classroom experience. In the current study, we applied the core dimensions of the job characteristics model to the university classroom. In a survey of 293 students, significant relationships emerged between the five core dimensions (i.e., skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) and various affective (e.g., satisfaction) and behavioral (e.g., absenteeism) outcomes. Boredom proneness was found to be significantly and negatively related to course grade and measures of satisfaction. We conclude with suggestions for enriching the classroom experience.