Importance of various job characteristics

Abstract

The scale, titled “Importance of various job characteristics,” is a psychological instrument designed to quantify the personal value individuals place on different occupational attributes. It is routinely administered as part of the Allgemeinen Bevölkerungsumfrage (ALLBUS), a major general population survey in Germany. The theoretical foundation for the development of this 13-item scale is derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980), which posits that the items measure the relative importance of specific work-related attitudes. The scale has been extensively tested and normed within representative German samples.

Keywords

Job characteristics, work orientation, ALLBUS, occupational importance, work values, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, attitude measurement, Ajzen and Fishbein.

Authors

Porst, R., & Schmidt, P. (1982)

[quads id=5]

Purpose

The primary purpose of this scale is to systematically measure an individual’s work orientations by assessing the subjective importance assigned to a range of professional characteristics. By quantifying these preferences, the scale helps researchers understand underlying motivational structures and attitudes toward work across different demographic segments of the population.

The scale items cover diverse aspects of employment, including financial security, career advancement, social interaction, and personal fulfillment, providing a multidimensional assessment of what constitutes a desirable job for the respondent.

Construct

The scale measures the importance of job characteristics (Wichtigkeit Berufsmerkmale), which is interpreted within the context of work orientations. Following the framework established by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980), the importance ratings function as indicators of the strength of specific attitudes toward professional life.

Factor analysis of the 10 core items (ALLBUS 1980 data) identified three underlying dimensions of work orientation, based on the terminology proposed by Rosenberg (1957): Intrinsic Work Orientation, Extrinsic Work Orientation, and Socially Oriented Work Orientation. These dimensions capture preferences related to internal satisfaction, external rewards, and interpersonal or societal impact, respectively.

Validity

Formal validation evidence for the scale is sparse in the available documentation (“keine Hinweise dokumentiert”). However, the theoretical grounding in the Theory of Planned Behavior provides a conceptual basis for its construct relevance. Furthermore, the systematic testing and replication within the ALLBUS program suggest practical utility in large-scale social research.

The developers, Porst and Schmidt (1982), recommend using advanced statistical methods, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), for analysis. This approach is suggested to properly account for measurement error, item weighting, and the complex dimensionality of the scale, thereby implicitly addressing potential concerns regarding construct validity derived from simplified index scoring.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the overall 13-item scale is robust, demonstrated by a Cronbach’s Alpha of .85. This value indicates a high degree of consistency in response behavior across the items.

Further analysis conducted by Porst and Schmidt (1982) investigated the stability of reliability across various subgroups. While most demographic and contextual factors (e.g., political interest, education level) showed stable consistency, two factors demonstrated systematic differences in response consistency: Subjective Social Class (Alpha difference: .11) and Age (Alpha difference: .14). Item-level reliabilities for the 10 original items ranged from .43 to .64 in 1980, improving slightly in the 1982 survey with the full 13-item set.

Factor Analysis

An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) performed on the ALLBUS 1980 data (10 items) suggested a three-factor structure: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Socially Oriented Work Orientations. Factor correlations indicated that these orientations were generally compatible, particularly Intrinsic and Extrinsic orientations (overall correlation: .60).

However, subsequent Chi-square tests revealed that the three-factor model was statistically adequate only for the two oldest age groups (60–74 years and 75+ years, p < .05). For the younger cohorts and the total sample, the three-factor model did not fit the data adequately (p = 0.00 in all cases). This suggests that the underlying factor structure of work values may vary systematically based on the respondent’s age, necessitating careful analysis when comparing results across different generations.

Instrument

Test Type: Attitude and Preference Scale

Format: Self-report questionnaire item set, typically administered via interview or survey card presentation.

Language Available: German (deutsch)

Population Group: General Population of Germany and West Berlin

Age Group: 18 years and older

Population Details: Representative random samples of German citizens living in private households in the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin (ALLBUS surveys 1980, 1982, 1991, 1992). The overall sample used for comprehensive analysis included participants from these waves.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the importance of 13 job characteristics using a 7-point categorical scale, ranging from 1 = unwichtig (unimportant) to 7 = sehr wichtig (very important).

Keywords

Job values, ALLBUS survey, work attitudes, occupational preference, psychological measurement, intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards, social contribution, psychometrics.

[quads id=5]

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not documented in source content)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not documented in source content)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Contact addresses not documented in source content)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale items were first introduced in the ALLBUS survey in 1980 (Items 1–10). The full 13-item version was used and replicated in the ALLBUS 1982 and 1991 surveys. The scale is considered tested and normed (erprobt, normiert). Data access, usage permissions, and associated fees are managed through the GESIS data archive.

Reference’s

• Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Prentice-Hall.
• Peisert, H., et al. (1973). Forschungsgruppe Hochschulsozialisation, Universität Konstanz. (Cited as source for initial items).
• Porst, R., & Schmidt, P. (1982). Arbeitsorientierungen – Eine Skalendokumentation. ALLBUS Report 1982.
• Rosenberg, M. (1957). Occupations and values. Glencoe, IL: Free Press. (Cited for factor terminology).
• ALLBUS Data Archive Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.4232/1.11898
• ALLBUS Website: http://www.gesis.org/allbus/

[quads id=5]

Items of the Importance of various job characteristics

Instruction: Auf diesen Kärtchen steht Verschiedenes über die berufliche Arbeit und den Beruf. Für wie wichtig halten Sie persönlich diese Merkmale für die berufliche Arbeit und den Beruf? Benutzen Sie bitte auch diesmal die Skala von 1 bis 7 für Ihre Antwort.

Response Scale: 7-stufige Antwortskala von 1 = unwichtig bis 7 = sehr wichtig.

Items:

1. Sichere Berufsstellung
2. Hohes Einkommen
3. Gute Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten
4. Ein Beruf, der anerkannt und geachtet wird
5. Ein Beruf, der einem viel Freizeit lässt
6. Interessante Tätigkeit
7. Eine Tätigkeit, bei der man selbständig arbeiten kann
8. Aufgaben, die viel Verantwortungsbewusstsein erfordern
9. Viel Kontakt zu anderen Menschen
10. Ein Beruf, bei dem man anderen helfen kann
11. Ein Beruf, der für die Gesellschaft nützlich ist
12. Gibt einem das Gefühl, etwas Sinnvolles zu tun
13. Sichere und gesunde Arbeitsbedingungen