Motivating College Students: An Application of the Job Characteristics Model

Authors

  • Cynthia R. Nordstrom Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Author
  • Karen B. Williams Illinois State University Author
  • Patricia A. Jarvis Illinois State University Author

Abstract

The authors examined the utility of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM), developed by industrial-organizational psychologists to enhance the motivating potential of jobs, as a theoretical framework for enriching college classroom environments. The JCM describes the relation between core job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the task itself) and workers' intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, performance, attendance, and turnover levels. Organizational research supports the basic principles of the model; the authors also found support for using it in educational environments. They propose an adaptation of this model, the Course Enrichment Model (CEM), and discuss results in terms of how this conceptual model might be used by classroom instructors to redesign classes and enrich the learning experience for college students.

Published

2024-03-22