Abstract

This dissertation reports the results of a within-person study concerning how various types of school stress appraisals (i.e., hindrance, threat and challenge) can impact organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) at work for student-workers. Indirect effects via positive and negative affect were also examined. Theoretical foundations for this research included the transactional model of stress, the work-home resources model, and affective theories of OCB. Data were gathered every week over a period of four weeks from employed students who were pursuing an undergraduate degree in commerce. Findings provided limited support for the hypotheses that school stress appraisals can impact workplace OCB. The total effects of school stress appraisals on OCB were generally non-significant. However, and consistent with the hypotheses, it was found that appraising school as a hindrance had a negative indirect effect on OCB via positive affect, but this effect became non-significant after including work hindrance appraisal in the model. Furthermore, it was found that appraising school as a threat had a negative indirect effect on OCB via positive affect, but this effect also became non-significant when including work threat appraisal in the model. It was also found that school challenge appraisal had a positive indirect effect on OCB via positive affect, and this effect remained significant after controlling for work challenge appraisal. Supplementary analyses revealed that school stress appraisals are not strong predictors of task performance and CWB at work. One implication of this study is that when students adopt positive framing around school as a challenge, this may have positive downstream effects their OCB and task performance at work via positive affect.