Advisor–Student Relationship in Business Education Project Collaborations: A Psychological Contract Perspective

Abstract

Fulfillment of students' expectations in the educational context is likely to generate a sense of satisfaction and well‐being. The current study examines the association between students' perceptions of psychological contract breach and their psychological well‐being and satisfaction in a project collaboration context with a thesis advisor. The moderating role of conscientiousness on these relationships is considered. Students in 48 group thesis projects of the undergraduate management program at a private university in the Philippines were surveyed. Students perceiving higher levels of psychological contract breach in the advisor–student relationship reported lower levels of psychological well‐being and project satisfaction. The negative effects of psychological contract breach on psychological well‐being were stronger for students high in conscientiousness compared with students low in conscientiousness.

Student Satisfaction with Online Learning: Is it a Psychological Contract?

“…They consist of perceived obligations and expectations, and thus, are subjective and vary from person to person (Bordia, Hobman, Restubog, & Bordia, 2010). When broken, or breached, (due to perceived unfairness, inequality, or mistrust), satisfaction and performance decline and workforce turnover increases, consequently impacting attitudes and behaviors (Bordia et al, 2010).…”

Passion and challenging goals: drawbacks of rushing into goal‐setting processes

“…With such team support, the leader can engage in the activity in a more flexible and mindful manner, which in turn will nurture the team leader's experience of harmonious passion. Indeed, it creates conditions where he or she can engage in the activity by volition rather than having pressure attached to it (Mageau et al., ; see also Bordia, Hobman, Restubog, & Bordia, for the importance of perceived support for well‐being). This resonates well with the study by Liu, Chen, and Yao (), in which they demonstrate that when the work environment supports autonomy, harmonious passion is likely to develop.…”

The Mentoring Relationship as a Context for Psychological Contract Development

“…Although the most common context for examining psychological contracts is the employment relationship, psychological contracts have been applied to other relationships as well. For example, researchers have investigated psychological contracts in employee–customer relationships (Eddleston et al., 2002), supplier–distributor relationships (Kingshott, 2007), and advisor–student relationships (Bordia, Hobman, Restubog, & Bordia, 2010). Psychological contracts between advisors and students likely share many attributes with that of the psychological mentoring contract because of the developmental nature of both relationships, the power difference between the two parties, and the influence the senior partner has over outcomes for the junior partner.…”