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Each student faces the challenge of choosing a study program that matches his or her vocational interest. A good person-environment fit (PE fit) between student and study program influences study success and persistence, prerequisites to obtaining the desired degree. But which criterion should be used when presenting advice sets of study options to orient students toward study programs that match their vocational interests? And how long should such a list of study options be? Moving beyond existing, non-evidence-based approaches, the present study sets out to develop an empirical advice set engine (EASE) to optimize the process of matching future students to fitting study options. Compared to existing, non-evidence-based alternatives, EASE shows a better balance between the number and PE fit of the options presented. EASE may be a promising way to rethink how student PE fit information can be used in student orientation and higher education research.

While field experiments are valuable in their ability to objectively analyse patterns of discrimination, research that focuses on reducing discrimination is systematically lacking. The present study addresses this gap. Building on both cognitive and behavioural processes that steer discriminatory decision-making and insights from diversity literature, we develop and test the effectiveness of a training intervention which is tailored to the specific context of the housing market, with 113 students in real estate. We develop our training around three theoretical mechanisms of discrimination that are measured through a specified vignette experiment in pre- and post-tests. Our results show a reduction in statistical and customer taste-based discrimination after the training, but no change in agent taste-based discrimination. The driver for this reduction in discrimination is being more selective on majority candidates rather than increasing the chances of ethnic minority candidates. Additionally, we found that training has no effect on taste and that most of these effects remain present on the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the effects of negative attainability feedback on the shift from engagement to disengagement from a career goal. It was hypothesized that negative attainability feedback regarding study choice may lead to both goal engagement and goal disengagement and that this relation is mediated by self-efficacy, motivational beliefs, and by the perceived accuracy of feedback. Results confirmed that negative feedback led to goal disengagement and, to a lesser extent, to continued engagement. Perceived accuracy of feedback was an important mediator, as was motivation. Self-efficacy did not predict either goal management strategies.

Burnout literature has primarily studied determinants and rehabilitation. Remarkably, ways to enable qualitative return to work after burnout are considered considerably less and were studied here. Specifically, building on the Job Demands-Resources model and Effort-Recovery model, this study investigated determinants of the quality of return to work. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the quality of reintegration among 786 workers who were surveyed about their return to work after a burnout episode. Restarting work at a new employer and especially getting supervisor support appeared beneficial, whereas remaining burnout symptoms, stressors in one's private environment and – mostly – neuroticism hampered the quality of return to work. Given the high prevalence and important costs burnout entails, primary prevention alone proves insufficient. Current study findings inform on how to optimize the quality of reintegration in the workplace after a burnout episode, demonstrating that supportive managers and inclusive workplaces (i.e., open to hire applicants with a burnout history) are important levers for qualitative return to work, next to ensuring workers are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms. Reintegration trajectories after burnout should not only be evaluated by sick leave duration but also by the clients' subjective experience of quality of return to work. Rehabilitation professionals should ensure clients prepare return to work early so they return timely and are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms. Rehabilitation professionals should propose reorientation towards a new employer in case of irreversible work ability problems at the current workplace. The clients' current work situation should allow for sufficient supervisor social support. Also stressors in private life (like divorce) and personality characteristics (like neuroticism) should be considered as they may hamper quality of return to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each student faces the challenge of choosing a study program that matches his or her vocational interest. A good person-environment fit (PE fit) between student and study program influences study success and persistence, prerequisites to obtaining the desired degree. But which criterion should be used when presenting advice sets of study options to orient students toward study programs that match their vocational interests? And how long should such a list of study options be? Moving beyond existing, non-evidence-based approaches, the present study sets out to develop an empirical advice set engine (EASE) to optimize the process of matching future students to fitting study options. Compared to existing, non-evidence-based alternatives, EASE shows a better balance between the number and PE fit of the options presented. EASE may be a promising way to rethink how student PE fit information can be used in student orientation and higher education research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]