Integrating expectations, experiences, and psychological contract violations: A longitudinal study of new professionals

This research investigated the relationships among pre-entry expectations, post-entry experiences and psychological contract violations. The goal was to clarify the conceptual distinctions between the constructs and to test their differential impact on job satisfaction. In a national longitudinal study, 235 final-year occupational therapy students were surveyed immediately prior to entering the profession and again 14 months later. Post-entry experiences regarding supervision were found to predict psychological contract violation. Post-entry experiences and psychological contract violations were found to jointly predict job satisfaction, with psychological contract violations demonstrating the stronger relationship. Pre-entry expectations were positively correlated with job satisfaction, but this relationship was fully mediated by post-entry experiences. Met expectations, as measured by an interaction between pre-entry expectations and post-entry experiences, was not a predictor of psychological contract violation. Nor did met expectations predict job satisfaction after controlling for contract violations. The findings reinforce a positive relationship between job satisfaction and turnover. These findings support the use of separate and commensurate measures of pre-entry expectations and post-entry experiences, and the integration of all three constructs in models of job satisfaction.