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Research Project
Center for Psychology at University of Porto
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Publications
Organizational and job resources on employees’ job insecurity during the first wave of COVID-19: the mediating effect of work engagement
Publication . Santos, Joana; Gonçalves, Sónia P.; Silva, Isabel S.; Veloso, Ana; Moura, Rita; Brandão, Catarina
The world of work has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the high instability observed in the labor market, bringing several new challenges for leaders and employees. The present study aims to analyze the role of organizational and job resources in predicting employees' job insecurity during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, through the mediating role of work engagement. A sample of 207 Portuguese employees participated (Mean age = 45 years old, SD = 9.92), of which 64.7% were women. Data was collected using an online survey, including self-report measures of organizational resources (perceived organizational support), job resources (performance feedback and job autonomy), job insecurity, and work engagement. Data showed that job and organizational resources negatively influenced job insecurity. Moreover, work engagement was a significant mediator of the relation between performance feedback (facet of job resources) and job insecurity. Findings suggest that investing in job and organizational resources can act as protective factors to minimize feelings of job insecurity. Likewise, leaders should foster work engagement among employees to help them balance the relation between these resources and job insecurity, especially in crisis situations. Overall, this study takes a new, underexplored perspective, theoretically bridging organizational and job resources with job insecurity and work engagement during a time of great uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The challenges faced by higher education students and their expectations during COVID-19 in Portugal
Publication . Viana, Joana; Gonçalves, Sónia P.; Brandão, Catarina; Veloso, Ana; Vieira dos Santos, J.
This article reports on a study about higher education students’ perceptions of the teaching situation in Portugal during the pandemic, with the purpose of investigating: (i) what challenges did students feel?; (ii) how did institutions provide support to students?; and (iii) what expectations do students have about the continuity of their academic path and of higher education? The study was developed through a questionnaire distributed online and sent to the student associations. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and frequency statistics. Additionally, a categorical content analysis was performed for the qualitative data. A total of 694 students participated in the study. The results show that the main challenges felt by the students were related to the assessment of learning, that higher education institutions were little or not prepared for an emergency, and that the support given to students was mostly through the professors. Most students felt that the pandemic will have quite an impact on their academic paths and on the organization and functioning of higher education, highlighting a belief in the adoption of online or blended learning. It was concluded that it is necessary to invest in pedagogical training for Portuguese higher education teachers, namely, to teach using digital technologies.
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Funding agency
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Funding programme
6817 - DCRRNI ID
Funding Award Number
UIDB/00050/2020