Date of Award
5-2008
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Legacy Department
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Committee Chair/Advisor
Raymark, Patrick H.
Committee Member
Moore , DeWayne
Committee Member
Britt , Thomas W.
Committee Member
Pury , Cynthia L. S.
Abstract
The current study proposes and tests components of a model of applicant perceptions of Internet-based testing (IBT). Based on existing applicant reactions frameworks (e.g., Hausknecht, Day, & Thomas, 2004; Ryan & Ployhart, 2000), the model posits that actual test-taking conditions (e.g., presence or absence of a proctor, presence of absence of other test-takers), perceived test procedure characteristics (e.g., user-friendliness), and initial applicant perceptions (e.g., information privacy concerns) both directly and indirectly influence scores on a each of three composites of a selection test battery; Situational Judgment, Personality Fit, and Background Experience. Client-type (i.e., clients hiring entry-level applicants vs. clients hiring leader-level applicants) and race are examined as moderators of various proposed relationships.
The study's sample consisted of 5,675 applicants across 23 organizations. Results from mixed-models analyses provided support for the proposed framework, highlighting both single and dual mediational pathways of importance in an IBT context. Notably, results highlight information privacy concerns as an initial applicant perception variable of interest in IBT, over and above selection procedure fairness. Evidence also suggests that various mediational pathways are moderated by client type, but not race. Additionally, characteristics of actual test-taking conditions were subjected to an empirical analysis, resulting in a structure of Internet-based testing conditions that goes beyond the simple 'proctored/unproctored' distinction common in the literature. Implications of the study's results for future research into IBT are discussed, as are the ways in which the study's results can be incorporated into organizations' online selection practices.
Recommended Citation
Wasko, Laurie, "ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF APPLICANT PERCEPTIONS WITHIN AN INTERNET-BASED TESTING CONTEXT" (2008). All Dissertations. 224.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/224