Effects of Attraction-Similarity, Social Distance, and Academic Environment on Screening Decisions Performed by Elementary School Teachers: An Uncharted Course

Abstract

This study examines the screening decisions of teachers as organizational representatives and varies the focal position sought by applicants (teacher or counselor), the location of the job assignment (proximal or distal), and academic performance of a school district. Credentials of hypothetical job candidates were evaluated according to job-related criteria and assessments were obtained for the probability of an interview offer being extended. To capture the hierarchical relationship between evaluations of paper credentials and interview offers, a stepdown ANOVA procedure was used. Results of the stepdown procedure suggest that screening decisions of teachers failed to conform to either the attraction-similarity paradigm or socal distance theory and varied little relative to the academic performance of school district. Statistically significant results were detected for a role incongruent position (counselor) at the interview stage of the selection process, and these findings are interpreted relative to likely pressures felt by teachers to produce on state mandated accountability measures. This research was supported in part by the University of California Educational Research Center (UCERC). The opinions contained in this work, however, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the endorsement of the UCERC.