Fit in the Classroom: Predictors of Student Performance and Satisfaction in Management Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of person-environment fit and examine its effectiveness in predicting student performance and satisfaction in the management education field. Three person-environment fit measures were used: (a) values congruence (the congruence between a student’s ideal value set and the existing value set in a classroom), (b) personality congruence (the fit between a student’s and their professor’s personalities), and (c) classroom environment congruence (the fit between a student’s ideal classroom environment and their perceptions of the existing environment). Data were collected from 171 students in five different sections of management classes taught by 3 different instructors from state-funded educational institutions in the western United States. The results indicated that student-professor personality congruence was a significant predictor of student performance and that classroom environment congruence and values congruence were significant predictors of student satisfaction. Results and implications for classroom practice are discussed.