Technology usefulness and impact on school foodservice employees' perceptions of organizational support

Abstract

A limited number of readings was found in the literature assessing hourly school foodservice employees and the culture of their work environment. The purpose of this study was to examine perceived organizational support (POS) of hourly school foodservice employees and how technology use may impact those perceptions. Specific objectives were to (a) assess POS of hourly school foodservice employees; (b) examine whether perception of technology usefulness affected POS; (c) identify whether POS affected intentions to leave the organization; (d) identify whether perceptions of technology usefulness affected intentions to leave the organization; and (e) assess differences in POS by demographic characteristics of participants. A stratified random sampling process was used to collect data from hourly school foodservice employees in the Midwest. Five self-administered surveys were sent to 322 school districts with a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Descriptive statistics were calculated to ensure normality of data. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to determine construct validity of scales and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to determine reliability for each of the construct scales. A correlation analysis was conducted to determine relationships between constructs. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to identify correlations involving demographic characteristics of respondents. To assess differences in POS by demographic characteristics of respondents, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. Six hundred and twenty-five usable surveys were returned. The typical respondent worked more than half-time in a small school district, was in his/her 40s, and had earned at least a high school degree or equivalent. Items on the POS scale loaded on one component,