Who stays – who moves? How core self-evaluations are linked to changing resources in the workplace and school

Drawing from conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this paper explores the development of situational resources among learners (N_t1 = 1185, 49.6% female) in their second (t₁) and third (t₂) year of apprenticeship and their relationship with personal resources (i.e. core self-evaluations, CSE). Using latent transition analysis (LTA), we found four resource profiles that differed in the overall level of resources and the level of resources in the workplace and school. Results showed that most of the apprentices stayed in the same profile whereas only a few moved to a different one. Individuals with high CSE were more likely to remain in favourable resource profiles and more likely to improve their situation than apprentices with low CSE. This is in line with COR theory, which states that personal resources might be used to generate and maintain situational resources.