Competence and Satisfaction in Occupational Performance Among a Sample of University Students: An Exploratory Study.

Success at university may be influenced by concerns with occupation and occupational performance. To understand occupations of concern and occupational performance among a sample ( = 144) of university students in the Midwest United States, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was administered. Socially related ( = 103), academic-related ( = 75), and work-related ( = 64) occupations were the three most frequently reported occupational concerns. Time management ( = 79) was the most frequent person-level concern. Mean self-perceived competence in occupations was 29.83 ( = 7.18) out of 50 and mean performance satisfaction was 26.80 ( = 8.01) out of 50. There were no differences in occupational performance across gender, race/ethnicity, class standing, living environment, or work status. However, within participants, there was a significant and clinically relevant difference between performance satisfaction and self-perceived competence in occupation, (143) = 7.052, < .0005, = 0.58. Students have varied occupations that they find important, and future research should explore how occupational performance and performance satisfaction influence university success.