127 THE CROSS-CULTURAL GENERALIZABILITY OF THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR A Study on Job Seeking in the Netherlands EDWIN A. J. VAN HOOFT MARISE PH. BORN Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands TOON W. TARIS Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands HENK VAN DER FLIER Free University Amsterdam, The Netherlands This study examined the cross-cultural generalizability of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as applied to job seeking, by comparing samples of native Dutch and Turkish individuals in The Netherlands. Results support the equivalence of the measures used. Moreover, the TPB relationships are found to be comparable across the two samples. Contrary to the predictions, intentions of Turkish individuals are not affected more by subjective norms and less by job search attitudes than those of native Dutch individuals. Keywords: job search behavior; theory of planned behavior The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a widely used theoretical framework that details the determinants of human behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Meta-analysis demonstrated its validity in the prediction of a large variety of social behaviors (Armitage & Conner, 2001). Also in the context of job seeking, research has confirmed the validity of the TPB (e.g., van Ryn & Vinokur, 1992). Studies on the TPB typically use Western samples, and job seeking has been studied almost exclusively from a Western point of view. Therefore the current study focused on the cross-cultural generalizability of the TPB in the context of job seeking. Job seeking is an important aspect of people’s work lives, as it determines the oppor- tunity set of potential jobs from which job seekers may choose and influences employment outcomes such as job attainment and employment quality (Kanfer, Wanberg, & Kantrowitz, 2001). Although a considerable body of research has investigated the predictors of job seek- ing (see Kanfer et al., 2001), hardly any study investigated the generalizability of models explaining job search behavior to nontraditional applicant pools, such as ethnic minorities. The current study aims to fill this gap by examining the predictors of job seeking among Turkish immigrants in The Netherlands. These predictors were examined in the context of the TPB and were compared with the predictors of job seeking in a representative sample of the native-Dutch population. AUTHORS’ NOTE: This study was supported by Tempo-Team (a Dutch employment agency) and the Dutch Foundation of Applied Psychology. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Hüseyin Asma, who coordinated part of the data collection. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Edwin A. J. van Hooft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Institute of Psychology, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam,The Netherlands; e-mail: vanhooft@fsw.eur.nl. JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY,Vol. 37 No. 2, March 2006 127-135 DOI: 10.1177/0022022105284491 © 2006 Sage Publications JCCP284491.qxd 1/13/2006 7:18 PM Page 127