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ERIC Number: EJ782304
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 27
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-1864
EISSN: N/A
Development of an Instrument to Assess Work Ethics
Boatwright, John R.; Slate, John R.
Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, v39 n4 p36-62 Sum 2002
According to the literature, affective work competencies and personal-social competencies are but two of the terminologies among the plethora of captions employed to describe the set of behaviors commonly referred to as work ethics. The commonality linking these various captions is that all terminologies relate to the concepts of individual responsibility, self-management, self-esteem, integrity, and sociability in varying degrees. Additionally, the presence or absence of these behaviors tends to correlate directly with the ability of an individual to enter the workforce. The incongruity between possession of adequate skill levels and appropriate work ethic values has increasingly become an area of concern for the Georgia business communities and for Georgia technical institutes. In response to this alleged disparity between skill levels and appropriate work ethic values, each of the 33 technical institutes within the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (GDTAE) system has incorporated the concept of work ethics into their curriculum. The eight core components of work ethic values, as outlined in the department's policy, include: (a) attendance and punctuality; (b) integrity and honesty; (c) productivity; (d) cooperativeness and teamwork; (e) responsiveness to supervision; (f) adherence to policies; (g) proper use of tools and resources; and (h) observance of safety provisions. The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound instrument in which the eight work ethic dimensions identified in the GDTAE (1991) "Work Ethics Program" were accurately and succinctly measured. Based upon this analysis, the following conclusions were formulated. First, the content validity of items included in the researcher-developed instrument was confirmed by persons within the field who were knowledgeable of the program, its focus, and its intent. Second, the researcher-developed instrument possessed acceptable reliability for research purposes. Third, the factor structure of the researcher-developed instrument was essentially the same for males and females. Fourth, results of demographic comparisons parallel results obtained by other researchers investigating similar constructs offering some degree of convergent validity. Recommendations for further research are also presented. (Contains 3 tables.)
National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators. Web site: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JITE/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A