Prevailing Attitudes Toward Work and The Relationship Between Religious Orientation and Work Ethic Dimensions

Author

Peter C. Makiriyado, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

12-1-2012

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Workforce Education and Development

First Advisor

Bortz, Richard

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study pertained to the prevailing attitudes toward work and the relationship between religious orientation and work ethic dimensions. The study probed the most frequent or very common attitudes toward work among students in the Teacher Education Program at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and explored whether religion affected the work ethic characteristics. Work ethic dimensions were referred to as Self-Reliance, Morality/Ethics, Hard Work, Leisure, Centrality to Work, Wasted time and Delay of Gratification. Religiosity was presented from the point of view of its expressions relating to human society and its members' practical life including occupation, economy and work rather than the essence of the religion. Results indicated that Teacher Education Program students who participated in this study portrayed a strong work ethic in dimensions of Morality/Ethics, Hard Work, Delay of gratification, and Centrality of work. Students reflected a weaker work ethic in regards to Wasted Time, Self-Reliance and Leisure (Anti-Leisure). In regards to religious relations to work ethic dimensions, the results piloted a proposal that religious orientation had an inconsequential relationship to the work ethic dimensions measured in this study. These associations remained stronger for the religious oriented rather than the non-religious oriented. This study was extremely descriptive and exploratory. As such, the prevailing work ethic dimensions and the relationship between religiosity and work ethic dimensions were extremely tentative and applicable only to the subjects involved in this study and revealed the need for further research.