The influence of adolescent employment experience on the development of a work ethic

In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 working high- school students from a sample of 353 students who had completed questionnaires regarding part-time employment. The purpose of this study was to discover aspects of adolescent employment that influence the development of a work ethic, which was defined as the desire to work with diligence and responsibility and to take pride in a job well done. Interview questions explored the adolescent part-time employment experience from a phenomenological perspective. Probes focused on indications of burden or satisfaction derived from the work experience. Qualitative analysis of the student interviews uncovered aspects of adolescent employment that influenced students' work attitudes and their evaluations of their jobs' worth. Aspects of adolescent employment experience that fostered a positive work ethic were purposeful job selection (choosing jobs that reflected their interests, skills, and expertise), a high level of activity and varied duties, bosses who were described as friends and mentors, a sense of being trusted by employers, the ability to make decisions at work, working with age- mates, and having a flexible work schedule in order to coordinate work with school and peer activities. Wages did not appear to influence adolescents' work ethic.