Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1993

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major Professor

Gregory C. Petty

Committee Members

Cliff Campbell, Gerald Cheek, Gary Ubben

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences in the work ethic of apprentices and instructors in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association (IBEW-NECA) apprenticeship training program categorized by occupation (job title), job specialization, year participating in the program or year instructing in the apprenticeship program, and years of full-time work experience. Data for the study was collected using the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI). For those variables where significant differences in work ethic were discovered, analyses were completed to determine how the variables differed for the four subscales of the work ethic identified as Dependable, Ambitious, Considerate, and Cooperative.

The design of the study was survey research. The population for this study consisted of apprentices and instructors in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association (IBEW-NECA) national apprenticeship training program. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 4489 apprentices and instructors. From the 308 total local unions in the Continental U.S., 39 local unions were randomly selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Participation by apprentices and instructors was requested through conference announcements and by letters to IBEW-NECA training directors. Each sampled local union received a packet with OWEI instruments, instructions for administration of OWEI, and return envelopes. A total of 4046 completed instruments were returned for a response rate of 90.1 percent.

After OWEI instruments were returned, data were compiled and verified. Data were analyzed using multivariate analyses of variance to determine differences and tests of correlation to determine relationships. Significant differences in work ethic were found for six of the seven null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the perceived work ethic between apprentices and instructors. Instructors scored significantly higher than apprentices for the subscales of Dependable and Ambitious. Apprentices scored significantly higher than instructors for the subscale dimension of Cooperative. Follow-up tests using Fisher's LSD indicated no significant differences in work ethic mean scores between apprentices and instructors for the subscale Considerate.

There was a significant difference among apprentices and instructors categorized by different job specializations on their work ethic scores. Respondents categorized their job specialization as either construction electrician, residential electrician, or wireman. The category of construction electrician was the predominate choice of job specialization for apprentices and instructors. The mean subscale scores for respondents reporting wireman as their job specialization were significantly higher for the subscale dimensions of Dependable and Ambitious than respondents reporting their job specialization as construction electrician. Fisher's LSD did not detect significant differences in mean scores for respondents categorized by job specialization for the subscales of Considerate and Cooperative. No significant differences were noted for the job specialization of residential electrician.

There was a significant relationship between respondents' years of full-time work experience and their perceived work ethic. Apprentices' and instructors' mean scores on all four subscales of Dependable, Ambitious, Considerate, and Cooperative indicated weak but significant correlations with the variable of years of full-time work experience. Respondents with five or less years of full-time work experience scored significantly higher than all other respondents with full-time work experience for the dimensions of Dependable, Considerate, and Cooperative. Those with over 21 years of full-time work experience scored significantly higher than respondents with ten or less years of full-time work experience for the dimensions of Dependable and Ambitious. Apprentices and instructors with over 21 years of full-time work experience scored significantly higher than respondents with 16 to 20 years of full-time work experience for the dimension of Dependable. Respondents with 16 to 20 years of full-time work experience scored significantly higher than those with five or less years of full-time work experience for the dimension of Ambitious.

There was a significant difference in respondents' work ethic when they were categorized by the year participating in the program or year teaching in the apprenticeship program. Respondents who participated or taught in the first year of the program scored significantly higher than those in years two, three, four, or five on the work ethic dimensions of Dependable, Ambitious, Considerate, and Cooperative. For the work ethic dimension of Considerate, respondents participating or teaching in year two scored significantly higher than those respondents participating or instructing in years one, three, four, and five. For the work ethic dimension of Cooperative, respondents participating or teaching in year two scored significantly higher than those respondents participating or instructing in years three, four, and five. Respondents participating or teaching in year three scored significantly higher on the work ethic dimension of Cooperative than those respondents participating or instructing in the fifth year of the training program.

The multivariate analyses of variance revealed no interaction among the independent variables of occupation, job specialization, years participating or teaching in the apprenticeship program, and years of full-time work experience.

There was a significant difference in the work ethic of respondents participating or teaching in years one and two (early years) as compared with those participating or teaching in years three, four, and five (later years) of the apprenticeship training program. Those apprentices and instructors participating or teaching in the early years scored significantly higher on the work ethic dimensions of Dependable, Ambitious, Considerate, and Cooperative than respondents in the later years.

The analyses of data collected from respondents in this study suggested differing profiles of apprenticeship program participants. Apprentices are primarily characterized as cooperative, adaptable, orderly, perceptive, careful, and following directions and regulations. Apprentices' secondary characteristics are considerate, appreciative, cheerful, courteous, friendly, helpful, likeable, modest, pleasant, and well-groomed. Instructor profiles include the primary characteristics of ambitious, conscientious, enthusiastic, independent, initiating, responsible, persevering, persistent, resourceful, and hard-working. Secondary instructor work ethic characteristics are dependable, accurate, careful, dedicated, devoted, effective, efficient, honest, loyal, patient, reliable, productive, punctual, and emotionally stable.

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