Work Ethic Scale Research Articles

Factor structure of the protestant work ethic scale

Max Weber envisioned the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) as a multidimensional construct. However, research utilizing the PWE scale of Mirels and Garrett (1971; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 36, 40–44; PWE scale), the most widely used measure of the PWE, has simply employed a total score as a general measure of PWE endorsement. This practice is problematic, as converging evidence suggests the PWE scale measures multiple aspects of work-ethic beliefs. Factor analytic results are presented which indicate that the PWE scale is indeed a multidimensional measure of work-ethic beliefs. Thus, simply focusing on a total score derived from the PWE scale obscures relationships between specific aspects of the PWE and other constructs of interest. The importance of differentiating the PWE construct is illustrated by examining its relationship with religious involvement. The present findings highlight the ambiguity of previous PWE research, and the need for further PWE scale development.

A Comparison of Protestant Work Ethic Beliefs in Thirteen Nations

Abstract This study was concerned with the measurement and comparison of Protestant Work Ethic scores in 13 countries. Subjects completed seven work ethic scales, which have varying reliabilities and validities. Cronbach alphas indicated that five of the seven had acceptable reliability. For every measure, there was a highly significant difference between the scores of subjects from the different countries, and the differences tended to be consistent over the various measures. Subjects from richer, First World countries tended to have lower scores than those from Third World countries. Also, the correlation between the most well known work ethic scale score and Hofstede's (1984) power-distance score for the 13 countries was highly significant, indicating that work ethic beliefs were associated with differential weights placed on prestige, power, and wealth in a society. The results are discussed in terms of the extensive literature on cross-cultural comparison, particularly with reference to work beliefs ...

Die Werksetiek en studentesubkulture / The work ethic and student subcultures of RAU students

Three work ethic scales were used in this article to measure the relationship between biographical and academic variables with regard to the work ethic of pregraduate students. Student subcultures were identified by making use of a cluster analysis, and the relationship between biographical and academic variables with regard to these subcultures were tested.

A Study of Cynicism, Personality, and Work Values

ABSTRACT Kanter and Mirvis (1989) reported that 43% of Americans are cynical and that confidence in business and leadership has fallen from approximately 76% in the late 1960s to about 15% today. The purpose of the present study was to investigate interrelationships among cynicism, depersonalization, estrangement, work values, and basic personality traits. College students (N = 106) completed the 16PF (Cattell, Eber, & Tatsuoka, 1970), Gordon's (1978) Personal Profile-Inventory, Coopersmith's (1967) Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), and a Life Attitudes Questionnaire containing the Kanter and Mirvis cynicism scales, four measures of work values (Buchholz, 1977), and some new items. Cynical students believed that workers are exploited and alienated from productive activity (Marxist exploitive belief system, r = .40; Buchholz). Unexpectedly, cynicism was positively correlated with the Buchholz Protestant Work Ethic Scale (r = .44), negatively correlated with selfesteem (r = −.39), and not correlated with the basic personality traits. Depersonalization and estrangement were related to personality characteristics such as neuroticism, high anxiety, and low leadership potential.

Who wants to be an entrepreneur? A study of adolescents interested in a Young Enterprise scheme

A questionnaire consisting of the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) scale (Mirels and Garrett 1971), the Economic Locus of Control Scale (Banks 1989), specific items from both A Quick Measure of Achievement Motivation (nAch) (Smith 1973) and the Perceived Parenting Questionnaire (Mac-Donald 1971), was given to 190 adolescents (aged 16–19). The study set out to determine whether any of these factors differentiate adolescents who show a positive interest in entrepreneurism, by becoming involved in running a company under the British Young Enterprise Scheme, from those who choose not to get involved. Results show the Young Enterprise group to have a more internal locus and a stronger belief in hard work, but no difference was found between the groups on nAch or perceived parenting. Demographic data revealed no significant differences between the groups.

Utility of the australian work ethic scale: Reliability and validity comparisons

A stratified sample of full-time employees from a range of organisations and occupations in New Zealand was selected to compare the utility of an Australian work ethic measure designed recently by Ho and Lloyd (1984) with two established measures of work attitudes — Blood's (1969) Protestant work ethic questionnaire and Kanungo's (1982) work involvement scale. The Australian work ethic survey had high internal consistency and temporal stability, along with good convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. In contrast, both of the Blood subscales (pro-Protestant and non-Protestant work beliefs) lacked reliability and showed inconsistent correlations with other relevant variables. Kanungo's work involvement scale was reliable and displayed acceptable convergent and discriminant validity, but its criterion validity was not demonstrated in this study. From these findings it is evident that the Australian work ethic questionnaire may be a valuable alternative to traditional work ethic measures.

Scaling an Islamic Work Ethic

Abstract The purpose of this research was to construct scales to measure the Islamic work ethic and individualism and to provide evidence of these scales' reliability and validity. Three steps were involved: a literature search to develop statements pertaining to the Islamic work ethic and individualism; screening of the initial statements by Islamic experts; and actual administration of the refined statements to a sample of 150 Arab students. The results of a reliability test and correlation analysis indicated that both scales were reliable and that the Islamic Work Ethic Scale was positively and significantly correlated with the Individualism Scale.

Protestant Work Ethic Endorsement among Anglo Americans, Chicanos, and Mexicans: A Comparison of Factor Structures

The cross-cultural appropriateness of the Mirels and Garrett (1971) Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) scale was assessed by comparing the factor structures of Anglo American, Chicano, and Mexican samples. The model derived from the Anglo American sample was not statistically acceptable in its entirely for either the Chicano or the Mexican samples. However, examination of specific discrepancies showed considerable similarity across the samples on several factors, namely honor, success, and effort. The factor structure of the Mexican sample was more similar to the Anglo American sample than that of the Chicano sample. Contrary to predictions based on acculturation theory, comparisons using the full scale indicated PWE endorsement in the following order: Mexicans, Chicanos, and Anglo Americans. The findings are discussed in terms of cultural differences in orientation towards work and leisure.

Individual and Social Correlates of the Just World Belief: A Study of Taiwanese College Students

This paper reports the results of a study to identify empirically the nature and correlates of the Just World Belief among Taiwanese college students. Data were collected from over 1,000 students enrolled in two major Taiwanese universities. Similar to Western findings, the average Just World Scale score fell almost exactly at the midpoint of the acceptance-rejection attitudinal continuum. Also similar to Western findings were strong correlations between belief scores and scores on work ethic and alienation scales. In contrast to many Western studies, weak correlations were found for belief scores with authoritarianism, sex, religiosity, subjective social class location, and parents' education. Cross-cultural measurement problems and interpretations are also presented.

Development of an australian work ethic scale

A scale designed to tap adherence to the Protestant work ethic ideology in Australia has been developed. The development of the Australian Work Ethic scale (AWE) was based on items selected on the basis of factor analysis and item-total correlations. Validation of the scale found that it has convergent and concurrent validity. Specifically, it correlated highly with both the Mirels and Garrett (1971) Protestant work ethic scale and Blood's (1969) pro-Protestant ethic scale. It was also found that people who strongly endorsed the work ethic ideology as measured on the AWE scale, tended to stress internal causal explanations for unemployment, and were less willing to provide assistance to the unemployed, findings which are in line with the work ethic ideology. The findings were discussed in terms of the continued efficacy of the work ethic ideology in Australia. Possible uses of this new measure in future research are suggested.

On the Measurement of Work and Leisure Ethics and Resultant Intercorrelations

Two work ethic and two leisure ethic scales and one leisure satisfaction index were administered to 498 students ranging from the 8th graders to upperclasspersons (juniors and seniors combined). While work ethic and leisure ethic were moderately negatively correlated for the total sample, this relationship was mediated by individual differences (gender) and the scales used. Specifically, the negative correlation was considerably higher for females than for males. Furthermore, the smallest negative correlation (-.03) was observed when the items of the employed work ethic scale made no reference to leisure and the items of the employed leisure ethic scale made no reference to work. On the other hand, the highest negative correlation between the two (-.31) was observed when the items of the employed work ethic scale made several references to leisure and those of the employed leisure ethic scale made several references to work. A similar pattern of influence of the items was found when the leisure/work ethic scales were correlated with leisure satisfaction. Clearly, then, these findings indicate how the empirical correlation between work and leisure ethic and between the two ethics and leisure satisfaction can systematically be manipulated by considering the types of items included in the instruments before selecting a given scale for research purposes.