| Work value is a belief about a particular occupation and an inner measure of occupation merits and faults. It is ingredient of individuals’life values, and would be reasons for career choices.With the development of world multi-polarization and economic globalization, the reform and opening-up policy of our country gives rise to immense changes in various fields, including economy, politics, culture and society. Importantly, those changes lead to transitions in social values, the core part of culture, and would affect people’s value orientation and job finding orientation. Despite the wealth of studies on woke value, there is surprising little empirical research investgating work value from time perspective. Thus, the current study intended to eplore the the characteristics and law of the development of work values from time perpective. Specifically, from objective and mental time perpective, we exmimed work values of individuals from objective different generation (’60s,’70-80s,’90s) and mentaly different mental time (past, present, future). Through the combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the current study employed multiple methods, including interview, questionnaires and experimental method, to reveal the trajectories of inter-generational change and life stage development of work value.Regarding social change and personal life stage development, combining clinical method, correlation method and experimental method, the current study attempts to reveal the trajectories of inter-generational change and life stage development of work value.The entire study was divided into6branched studies:In study1,102participants were recruited in an open-ended interview. Content analysis was conducted to preliminarily understand the contents and structure of work values from time perspective.In study2, we recruited403participants for structured interview, and rank the15major factors according their importance when people are looking for a job. The aim of this study is to find out whether the relative importance of those factors could reflect the differences of inter-generational change and life stage development.In study3, we aim to develop a work value scale from time perspective. Combining the results from the open-ended interview conducted in study1, referring other domestic and overseas scales, we designed a questionnaire including61items, according to standard scale compilation process. After preliminary test, formal test, item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, a formal questionnaire was established with38items including5factors, lower working pressure, inner worth, external worth, social status and family&life. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were examined in tests of internal consistency, test retest, internal correlation coefficients, confirmatory factor analysis and test of criterion validity. The results showed that our scale with good reliability and validity which accord with the standard of psychometrics. The results indicated that the scale is an efficient tool of evaluating work value from time perspective.In study4, to further explore the stability and instability in work value with social change and personal life stage development,1867valid samples were assessed using work value scale that designed in study3.In study5, participants are’60s,’70-80s,’90s (30for each, split evenly between the genders). They were recruited in a implicit experiment, to investigate unconscious work value differences for social change.In study6, participants are20’70-80s (split evenly between the genders). They were recruited in an implicit experiment, to investigate unconscious work value differences for personal development.Conclusions:1. In job finding, the factors of people’s rating from different ages were almost the same. A certain inter-generation stability and life stage stability were shown in work value structure.2. Because of social change and personal life stage development, the ranks of values’relative importance changed, and showed differences in inter-generation and life stages.3. There were inter-generation differences in work value. Specifically, older people are more likely to take easiness, simpleness and less pressure into consideration in job finding. However, younger people are more likely to take ability development, interests and dream fulfillment into consideration in job finding. Comparing the other two groups,’60s group do not pay attention to external pay back such as salary and promotion.4. There were also Individual’s life stages differences in work value.1) In general, individual pay more a attention to easiness, joyfulness, fulfillment for potentiality and creativity, interests, material pay back, social status, respect, reputation, promotion for family and life.2) Comparing’70-80s and’90s groups,’60s group no longer pay attention to salary, promotion or other material benefits, and do not regard social status as important as well.5. In the unconscious level, the contents of implicit work value were consistent with those of explicit work value. However, no inter-generation difference and life stages difference were found in implicit work value.Innovations in this study:1. Innovation in research perspective:the current study systematically explored work value changes from time perspective, such as aspects of social change and personal life stages alteration.2. Innovation in method:this study combined qualitative research with quantitative research, combined clinical interview, correlational research with experiment to conduct an empirical research for work value from, multi-dimension and multi-aspect perspectiveFurther directions:the time includes multiple meanings, which means factors affect on work value alteration are various. Therefore, it is useful to find out how those factors interact with each other. Further studies could be longitudinal design to thorough explore the mechanism of work value. |
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