An exploration of the relationship between achievement motivation and successful completion of job skills training and obtainment of employment

One objective of the current debate on welfare reformation is to provide dependents with job skill training as a means to acquire full-time employment. This study enlists the help of welfare dependent African American women enrolled in job skills training in assessing factors that effect their academic and vocational success. This study includes both subjective barriers and structural barriers, to determine their predicative value in success oriented situations. The subjective barriers addressed four components of achievement motivation as defined by Janet T. Spence and Robert L. Helmreich in their Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire (WOFO).;This prediction study employed a multiple discriminant function analysis. Students were classified into one of four criterion groups: (1) No graduation, no job, (2) Yes graduation, no job, (3) Yes graduation, yes job and (4) No graduation, yes job. Nine predictor variables obtained through the demographic data and the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire were utilized.;Eight research hypotheses were proposed which identified expected relationships between the selected variables and the respondents' success in training and employment. The results of the discriminant analysis revealed that no significant Wilks' lambda statistic was obtained between the nine predictor variables and the four criterion groups. The variables did not discriminate among the respondents with regard to their success in completing skills training nor in obtaining employment.;The profile of this population contradicts much of the literature that has investigated the relationship between achievement motivation and structural barriers on educational/vocational success. Future research should address sample size and investigate other predictor variables which may measure the role of achievement motivation in educational and vocational situations. Long term follow-up information would provide more accurate results on the success of individuals transitioning off of public assistance.;The subject pool was comprised of 78 women. All students were provided information about the study and were asked to participate by completing a demographic survey and the WOFO. Follow-up information was obtained through the program directors at the completion of the training phase.