| Work values are essential to study as these ideals directly influence subsequent career satisfaction. As a result, it is important to examine the constructs that may influence work values. This study addressed the differences in work value development as a result of the curriculum taken in high school. More specifically, it examined the work values of students enrolled in the special education curriculum and compared them to the work values of those in the general educational curriculum. Descriptive statistics, Independent Two Sample T-tests, and a Pearson Product Moment Correlation were run on archival data to compare means and examine the rated importance of work values by participants. The data showed, as a whole, that the work values of high school students with disabilities and college-aged students with disabilities are not significantly different. However, significant differences on rated work value importance were found when comparing college-aged students with disabilities and college-aged students without disabilities. Furthermore, the construct of gender was examined and differences between high school male students with disabilities and high school female students with disabilities resulted. The results showed that work values are influenced by the curriculum taken in high school. Furthermore, the construct of gender continues to impact work value development. |
