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Northern Michigan University

THE WORK ETHIC GAP: COMPARING PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND EMPLOYERS

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Work ethic has been a constant, but elusive topic for decades. This study sought to identify the differences in perception of work ethic in between students, educators, and employers. Seventy-two participants observed videos of workers in various tasks and rated the perceived work ethic of the person in the video by using a sliding Likert scale. Additionally, participants were asked to comment as to why they rated the worker the way they did. Quantitative analyses were used to determine differences in the participant’s work ethic ratings. Qualitative analyses interpreted respondents’ comments to better understand the results. Results indicated that while educators assess work ethic with an eye for improvement and effort, employers assess work ethic with a focus on effective and efficient completion of a task. Students lack the experience to judge other’s work ethic consistently.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Education Specialist
Level thesis:degree_level
Education Specialist
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Education, Leadership and Public Service
Year dc:date.available
2017

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Routhier, Joseph
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Dr. Derek Anderson

Subjects

dc:subject × 10

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/164
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1183

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Northern Michigan University
Base URL
commons.nmu.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Routhier, Joseph. THE WORK ETHIC GAP: COMPARING PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND EMPLOYERS. Education Specialist thesis, 2017. https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/164