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Attitudes Toward Employment – Work Opinion Questionnaire
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About Attitudes Toward Employment – Work Opinion Questionnaire
Scale Name
Attitudes Toward Employment – Work Opinion Questionnaire
Author Details
James H. Johnson, Lawrence A. Messe, and William D. Crano
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Attitudes Toward Employment – Work Opinion Questionnaire (WOQ), developed by James H. Johnson, Lawrence A. Messe, and William D. Crano in 1984, is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure self-confidence and motivation for work among African-American males aged 12-16. Created as part of a study exploring employment attitudes in high-risk urban youth, the WOQ assesses adolescents’ beliefs about their ability to succeed in work-related tasks and their intrinsic motivation to pursue employment. The scale was developed to address socioeconomic barriers and attitudinal factors influencing labor market entry, aligning with social-cognitive theories that link self-efficacy and motivation to behavioral outcomes. Its focus on African-American males reflects the need to understand specific cultural and contextual influences on work attitudes in this demographic.
The WOQ comprises items (exact number not specified, but typically 10-15 based on similar scales) rated on a Likert-type scale (e.g., 1 = “strongly disagree” to 4 or 5 = “strongly agree”), evaluating self-confidence (e.g., “I believe I can do well in a job”) and motivation for work (e.g., “Getting a job is important to me”). Higher scores indicate greater self-confidence and work motivation. Validated in urban samples, the scale is tailored to early adolescents in disadvantaged contexts, where negative employment attitudes may predict school dropout or unemployment. Its low internal consistency (0.54) suggests limitations in item cohesion, possibly due to diverse constructs or cultural response patterns.
Psychologists, educators, and vocational counselors use the WOQ to identify attitudinal barriers to employment, inform career development programs, and evaluate interventions like job training or mentoring. Its English-only availability, specific demographic focus, and modest reliability constrain its broader use, but it remains a context-specific tool for studying work attitudes in at-risk youth.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the Work Opinion Questionnaire from primary sources, such as Johnson et al. (1984) in Journal of Applied Social Psychology or authorized research archives, ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses confidence and motivation for work to support career planning, emphasizing confidentiality.
- Provide instructions, asking respondents to rate each item based on their beliefs about work and their ability to succeed in it, using the Likert scale, typically reflecting current attitudes.
- Approximate time for completion is about 5-7 minutes, depending on the number of items and respondents’ reading ability.
- Administer in a classroom, community center, or counseling setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment to encourage honest responses.
Reliability and Validity
The WOQ has limited psychometric rigor, as noted by Harter (1988). Internal consistency is low, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.54, indicating poor item cohesion, likely due to the multifaceted nature of self-confidence and motivation or cultural response variability among African-American males. Test-retest reliability is not reported, but stability is assumed to be modest based on its use in targeted studies.
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as self-efficacy and vocational aspirations (r ≈ 0.40-0.60), and its association with school engagement in urban youth samples. Discriminant validity is implied by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as peer relationships (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is evidenced by its ability to predict employment-related outcomes, such as job-seeking behavior, and its relevance to vocational interventions, though specific predictive data is limited. No factor analyses are reported to confirm its structure, and the low alpha suggests cautious interpretation. These properties, as cited in Harter (1988), indicate the WOQ’s utility is best suited for exploratory research in specific contexts.
Available Versions
08-Items
Reference
Johnson, C. D., Messe, L. A., & Crano, W. D. (1984). Predicting job performance of low income workers: The work opinion questionnaire. Personnel psychology, 37(2), 291-299.
Harter, S. (1985). Self-perception profile for children. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the WOQ measure?
It measures self-confidence and motivation for work in African-American males.
Who can use the WOQ?
Researchers, counselors, and educators studying vocational attitudes in youth.
How long does the WOQ take to complete?
It takes about 5-7 minutes.
Is the WOQ specific to African-American males?
Yes, it targets males aged 12-16 in urban settings.
Can the WOQ inform career interventions?
Yes, it identifies attitudinal barriers, but low reliability requires caution.
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