43
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Work preferences of students over a three year degree course in intellectual disability studies

Pages 255-261 | Published online: 10 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

The work preferences of students choosing a professional career in intellectual disability services are particularly important when irregular hours, isolation from the more prestigious mainstream of human services, and the nature of the client population are likely to create demands on graduates which are not faced by other human service workers. This study investigated the work preferences of 117 students on entry to a degree course in intellectual disability studies, and for a smaller sample on completion of the course three years later, using a work preference scale. Consistent with expectations and with previous research in the human service professions, students entering the course showed the strongest work preference for altruism, and were also consistently above average on self-development, showing significant differences from the norm sample for the scale on these dimensions. The weakest preferences were for co-workers, money, security and detachment. Follow-up showed some interesting changes in work preferences, but altruism remained the dominant preference.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.