Attitudes and Work Performance among Young Men during the Transition from School to Work

A survey and model are used to show that labor market performance and attitude changes during work are simultaneously determined. Data for the survey came from the National Longitudinal Surveys' sample of young men 14 to 24 years old in 1966 and from whom a measure of attitudes was available in 1968 and 1971. Labor market performance was measured by the natural log of the hourly wage rate, and attitudes were measured by an abbreviated version of the Rotter scale. Attitude changes during the transition from school to work are assumed to be determined by: 1. market structure forces, 2. age, 3. unemployment rates, 4. background, and 5. wages. The results indicate that internal-external attitudes have substantial effects on subsequent labor market performance and that they are responsive to work and non-work experience gained during the transition from school to work. The data also support the hypothesis that economic progress among blacks can be enhanced through the development of internal attitudes among blacks.