Work values are principles or goals, ordered by importance, that people seek and that guide his/her life at work. Family, school and work experiences are indicated as the most important factors in the formation of work values. Parents are considered the most influential social agent in this process, since they serve as a role model to their children. The present study examines the impact of the work values of parents on the work values of college students. One hundred and twenty nine (129) students and their parents (84 mothers and 45 fathers) in 17 randomly chosen undergraduate courses, as well as 956 colleagues of these students participated in this investigation. They answered the Work Values Scale. The results of the hierarchical regressions demonstrated that parents and colleagues influence the student's work values of Professional Achievement and Stability. The relevance and limitations of these results are discussed in this paper.
Work values; values development; personal values
