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Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
Attitudes of Omani Youth toward Work: The Case of Sultan Qaboos University Students
Aida Fouad El-Nabalawi, Aalia Hilal Al Saadi
(Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman)
Abstract: This paper examines the attitudes of Omani youth toward the culture of work and the different ramifications of these attitudes in terms of concerns, interests and preferences. The problematic of the study focuses on the assessment of the hypothesis that the young generation in the Sultanate of Oman, especially the one represented by university students, tends to be more individualized and self-centered, which occasions a high rate of explicit attitudes vis-à-vis work, namely in terms of status and money, at the expense of implicit ones, such as assistance, social values, altruism and friendship. In addition to other relevant theoretical perspectives, the study relies on the concept of work culture as articulated in the literature of sociology. At the methodological level, this exploratory study endeavors to measure the work culture using a random sample of students enrolled at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in the Sultanate of Oman. The research findings demonstrate that the work culture among university students is arranged in the form of a paradigm dominated by motives like self-development, independence, knowledge exchange, expertise, skills, job security, social and financial stability, and outreach work. These are followed, to a lesser extent, by motives like social networks, community service, family respect, social status, workplace relationships, achievement, decision-making, leadership and livelihood. This arrangement of youth attitudes, however, reflects some kind of double standards within the cultural component of work. The outcomes of this study will help the relevant employment authorities understand that today’s young workers are different from their predecessors. Thus, it is imperative to adopt administrative and management strategies to deal with the concerns of future generations.
Key words: work attitude; self-orientation; emerging workforce; self-development; independence; job security.
