The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between cognitive style, ethnicity, and level of educational attainment for women on welfare as they compared with women employed by agencies receiving government funding. / Theories of cognitive style and moral development reviewed included those of Perry (1970), Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule (1986), Kohlberg (1968), Gilligan (1982), Shade (1991), and Dixon (1976). / The sample was comprised of one hundred Project Independence participants who attended the Career Quest Workshop at Florida State University. Additional data were collected from a comparison group of one hundred women employed by agencies receiving government funding. / The S-N and J-P factors of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (1992) were used to measure cognitive style. No statistically significant differences were found between the cognitive styles of women on welfare and employed women. Both groups tended to score toward the S and J ends of the continuum. Although both African-Americans and Euro- Americans scored predominantly at the S and J ends of the scales, contrary to theory, Euro-Americans tended to score significantly farther toward the N. / Although differences in cognitive style were not apparent between women on welfare and employed women, there were other notable differences between the groups which carry implications for welfare reform. Women on welfare had twice as many children as employed women, had their first child at an earlier age, and completed less years of education. Education on the far-reaching effects of early childbirth is vital to prevent teenage pregnancy, which interrupts the educational process and leaves these women with limited ability to support their children. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3058. / Major Professor: James P. Sampson, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77532 |
| Contributors | Humphreys, Janet Kay., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 131 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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