A research study examined differences in cooperative education work activities and situations as varied with the students' experience and career maturity. Experience was indicated by the number of prior work placements; occupational maturity was defined in terms of values, future plans and expectations, and scores on an inventory of career maturity. While the investigation involved 2252 undergraduate students from forty-eight four-year colleges and universities, the major portion of the findings was based on 825 students for whom complete data existed. Following discussion of methods and procedures, the report focuses on study results including (1) description of academic characteristics and career expectations of the groups of students; (2) picture of sample as cooperative education student workers, detailing reasons for selecting this form of education and expectations from and problems with it; (3) students' current co-op jobs; (4) description of what students do at work on daily basis and with whom they spend time; (5) students' and supervisors' ratings of their ability and work-related characteristics or traits; and (6) discussion of the co-op student as problem solver. Results suggest that neither amount of prior experience nor degree of career maturity significantly alters the pattern of day-to-day work activities in which cooperative education students engage. Instruments are appended. (YLB)