Session Information
ERG SES G 15, Health and Education
Paper Session
Contribution
At present, in the European countries working experience is a crucial criterion for employers when evaluating potential job candidates (Eurobarometer, 2010). Studies among European students show that substantial number of students is working during their studies (Orr, Gwosć and Netz, 2011). There are different reasons for that, including economic necessity. Nevertheless, it is a great opportunity for students to gain working experience and develop appropriate competencies and work ethic. Taking that into account, it seems that performing a paid job during study period has a positive effect on smooth transition from studying into the labour market. There is scarce data on how specific learning attitudes contribute to working during study period. Unfavourable situation on the job market forces many people to work beyond what is considered reasonable and healthy and it may have its toll on learning attitudes. It is strictly related to the emerging concept of study addiction defined within work addiction framework as a compulsive over-involvement in studying which interferes with functioning in other domains and is detrimental for the individual and/or his/her environment. Initial studies showed that study addiction is related to higher levels of stress, lower quality of life, worse health, and worse academic performance (Atroszko, Andreassen, Griffiths and Pallesen, in press). This brings significant problem for human capital development as the potential of many talented, determined and diligent students might be at risk. What is more, students addicted to studying are overly focused on learning and academic results to the exclusion of other spheres of life. This allows to expect that because of this obsession with studying they may also neglect their professional development through gaining experience in paid job during studies. From the point of view of current requirements of the labour market it seems counterproductive because working experience is often more important for the employers than academic performance or an academic degree. Paradoxically, for students addicted to studying this would mean more difficult transition from studying to labour market, even though, being hard-working and productive is in the centre of their focus. All the more, previous studies showed that unfavorable material situation is related to unhealthy learning-related attitudes, beliefs and behaviours (Atroszko, 2013a; Atroszko and Atroszko, 2013) and that low socioeconomic status and socioeconomic insecurity are risk factors for the development of study addiction (Atroszko and Pallesen, 2014). This would mean that those who are already initially in a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation develop learning attitudes which potentially further decrease their chances for improving it through professional development. Previous studies suggested that different types of students can be identified on the basis of learning attitudes, including engaged students, study addicts and non-engaged students (Atroszko, 2013b). It was hypothesized that this typology of students can be replicated on the basis of the scores on study addiction symptoms and learning attitudes. It was hypothesized that the group of students addicted to studying shows worse psychosocial functioning and academic performance than engaged but not addicted students. It was hypothesized that fewer of the students addicted to studying will perform a paid job during study period than engaged but not addicted students, and that in this respect study addicts are similar to non-engaged students.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Atroszko, B., and Atroszko, P. A. Sytuacja materialna studentów, zaangażowanie i samoskuteczność w zakresie nauki a kompulsja uczenia się. Przegląd Pedagogiczny, 2, 2013, 45-53. Atroszko, P. A. Relationship between financial resources and home environment and students’ learning-related attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Ad Alta: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3 (2), 2013a, pp. 7-10. Atroszko P. A., Zachowania i postawy studentów związane z uczeniem się a determinanty rozwoju gospodarki opartej na wiedzy, w: Zmieniający się świat. Perspektywa demograficzna, społeczna i gospodarcza, red. J. Osiński, M. Pachocka, Oficyna Wydawnicza SGH, Warszawa, 2013b. Atroszko, P. A., Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M.G., and Pallesen, S. Study addiction - A new area of psychological study: Conceptualization, assessment, and preliminary empirical findings, Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2015, in press. Atroszko, P. A., and Pallesen, S. Socioeconomic Factors Related to Unhealthy Attitudes Towards Learning Among University Students. Emerging Researchers' Conference, ECER 2014 Porto, The European Conference on Educational Research, The Past, the Future and Present of Educational Research in Europe, Porto, Portugal, 1st September 2014, Paper presented at the Conference. Eurobarometer. Employers’ perception of graduate employability. The Gallup Organisation: Flash EB Series 304, 2010. Orr D., Gwosć C., and Netz N. Social and Economic Conditions of Student Life in Europe, W. Bertelsmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG , Bielefeld 2011.
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