Individual and Social Factors influencing Student Engagement in Paid Work and Learning

Author(s):

Milosh Raykov(presenting / submitting)Alison Taylor(presenting)Christine Scholz Madonna Maroun

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 14 C,

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-25

15:30-17:00

Room:

K5.09

Chair:

Tamás Kozma

Contribution

Policymakers and administrators are making significant efforts to increase the educational attainment of national populations and to respond to the increasing demand for knowledge and skills required in the 'knowledge-based' economy (Lisbon Strategy, European Commission, 2000, 2009; EUROPE 2020, 2010). In many OECD and EU countries, increased demand for education and enrolment in tertiary education (OECD, 2016; EUROSTAT, 2017; Taylor & Raykov, 2014) is evident. Expansion of higher education in industrial countries is characterized by changing student demographics and increased student participation in the labor force (Doogan 2009).

Research in the domain of student employment and learning demonstrates that a significant number of students are involved in paid work during their university or college studies (e.g. Doogan, 2009; Moulin, Doray, Laplante & Street, 2013; Roksa & Velez, 2010) and that such involvement is rapidly increasing in most of the economically developed countries (Ford, Bosworth & Wilson, 1995; Hall, 2010; Van der Meer & Wielers, 2001 ). The research in this domain also shows mixed, inconsistent and limited evidence regarding the influence of student involvement in paid work on their academic achievement (Mamiseishvili, 2010; Swanson, Broadbridge & Karatzias, 2006; Byun, Henck & Post, 2014; Rochford, Connolly & Drennan, 2009) and (non)completion of university (Moulin, Doray, Laplante & Street, 2013; Tyson, 2012).

The literature also shows some limitations of studies on student employment and a paucity of comprehensive and methodologically sound studies of the impact of student employment on different forms of learning (Ford, Bosworth & Wilson, 1995; Johnson, Kaiser & Bell, 2012; Manthei & Gilmore, 2005). A large number of research studies examine part‐time employment among university students, but research in this domain rarely explores the experience of various groups of tertiary education students and the relationships between the intensity of work and the time they spend on classwork and personal study time.

The current study aims to examine some of the individual and social factors that influence student involvement in full-time and part-time paid work and different forms of learning activities. It seeks to provide empirical evidence that can serve as a base for the creation of measures that can improve student learning experience, the outcomes of learning, transitions, and employability.

Method

The study is based on the Canadian Labour Force Survey (Statistics Canada, 2017, LFS) and a series of national surveys of Work and Lifelong Learning conducted between 1998 and 2016 (Livingsone & Raykov, 2016). In addition, this study uses data that examines the long terms outcomes of community service-learning in Canada (Taylor & Raykov, 2013) and the recent data from the EUROSTUDENT VI survey conducted in Malta (NCFHE, 2016). The study utilizes descriptive and inferential statistics, ANOVA and multivariate logistic regression. Preliminary results: Analysis of the employment patterns of university students in Canada, where students pay considerable tuition fees, demonstrates consistently high involvement of full-time university students in paid employment as well as significant variations in regard to the different periods of a school year, as well as in regard to the level of education (university, college and high school) and the type of studies (part-time and full-time). On average, full-time university students in Canada work approximately 17 hours per week during the school year and approximately 25 hours during the summer months. Part-time students are significantly more involved in paid work and their average employment hours (approximately 32 hours per week) are almost twice as high as the hours of full-time students. According to LFS data, during the summer, almost three-quarters of full-time students are employed. The identified pattern is consistent over time, except during turbulent economic and labor force downturns. In contrast to the high incidence and the intensity of student involvement in paid work in Canada, students in Malta, who have free access to education and moderate financial support, are significantly less involved in paid employment and their average number of hours is less than half of students in Canada (6.6 vs. 17.9 hours per week in 2015). In addition, part-time students in Malta who do not have the same benefits as full-time students, work almost six times more than their full-time counterparts in Malta (38.6 vs. 6.6 hours).

Expected Outcomes

The analysis further shows that the reasons for employment of the full-time students in Malta are closely associated with their family’s financial situation while parents' educational attainment plays a less important role. In regard to the quality of employment, the study shows that relatively small number of the full-time students are in paid jobs that are 'very closely' (20%) or 'closely' (13%) related to the content of their study programme and the majority of the full-time students (67%) work at jobs not related to their studies. In contrast, the majority of part-time students (72%) report that their employment is closely related to their study programme; only 10% report in this group that their job is 'not at all' related to their studies. Results of the multiple logistic regression additionally demonstrate that economic conditions along with parents' and social support are the main factors that influence student involvement in paid work. Results indicate that despite the provisions that support student enrolment in higher education, additional measures are required to support students during their studies. Findings from this study provide a base for policies related to widening access to and completion of higher education and demonstrate the need for comprehensive monitoring and research into the factors that support or hinder student participation in education. Findings also support an interactive theory of work and learning (Livingstone, 2009) that emphasizes the interconnectedness of the various forms of paid and unpaid work and formal and informal learning.

References

Byun, S.-Y., Henck, A., & Post, D. (2014). Cross-National variations in student employment and academic performance. Comparative Education Review, 58(4), 621-652. Doogan, K. (2009). New capitalism? The transformation of work. Cambridge, UK: Polity. European Commission (2010). Communication: EUROPE. (March 2010 ) 24.01.11 European Commission (2010). Lisbon Strategy evaluation document. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/lisbon_strategy_evaluation_en.pdf Eurostat. (2017). Educational attainment statistics. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/ eurostat/ statistics-explained/index.php/Educational_attainment_statistics Ford, J., Bosworth, D., & Wilson, R. (1995). Part-time work and full-time higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 20(2), 187-202. Hall, S. L. (2013). Influence of campus recreation employment on student learning. Recreational Sports Journal, 37(2), 136-146. Johnson, J. E., Kaiser, A. N., & Bell, R. J. (2012). An examination of variables related to student employment in campus recreation programs. Recreational Sports Journal, 36(2), 78-90. Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work. New York: Basic Books. Livingsone, D. W., & Raykov, M. (2016). The Growing gap between post‐secondary schooling and further education. The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 28(2), 1-23. Livingstone, D. W. (Ed.). (2009). Education and jobs: Exploring the gaps. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Mamiseishvili, K. (2010). Effects of employment on persistence of low-income, first-generation college students. College Student Affairs Journal, 29(1), 65-74. Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students' lives. Education & Training, 47(3), 202-215. Moulin, S., Doray, P., Laplante, B., & Street, M. C. (2013). Work intensity and non-completion of university. Journal of Education and Work, 26(3), 333-356. OECD. (2016). Education at a glance 2016. Paris: OECD. Rochford, C., Connolly, M., & Drennan, J. (2009). Paid part-time employment and academic performance of undergraduate nursing students. Nurse education today, 29(6), 601-606. Roksa, J., & Velez, M. (2010). When studying schooling is not enough. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 28(1), 5-21. Salamonson, Y., & Andrew, S. (2006). Academic performance in nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55(3), 342-349. Statistics Canada. (2017). Labour Force Survey. Retrieved from: www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/ survey/household/3701 Swanson, V., Broadbridge, A., & Karatzias, A. (2006). Earning and learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(4), 895-914. Taylor, A. & Raykov, M. (2014). The Long-term outcomes of community service learning. Edmonton: University of Alberta. Tyson, W. (2012). Negative impact of employment on engineering student time management, time to degree, and retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 13(4), 479-498.

Author Information

Milosh Raykov (presenting / submitting)

University of Malta

Faculty of Education, Department of Education Studies

Msida

Alison Taylor (presenting)

University of British Columbia

Educational Studies

Vancouver

Christine Scholz

National Commission For Further and Higher Education, Malta

Madonna Maroun