Education Sciences

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18 pages, 333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Learning/Earning: Characteristics of Student Work and Its Impact on Academic Careers at a Regional Hungarian University

by Zsófia Kocsis and Gabriella Pusztai

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090981 - 5 Sep 2024

Viewed by 628

Research on the effect of student work on academic achievement has produced inconsistent results, and Hungarian domestic research on the subject is scarce. Our research aims to contribute to the discussion. We hypothesize that student work has a beneficial effect on students’ academic [...] Read more.

Research on the effect of student work on academic achievement has produced inconsistent results, and Hungarian domestic research on the subject is scarce. Our research aims to contribute to the discussion. We hypothesize that student work has a beneficial effect on students’ academic achievement. The target group is the full-time, working students at the regional Hungarian university (n = 538). By clustering students based on three variables (motivation, alignment of work with studies, and working hours), we separated three distinct student groups: disadvantaged/income-oriented, ambitious, and utilitarian/leisure-oriented. Disadvantaged/income-oriented students work for financial reasons and work a large number of hours. Ambitious students work fewer hours, and they work to fulfil their professional aspirations. The utilitarian/leisure-oriented cluster is the only group whose members work because it is a useful way of spending leisure time as well as an opportunity to obtain money for other free-time activities. With the help of the achievement index, we detected further differences between the student clusters. Students in the disadvantaged/income-oriented cluster do not have high academic scores and do not take part in extracurricular activities. They are more likely to interrupt their studies, mainly for financial reasons and because of work. The achievement was not affected by students’ social status indicators such as parents’ educational attainment or labor market position; it is contact with faculty and performing work related to studies that have the most explanatory power. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

16 pages, 323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Social Identities Improve Working Students’ Academic and Social Outcomes? Lessons from Three Studies

by Vladislav H. Grozev and Matthew J. Easterbrook

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090939 - 27 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1254

Abstract

Previous research has linked working for pay while attending university with negative academic and health outcomes; yet, working students are often resilient when experiencing such adverse circumstances. This makes it crucial to explore potential psychological mechanisms that transform adverse experiences into sources of [...] Read more.

Previous research has linked working for pay while attending university with negative academic and health outcomes; yet, working students are often resilient when experiencing such adverse circumstances. This makes it crucial to explore potential psychological mechanisms that transform adverse experiences into sources of motivation and persistence for working students. We explore one mechanism—social identification—and its different foci—identifying as a student, employee, working student, or a student of one’s discipline of study—as potential predictors of important academic (academic self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and academic achievement) and social (status in society) outcomes in three cross-sectional studies. In Study 1, part-time working hours (but not identification processes) were associated with academic self-efficacy. In Study 2, discipline identification and part-time working hours were associated with using deep approaches to learning. In Study 3, student identification was associated with increased status in society. Overall, discipline identification may be solely linked to academic outcomes, but student identification should be explored further as a potential enhancer of social and graduate outcomes. We discuss additional mechanisms that can help to transform working students’ experiences through their social identities and suggest boundary conditions that can affect the link between these identities and important outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

13 pages, 261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mature Working Student Parents Navigating Multiple Roles: A Qualitative Analysis

by Cláudia Andrade, Joana Lobo Fernandes and Leandro S. Almeida

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070786 - 19 Jul 2024

Viewed by 810

Abstract

Managing multiple roles is considered a major challenge that mature working student parents face when they embrace the educational pursuit of enrolling in higher education. Limited research exists on mature working student parents that identify the strategies that concur for a successful journey [...] Read more.

Managing multiple roles is considered a major challenge that mature working student parents face when they embrace the educational pursuit of enrolling in higher education. Limited research exists on mature working student parents that identify the strategies that concur for a successful journey through their educational paths. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of mature working student parents balancing studies, work, and family. We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with mature students enrolled in first- and second-cycle degrees in a higher education institution in Portugal. Thematic analysis was used, and findings demonstrated that working student parents develop diverse strategies to combine work, family, and studies and these strategies are shaped by the needs they have in each role and interconnect with the activation of social support. Recommendations for researchers and institutions to support the educational pursuits of mature working student parents to best suit their needs are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

12 pages, 466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Faculty Support as Part of Faculty Strategy on the Academic Motivation of the Working Students

by Horia Mihai Raboca and Florin Cărbunărean

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070746 - 9 Jul 2024

Viewed by 684

Abstract

Working students are an important and diverse category within today’s higher education institutions. Part of the strategies necessary for the academic motivation of working students and implicitly the increase of their performance concerns a series of strategies that involve individual, institutional and structural [...] Read more.

Working students are an important and diverse category within today’s higher education institutions. Part of the strategies necessary for the academic motivation of working students and implicitly the increase of their performance concerns a series of strategies that involve individual, institutional and structural factors. This study investigates the relationship between working students perceptions of faculty support and their overall level of academic motivation (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation or amotivation) grounded in self-determination theory. The findings indicated that there is a significant positive correlation between faculty support and the overall level of students’ academic motivation. At the same time, the results show that both psychological and functional support, as indicators of faculty support, have strong relationships with different types of academic motivation. In this sense, our results indicate that faculty support for working students has a strong positive relationship with students’ intrinsic academic motivation and respectively a weaker relationship with academic amotivation. These results show that any policy or strategy adopted by faculty decision-makers to help working students improve their academic motivation (performance) must include the provision of support on different dimensions (social, psychological and functional). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

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19 pages, 273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ensuring Equal Opportunities in an English-for-Specific-Purposes Course for Working-While-Studying Technical Students

by Irina Sergeevna Oblova and Irina Gennadyevna Gerasimova

Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070685 - 23 Jun 2024

Viewed by 813

Abstract

The number of technical students combining work and studies has increased recently. More and more students decide to gain professional experience as early as possible, resulting in a lower attendance rate. This is highly relevant to master’s degree students who struggle to succeed [...] Read more.

The number of technical students combining work and studies has increased recently. More and more students decide to gain professional experience as early as possible, resulting in a lower attendance rate. This is highly relevant to master’s degree students who struggle to succeed in both academic and professional activities, necessitating research into academic attainment strategies. The paper describes the types of working students, their needs in English, and proposes a way to improve their academic achievement, including English proficiency. A series of tests and an interview were administered to a sample of 363 master’s degree students learning technical English. The chi-square test, Fisher’s test and the Mann–Whitney Z-test were employed in order to assess the language skills acquired by students in blended learning and offline classes, and to validate the designed blended ESP course featuring an e-course and classroom lessons. The findings of the research indicated that working-while-studying students enrolled in the blended course made more significant progress in their English skills, particularly in reading and writing, compared to non-working students who had only traditional offline lessons. The results provide insights concerning the benefits of blended learning to ensure equal opportunities for working-while-studying students and their ways of adapting to a changing learning environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

11 pages, 241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“You’re a Mature Student and You’re a Tiny, Tiny Little Fish in a Big Massive Pond of Students”: A Thematic Analysis Investigating the Institutional Support Needs of Partnered Mature Students in Postsecondary Study

by Tricia van Rhijn, Caitlyn Osborne, Deborah Gores, Amiah Keresturi, Ruth Neustifter, Amy Muise and Victoria Fritz

Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13111069 - 24 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2160

Abstract

Mature students in postsecondary education—those over 25 years of age, also known as nontraditional students or adult learners—make up a significant minority population on Canadian postsecondary campuses. Despite academic performance that tends to be higher than that of traditional students, the retention of [...] Read more.

Mature students in postsecondary education—those over 25 years of age, also known as nontraditional students or adult learners—make up a significant minority population on Canadian postsecondary campuses. Despite academic performance that tends to be higher than that of traditional students, the retention of mature students is lower due to the stressors they face in their home and school roles. This paper examines the insights of mature students and their intimate partners on how higher education institutions can provide better supports to make postsecondary programs and campuses more accessible to adult learners and enable their success. A sample of 25 mature postsecondary students enrolled in Canadian higher education institutions and their partners participated in dyadic interviews that explored the connections between their relationship and school experiences. A data-driven, inductive thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews found three themes that focused on the institutional support needs of partnered mature students, highlighting the need to (1) increase institutional knowledge and awareness of mature students’ needs, (2) offer flexible study options to complete courses and program requirements, and (3) provide relevant supports and programs. Mature students felt marginalized at their institutions related to the programs, instructors, staff, resources, and supports that are strongly focused on traditional-aged and circumstanced students. Recommendations are provided for higher education institutions to provide resources and supports that meet mature students’ unique needs to both access and be successful in their pursuit of postsecondary education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

9 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

School-Family and Family-School Enrichment: A Study with Portuguese Working Student Parents

by Cláudia Andrade and Joana Lobo Fernandes

Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13101024 - 11 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1478

Abstract

In recent years, higher education institutions have progressively undertaken efforts to attract more diversified populations to their programs, both in the first and second cycles. These new groups include students who work professionally and who are parents. The literature that aims to address [...] Read more.

In recent years, higher education institutions have progressively undertaken efforts to attract more diversified populations to their programs, both in the first and second cycles. These new groups include students who work professionally and who are parents. The literature that aims to address the management of multiple roles of higher education students has mainly devoted its attention to the potential conflict of roles, with a scarcity of studies focused on the positive aspects that may result from this articulation. The present study aims to analyze the relationships between satisfaction with social support (in the academic/school, work, and family domain), satisfaction with role management and academic performance and school-family and family-school enrichment experiences. The study was carried out using a questionnaire, with 155 students working fathers/mothers allowed to identify predictors of school-family and family-school enrichment. The results provide a better understanding of the factors that contribute to a student role having a positive impact on other life roles, namely the professional role and the role of father/mother. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

14 pages, 1457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adapting as I Go: An Analysis of the Relationship between Academic Expectations, Self-Efficacy, and Adaptation to Higher Education

by Mafalda Campos, Francisco Peixoto, Rui Bártolo-Ribeiro and Leandro S. Almeida

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100658 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3271

Abstract

Transition to higher education is increasingly becoming a common stage in young adulthood, which highlights the importance of studying what could contribute for a better adaptation to higher education. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between academic expectations, self-efficacy, [...] Read more.

Transition to higher education is increasingly becoming a common stage in young adulthood, which highlights the importance of studying what could contribute for a better adaptation to higher education. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between academic expectations, self-efficacy, and adaptation to higher education during the first two years of college (i.e., the first two years of a higher education degree). Portuguese college students participated in a longitudinal data collection resorting to the Academic Expectations Questionnaire (T1 and T3), the Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Scale (T2 and T3), and the Questionnaire for Higher Education Adaptation (T2 and T3). Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted to test a model correlating academic expectations, self-efficacy, and adaptation, as well as a mediation model where a full mediation of self-efficacy was observed between the relationship between academic expectations and higher education expectations. This study delivers a unique longitudinal view on the experience of the first two years of college, showing a significant role of expectations and self-efficacy in order to achieve a better adaptation process. Results are useful for institutions to adapt the way they present themselves and manage students’ expectations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Students in Higher Education)

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