Working Students in Higher Education: Challenges and Solutions
Abstract
The current study explores the experiences of working students, especially in higher learning institutions in coping with the challenges of working while studying. It is expected that the suggestions and recommendations from the study can improve working students’ experiences to be successful in both working and studying. This qualitative research investigates the experiences of working students at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Some working students were purposively chosen and interviewed to know the challenges they faced and how they overcome the problems. The findings of the current study show that the informants fully understood the concept of working while studying and considered it as a financial necessity and self-improvement. The informants exposed several challenges of working students such as time constraints and commitment to their studies. Despite the challenges, the informants considered working while studying as a motivation to further develop themselves and acquire necessary skills for better employment. This study is important as many college students are working while enrolled in higher education. They may experience time constraints managing the responsibilities of both student and worker. Thus, it is significant to understand their experiences that may affect the future of their academic studies. This study provides some implications and recommendations for working students to overcome the challenges. They include time management, commitment, discipline, and responsibility.
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References
[1] Bennett, D., McCarty, C., & Carter, S. (2015). The impact of financial stress on academicperformance in college economics courses. Academy of Educational LeadershipJournal, 19(3), 25–30.
[2] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[3] Metcalf, H. (2003). Increasing inequality in higher education: The role of term-time working. Oxford Review of Education, 29(3), 315-329.
[4] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
[5] Lucas, R., & Lammont, N. (1998). Combining Work and Study: An empirical study of fullâ€time students in school, college and university∗. Journal of Education and Work, 11(1), 41-56.
[6] Goldrick-Rab, S. (2016). Paying the price: College costs, financial aid, and the betrayalof the American dream. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[7] Häkkinen, I. (2006). Working while enrolled in a university: Does it pay?. Labour Economics, 13(2), 167-189.
[8] Matheuws, K. B. (2018). The working time-poor: Time poverty implications for working students’ involvement. Doctoral Dissertation. USA: Ohio University.
[9] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[10] Peterson, S. (2016). Community college student-parents: Priorities for persistence.Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(5), 370-384.
[11] Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). The causal effect of federal work-study participation: Quasiexperimental evidence from West Virginia. Educational Evaluation and PolicyAnalysis, (4), 506.
[12] Thibodeaux, J., Deutsch, A., Kitsantas, A., & Winsler, A. (2017). First-year college students’ time use: Relations with self-regulation and GPA. Journal of AdvancedAcademics, 28(1), 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X16676860.
[13] Steinberg, L. D., Greenberger, E., Vaux, A., & Ruggiero, M. (1981). Early Work Experience: Effects on Adolescent Occupational Socialization. Youth and Society, 12(4), 403-422.
[14] Schill, W. J., McCartin, R., & Meyer, K. (1985). Youth Employment: Its relationship to academic and family variables. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 26(2), 155-163.
[15] Lucas, R., & Lammont, N. (1998). Combining Work and Study: An empirical study of fullâ€time students in school, college and university∗. Journal of Education and Work, 11(1), 41-56.
[16] Curtis, S., & Lucas, R. (2001). A coincidence of needs? Employers and full-time students. Employee Relations, 23(1), 38-54.
[17] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
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[21] Curtis, S., & Shani, N. (2002). The effect of taking paid employment during term-time on students' academic studies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 26(2), 129-138.
[22] Curtis, S., & Williams, J. (2002). The reluctant workforce: Undergraduates' part-time employment. Education+ Training, 44(1), 5-10.
[23] Harvey, L. (2000). New realities: The relationship between higher education and employment. Tertiary Education & Management, 6(1), 3-17.
[24] Ikhwan, A. (2017). Metode Simulasi Pembelajaran dalam Perspektif Islam. Istawa: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2(2), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.24269/ijpi.v2i2.623
[25] Ikhwan, A. (2018). Penerapan Manajemen Hubungan Sekolah dan Masyarakat dalam Perspektif Islam. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 2(1), 1–16. Retrieved from http://alhayat.or.id/index.php/alhayat/article/view/19
[26] Devlin, M., James, R., & Grigg, G. (2008). Studying and working: A national study of student finances and student engagement. Tertiary Education and Management, 14(2), 111-122.
[27] Nonis, S. A., & Hudson, G. I. (2006). Academic performance of college students: Influence of time spent studying and working. Journal of Education for Business, 81(3), 151-159.
[28] Carnevale, A.P, Smith, N., Melton, M., & Price, E.W. (2015). Learning while earning: The new normal. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Working-Learners-Report.pdf.
[29] Tymon, A. (2013). The student perspective on employability. Studies in Higher Education, 38(6), 841-856.
[30] Tomlinson, M. (2007). Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market. Journal of Education and Work, 20(4), 285-304.
[31] Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students' lives. Education+ Training, 47(3), 202-215.
[32] Yorke, M. (2004). Employability in the undergraduate curriculum: Some student perspectives. European Journal of Education, 39(4), 409-427.
[33] Glover, D., Law, S., & Youngman, A. (2002). Graduateness and Employability: Student perceptions of the personal outcomes of university education. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 7(3), 293-306.
[34] Matheuws, K. B. (2018). The working time-poor: Time poverty implications for working students’ involvement. Doctoral Dissertation. USA: Ohio University.
[35] Carnevale, A.P, Smith, N., Melton, M., & Price, E.W. (2015). Learning while earning: The new normal. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Working-Learners-Report.pdf.
[36] Pusser, B. (2010). Of a mind to labor: Reconceptualizing student work and higher education. In Perna L.W. (Ed.). Understanding the Working College Student: New Research and its Implications for Policy and Practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
[37] Mounsey, R., Vandehey, M., & Diekhoff, G. (2013). Working and non-working university students: Anxiety, depression, and grade point average. College Student Journal, 47(2), 379-389.
[38] Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students' lives. Education+ Training, 47(3), 202-215.
[39] Jogaratnam, G., & Buchanan, P. (2004). Balancing the demands of school and work: Stress and employed hospitality students. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(4), 237-245.
[40] Hovdhaugen, E. (2015). Working while studying: The impact of term-time employment on dropout rates. Journal of Education and Work, 28(6), 631-651.
[41] Creed, P. A., French, J., & Hood, M. (2015). Working while studying at university: The relationship between work benefits and demands and engagement and well-being. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 48-57.
[42] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[43] Curtis, S., & Shani, N. (2002). The effect of taking paid employment during term-time on students' academic studies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 26(2), 129-138.
[44] Curtis, S. (2007). Students' perceptions of the effects of term-time paid employment. Education+ Training, 49(5), 380-390.
[45] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
[46] Castillo, L.G., & Schwartz, S.J. (2013). Introduction to the special issues on college student mental health. Journal of Clinical of Psychology, 69(4), 291-297.
[47] Bennett, D., McCarty, C., & Carter, S. (2015). The impact of financial stress on academic performance in college economics courses. Academy of Educational LeadershipJournal, 19(3), 25–30.
[48] Britt, S.L., Mendiola, M.R., Schink, G.H., Tibbetts, R.H., & Jones, S.H. (2016). Financial stress, coping strategy, and academic achievement in college students. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 27(2), 172-183.
[49] Vaughn, A.A., Drake, R.R., & Haydock, S. (2016). College student mental health and quality of workplace relationships. Journal of American College Health, 64(1),26-37.
[50] Cresswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research. USA: Person Education.
[2] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[3] Metcalf, H. (2003). Increasing inequality in higher education: The role of term-time working. Oxford Review of Education, 29(3), 315-329.
[4] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
[5] Lucas, R., & Lammont, N. (1998). Combining Work and Study: An empirical study of fullâ€time students in school, college and university∗. Journal of Education and Work, 11(1), 41-56.
[6] Goldrick-Rab, S. (2016). Paying the price: College costs, financial aid, and the betrayalof the American dream. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[7] Häkkinen, I. (2006). Working while enrolled in a university: Does it pay?. Labour Economics, 13(2), 167-189.
[8] Matheuws, K. B. (2018). The working time-poor: Time poverty implications for working students’ involvement. Doctoral Dissertation. USA: Ohio University.
[9] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[10] Peterson, S. (2016). Community college student-parents: Priorities for persistence.Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(5), 370-384.
[11] Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). The causal effect of federal work-study participation: Quasiexperimental evidence from West Virginia. Educational Evaluation and PolicyAnalysis, (4), 506.
[12] Thibodeaux, J., Deutsch, A., Kitsantas, A., & Winsler, A. (2017). First-year college students’ time use: Relations with self-regulation and GPA. Journal of AdvancedAcademics, 28(1), 5–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X16676860.
[13] Steinberg, L. D., Greenberger, E., Vaux, A., & Ruggiero, M. (1981). Early Work Experience: Effects on Adolescent Occupational Socialization. Youth and Society, 12(4), 403-422.
[14] Schill, W. J., McCartin, R., & Meyer, K. (1985). Youth Employment: Its relationship to academic and family variables. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 26(2), 155-163.
[15] Lucas, R., & Lammont, N. (1998). Combining Work and Study: An empirical study of fullâ€time students in school, college and university∗. Journal of Education and Work, 11(1), 41-56.
[16] Curtis, S., & Lucas, R. (2001). A coincidence of needs? Employers and full-time students. Employee Relations, 23(1), 38-54.
[17] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
[18] Greene, K.M. & Maggs, J.L. (2015). Revisiting the time trade-off hypothesis: Work, organized activities, and academics during college. Youth Adolescence, 44, 1623-1637.
[19] Greene, K. M., & Maggs, J. L. (2017). Academic time during college: Associations with mood, tiredness, and binge drinking across days and semesters. Journal of Adolescence, 56, 24–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.001.
[20] Matheuws, K. B. (2018). The working time-poor: Time poverty implications for working students’ involvement. Doctoral Dissertation. USA: Ohio University.
[21] Curtis, S., & Shani, N. (2002). The effect of taking paid employment during term-time on students' academic studies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 26(2), 129-138.
[22] Curtis, S., & Williams, J. (2002). The reluctant workforce: Undergraduates' part-time employment. Education+ Training, 44(1), 5-10.
[23] Harvey, L. (2000). New realities: The relationship between higher education and employment. Tertiary Education & Management, 6(1), 3-17.
[24] Ikhwan, A. (2017). Metode Simulasi Pembelajaran dalam Perspektif Islam. Istawa: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2(2), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.24269/ijpi.v2i2.623
[25] Ikhwan, A. (2018). Penerapan Manajemen Hubungan Sekolah dan Masyarakat dalam Perspektif Islam. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 2(1), 1–16. Retrieved from http://alhayat.or.id/index.php/alhayat/article/view/19
[26] Devlin, M., James, R., & Grigg, G. (2008). Studying and working: A national study of student finances and student engagement. Tertiary Education and Management, 14(2), 111-122.
[27] Nonis, S. A., & Hudson, G. I. (2006). Academic performance of college students: Influence of time spent studying and working. Journal of Education for Business, 81(3), 151-159.
[28] Carnevale, A.P, Smith, N., Melton, M., & Price, E.W. (2015). Learning while earning: The new normal. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Working-Learners-Report.pdf.
[29] Tymon, A. (2013). The student perspective on employability. Studies in Higher Education, 38(6), 841-856.
[30] Tomlinson, M. (2007). Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market. Journal of Education and Work, 20(4), 285-304.
[31] Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students' lives. Education+ Training, 47(3), 202-215.
[32] Yorke, M. (2004). Employability in the undergraduate curriculum: Some student perspectives. European Journal of Education, 39(4), 409-427.
[33] Glover, D., Law, S., & Youngman, A. (2002). Graduateness and Employability: Student perceptions of the personal outcomes of university education. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 7(3), 293-306.
[34] Matheuws, K. B. (2018). The working time-poor: Time poverty implications for working students’ involvement. Doctoral Dissertation. USA: Ohio University.
[35] Carnevale, A.P, Smith, N., Melton, M., & Price, E.W. (2015). Learning while earning: The new normal. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Working-Learners-Report.pdf.
[36] Pusser, B. (2010). Of a mind to labor: Reconceptualizing student work and higher education. In Perna L.W. (Ed.). Understanding the Working College Student: New Research and its Implications for Policy and Practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
[37] Mounsey, R., Vandehey, M., & Diekhoff, G. (2013). Working and non-working university students: Anxiety, depression, and grade point average. College Student Journal, 47(2), 379-389.
[38] Manthei, R. J., & Gilmore, A. (2005). The effect of paid employment on university students' lives. Education+ Training, 47(3), 202-215.
[39] Jogaratnam, G., & Buchanan, P. (2004). Balancing the demands of school and work: Stress and employed hospitality students. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(4), 237-245.
[40] Hovdhaugen, E. (2015). Working while studying: The impact of term-time employment on dropout rates. Journal of Education and Work, 28(6), 631-651.
[41] Creed, P. A., French, J., & Hood, M. (2015). Working while studying at university: The relationship between work benefits and demands and engagement and well-being. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 48-57.
[42] Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38-50.
[43] Curtis, S., & Shani, N. (2002). The effect of taking paid employment during term-time on students' academic studies. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 26(2), 129-138.
[44] Curtis, S. (2007). Students' perceptions of the effects of term-time paid employment. Education+ Training, 49(5), 380-390.
[45] Watts, C., & Pickering, A. (2000). Pay as you learn: Student employment and academic progress. Education+ Training, 42(3), 129-135.
[46] Castillo, L.G., & Schwartz, S.J. (2013). Introduction to the special issues on college student mental health. Journal of Clinical of Psychology, 69(4), 291-297.
[47] Bennett, D., McCarty, C., & Carter, S. (2015). The impact of financial stress on academic performance in college economics courses. Academy of Educational LeadershipJournal, 19(3), 25–30.
[48] Britt, S.L., Mendiola, M.R., Schink, G.H., Tibbetts, R.H., & Jones, S.H. (2016). Financial stress, coping strategy, and academic achievement in college students. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 27(2), 172-183.
[49] Vaughn, A.A., Drake, R.R., & Haydock, S. (2016). College student mental health and quality of workplace relationships. Journal of American College Health, 64(1),26-37.
[50] Cresswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research. USA: Person Education.
Published
2020-06-28
How to Cite
TUMIN, Tumin et al.
Working Students in Higher Education: Challenges and Solutions.
Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 1, p. 79-89, june 2020.
ISSN 2599-3046.
Available at: <https://alhayat.or.id/index.php/alhayat/article/view/108>. Date accessed: 06 oct. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v4i1.108.
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
