International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
Other than necessity; reasons for employment were reported by students as supporting a lifestyle, gaining
work experience, socializing, and enhancing their lives (Wang, Kong, Shan and Vong, 2009).
Effects of Employment
While there are many conflicting results about the consequences of employment, most studies report that
employment among college students is the key cause of student disengagement from the university (McInnis,
2001; Holmes 2008; Salamonson & Andrew, 2006; Salamonson, Andrew & Everett, 2009).
Student engagement is important, as it influences student learning and personal development (Astin, 1999;
Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991) as well as student retention and persistence (Tinto, 1998). A decrease in academic
performance has also been reported by several studies (Salamanson & Andrew, 2006).
However, when evaluating how employment affects a student, three factors should be considered:
1. Hours of employment: Whether the student works part-time or full-time is important in determining the
effects. The effect is minimal on a student who works 10 hours per week versus a student who works 40
hours per week.
2. Employment period: Whether the student works during the semester or during the breaks is another
important factor in determining whether this employment will impact a student’s academic performance or
university engagement.
3. The nature of employment: The type of job the student performs outside school, whether the student works
on-campus or off-campus and whether the job is related to student’s academic field all play a role on how
the student will be affected by employment.
was
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consistently reported that students who work less than 16-20 hours are much less affected by employment than
those who work more hours per week (Staff, Schulenberg, and Bachman, 2010). An NCES report (Figure 1)
based on students’ own perception of the effects of employment on their academic performance clearly shows
that negative effects increase significantly, as the number of employment hours increase.
Figure 1. Student-Reported Effect of Employment on Their Academic Performance (Re-produced from U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), "Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Educational
Institutions: 1995-96." NCES 98-084, Table 5)
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