Working whilst studying in higher education: The impact of the economic crisis on academic and labour market success

Abstract

SummaryA thorough analysis of the phenomenon of combining working and studying among university students is made using data obtained from surveys of graduates carried out four years after finishing their degrees. First, the article revises the evolution of the phenomenon over the last ten years taking the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) labour market insertion surveys for 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014 into account. Second, the 2008 and 2014 waves are compared to analyse the impact of the economic crisis. In this case, how combining working and studying affects academic results and labour market insertion is studied, in addition to whether or not differences occur according to the educational background of the family. The evolution shows how the numbers of students that combine work and study has increased, especially among those whose parents have a low educational level. Furthermore, this increase means that lower marks are obtained and there is a greater degree of inequality in labour market insertion, depending on the educational background of the family of origin. In general, the relationship between the different variables shows how combining working and studying has negative effects on marks, but positive effects on labour market insertion, especially if the experience of work while at university is related to the studies.

Studying and Working—Hurdle or Springboard? Widening Access to Higher Education for Working Students in Malta

“…Similarly, Tuononen et al (2016) suggest that students' organisational skills are also an important factor determining study progress and the impact of work on their studies. Moreover, Sanchez-Gelabert et al (2017) found that working alongside studies had a positive impact on the transition into the labour market, especially for students whose work was related to their studies. In addition, some studies also suggest (e.g.…”

“…Increasing participation in higher education in countries that witness the 'massification' of their higher education systems is associated with reaching out and attracting a more diverse student body (Orr 2010). This expansion in Europe and other OECD countries is characterized by an increased participation of employed students (Auers et al 2007;Lewis et al 2007;Callender 2008;Hall 2010;Lowe and Gayle 2016;Mercer et al 2016;Billett et al 2016;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017). Research in the domain of student employment and learning demonstrates not only an increasing prevalence of students involved in paid work during their studies but also that the number of hours dedicated to employment is increasing (Beerkens et al 2011;Logan et al 2016).…”

“…The increased prevalence of students working alongside their studies raises concerns about its impact on their academic achievement since a large body of research suggests that paid work alongside studies negatively affects academic achievement by reducing the amount of time available for studies (Svanum and Bigatti 2006;Auers et al 2007;Callender 2008;Miller et al 2008;Torres et al 2010;Richardson et al 2014;Logan et al 2016;Mercer et al 2016;Burston 2017;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017). Moreover, research suggests that working alongside studies negatively affects the quality of the student's educational experience (Lederer et al 2015;Lowe and Gayle 2016), stress levels and mental health (Miller et al 2008), increases the time to degree (Tur-Sinai et al 2017) and the likelihood of dropping out (Bozick 2007;Torres et al 2010;Moulin et al 2013;Hovdhaugen 2015).…”

“…Given that the main reason for working alongside studies is a lack of financial resources (Auers et al 2007;Lewis et al 2007;Hall 2010) rather than to gain work experience (Hall 2010) and since it mainly affects disadvantaged and underrepresented students in higher education (Callender 2008;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017), research has stressed the need for policymakers and higher education providers to ensure a flexible provision of higher education to better support this vulnerable group of students (Hall 2010;Lowe and Gayle 2016). This would also contribute to making higher education more responsive to labour market needs by enabling those already in employment to return to higher education and undertake studies that could contribute to their career progress without the need to interrupt their employment (Beerkens et al 2011).…”

“…Considering that research frequently links working alongside studies with lower academic achievement (Svanum and Bigatti 2006;Auers et al 2007;Callender 2008;Miller et al 2008;Torres et al 2010;Richardson et al 2014;Logan et al 2016;Mercer et al 2016;Burston 2017;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017), increased stress levels and diminished health (Miller et al 2008), increased time to degree (Tur-Sinai et al 2017) and higher chances of drop-out (Bozick 2007;Torres et al 2010;Moulin et al 2013;Hovdhaugen 2015), further analysis of the impact of paid work on time dedicated to studies and the outcomes of work for students in Malta are necessary (see Fig. 13).…”