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1 – 10 of over 119000The article outlines the results of survey research on part‐time programming at Canadian universities and the needs and characteristics of undergraduate student populations with…
Abstract
The article outlines the results of survey research on part‐time programming at Canadian universities and the needs and characteristics of undergraduate student populations with potential for part‐time degree completion. Data on Canadian universities were examined in four major categories of variables including institutional backgrounds, part‐time degree programmes and programme administration, evening and weekend course offerings and course administration, and services for part‐time students. Data from student groups were examined in six categories including demographics, academic backgrounds, finances and employment, educational expectations and student services, technology and alternative delivery methods, and advantages and disadvantages of part‐time attendance. Findings suggest changes may be necessary in university functioning in order to serve part‐time student populations better. Implications for institutional policy and practice are discussed in four general areas: part‐time enrolments and degrees; evening and weekend programming; demographics, student services and cost‐effectiveness; and technology and alternative delivery.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits and challenges of simultaneously participating part-time in a doctoral program and teaching full-time in the K-12 classroom.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits and challenges of simultaneously participating part-time in a doctoral program and teaching full-time in the K-12 classroom.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the author used autoethnography to examine the benefits and challenges she faced as a part-time doctoral student and full-time, public high-school English language arts teacher.
Findings
The findings included that managing finite personal resources such as time and mental bandwidth constituted a challenge while simultaneously existing in both worlds created a unique perspective derived from the knowledge, ideas and events in each world constantly prompting reflection on the other. Additionally, benefits – the synergy between research and practice – and challenges – the frustration that occurred when potential crossover faced resistance – resulted from the cross-pollination between studying and teaching. Finally, inhabiting both worlds ended up changing the author’s plans, raising questions about where to go upon finishing her degree.
Originality/value
Scant research exists about part-time doctoral students in general, even less research exists on part-time students who work full-time in any profession, and even less broaches teachers’ experiences teaching full time while in a doctoral program. Given the need for classroom realities to better inform research and policy, examining the possibilities regarding part-time doctoral programs for teachers holds potential for both practice and research to speak to one another.
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This study aims to explore the motivation and satisfaction of part-time PhD students in the USA through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT).
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the motivation and satisfaction of part-time PhD students in the USA through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT).
Design/methodology/approach
Following an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, data sources consisted of a survey (N = 100) and focus groups (N = 20) of part-time PhD students.
Findings
Findings suggest that part-time PhD students achieve greater satisfaction when they are autonomously motivated. Part-time PhD student satisfaction may be increased through shifting motivation from an external to an internal locus of control, such as when doctoral work is framed within the context of solving practice-based problems. Facilitating this change requires those involved in the practice of research doctoral education to work toward satisfying students’ innate needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness with others, yet many part-time PhD students describe experiences within their doctoral education that do not meet these needs. Implications for research and practice are presented.
Originality/value
This paper tests the applicability of SDT, a widely used theory in doctoral studies, to part-time PhD students, an understudied student population in the USA.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore university students' perceptions about career development in relation to their part-time working and to examine whether students maximise…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore university students' perceptions about career development in relation to their part-time working and to examine whether students maximise opportunities arising in their part-time job in order to enhance their personal profile and career aspirations.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were held with 20 degree students at a UK university. The interview was based around 19 questions, split into three sections: general; career and the part-time job.
Findings
The findings indicate that while students are aware that part-time work helps in developing personal skills, there is a lack of awareness on how part-time work can provide differentiation in the graduate jobs market and support long-term graduate careers. The conclusion discusses the implications of the findings suggesting greater awareness among students of how part-time work can drive work readiness and long-term career aspirations. It also recommends greater involvement of career advisors and university teaching colleagues in supporting this endeavour.
Originality/value
While other papers on student working have included a small element regarding careers, this paper offers originality by focussing solely on the relationship between students' part-time work and career aspirations. Moreover, most works in this area have been quantitative studies, whereas this study is qualitatively-based.
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Shaoan Zhang, Mark Carroll, Chengcheng Li and Emily Lin
This paper aims to expand the theory of situated learning with the application of technology and provides a technology-based situated learning model with suggestions for doctoral…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to expand the theory of situated learning with the application of technology and provides a technology-based situated learning model with suggestions for doctoral program design.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review of the relevant topics was conducted. Themes emerged by the systematic review of the relevant studies and theoretical framework.
Findings
Studies reveal that part-time doctoral students often feel unsupported, dissatisfied and disconnected with their program. Many of these issues may be mitigated by faculty and peer mentoring, and various forms of asynchronous communication through a situated learning framework with interactive communication technologies.
Research limitations/implications
Research of doctoral education should pay more attention to part-time doctoral students and investigate the quality of their programs given their individual needs, and how their progression and completion can be achieved through the innovative approaches proposed in this study.
Practical implications
Program designers may use a technology-based situated learning approach in program design to fulfill part-time doctoral students’ needs toward enhancing mentorship, students’ academic self-efficacy and career preparation. Further support is offered through a virtual community of practice.
Social implications
This paper draws researchers’ attention to program design and part-time doctoral students’ retention and completion of a doctoral program.
Originality/value
This study provides an innovative synergetic model that helps administrators and program designers to design doctoral programs and motivates researchers to conduct research regarding part-time doctoral students.
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Martin Sikyr, Nina Ivanovna Basmanova and Mikhail Abrashkin
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the authors’ questionnaire survey focused on the comparison of study motivation and job expectations of full-time and part…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the authors’ questionnaire survey focused on the comparison of study motivation and job expectations of full-time and part-time students of Russian universities and identify main problems of higher education and graduate employment and suggest their possible solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors’ questionnaire survey was conducted from March to October 2018. The respondents were full-time and part-time bachelor’s and master’s students from 30 regions across Russia. The relevant data were obtained from 1,051 students. The data analysis was based on the calculation of relative frequencies (as a share from the total number of respondents) and the evaluation of the dependence of responses on the form of study (full-time students and part-time students) using contingency tables and χ2 tests of independence.
Findings
The results of the authors’ questionnaire survey support the assumption that the current generation of full-time and part-time students of Russian universities studies to succeed in the future. Surveyed university students certainly have a high motivation to study, but at the same time, they seem to have too high expectations about their future work and career, which can negatively affect their future success in their jobs if they do not have appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities.
Originality/value
The results of the authors’ questionnaire survey show some unique tendencies in the Russian university students’ attitudes to study, work and career that are worth attention both from the point of view of universities and from the point of view of employers and their current approaches to the education and the employment of the current generation of young people. The results open up new possibilities for further research focused on the higher education and the employability of the new generation of work force.
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Paul Barron and Constantia Anastasiadou
The purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of part‐time working amongst a cohort of full time hospitality and tourism students studying at a university in Scotland.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of part‐time working amongst a cohort of full time hospitality and tourism students studying at a university in Scotland.
Design/methodology/approach
Students studying hospitality and tourism management were chosen due to the vocational nature of their program and the part‐time opportunities available in the hospitality industry. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the extent of part‐time employment amongst hospitality and tourism students. The questionnaire solicited demographic information, level, type and extent of part‐time employment. The questionnaire also explored students' impressions of the benefits of part‐time working, their likes and dislikes in their part‐time employment and what they felt might be done to develop the relationship between the parties involved in part‐time work.
Findings
Evaluating responses from 150 students, the study found that almost two thirds of this cohort were engaged in part‐time employment and had been with their current employer for an average of 14 months. Focussing on aspects of gender and nationality the study identified that females were more likely to have a part‐time job and students from Eastern European countries worked significantly longer hours than their peers.
Practical implications
It is suggested that educators more fully recognise the constraints of contemporary student life and consider the provision of flexible teaching methods, part‐time contacts and formal credit for students' part‐time work.
Originality/value
The paper concurs with previous research into the extent of part‐time working amongst students and it found that students from Eastern Europe were more likely to work part‐time and that all students would like more recognition of their employment commitments.
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Gbolahan Gbadamosi, Carl Evans, Mark Richardson and Yos Chanthana
Building on the self-efficacy theory and self-theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate students working part-time whilst pursuing full-time higher education in…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the self-efficacy theory and self-theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate students working part-time whilst pursuing full-time higher education in Cambodia. It explores individuals’ part-time working activities, career aspirations and self-efficacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 850 business and social sciences degree students, with 199 (23.4 per cent) usable responses, of which 129 (65.2 per cent of the sample) indicated they currently have a job.
Findings
Multiple regression analysis confirmed part-time work as a significant predictor of self-efficacy. There was a positive recognition of the value of part-time work, particularly in informing career aspirations. Female students were significantly more positive about part-time work, demonstrating significantly higher career aspirations than males. Results also suggest that students recognise the value that work experience hold in identifying future career directions and securing the first graduate position.
Practical implications
There are potential implications for approaches to curriculum design and learning, teaching and assessment for universities. There are also clear opportunities to integrate work-based and work-related learning experience into the curriculum and facilitate greater collaboration between higher education institutions and employers in Cambodia.
Social implications
There are implications for recruitment practices amongst organisations seeking to maximise the benefits derived from an increasingly highly educated workforce, including skills acquisition and development, and self-efficacy.
Originality/value
It investigates the importance of income derived from part-time working to full-time university students in a developing South-East Asian country (Cambodia), where poverty levels and the need to contribute to family income potentially predominate the decision to work while studying.
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The aim of the paper is to examine the consequences of students engaging in part‐time employment during their studies. It reports the results of a survey of part‐time employment…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to examine the consequences of students engaging in part‐time employment during their studies. It reports the results of a survey of part‐time employment among university students. The research examined the possible consequences of combining part‐time employment with full‐time study, with particular reference to stress.
Design/methodology/approach
The research consisted of an institution‐wide Web‐based survey of full‐time undergraduates within a post‐1992 university in the UK.
Findings
The survey found that part‐time employment, in common with many previous studies, is a majority experience for full‐time undergraduates. It also found that some students were spending longer in their chosen employment than in time‐tabled classes. A central finding was that unlike much previous research, it emerged here that students reported more positive than negative outcomes.
Practical implications
The data shows that students continue to engage in part‐time employment at a significant level and for some studying is almost a secondary activity. This perhaps raises questions about the existing model of higher education delivery and the need for institutions to consider offering more support mechanisms for individual students.
Originality/value
The paper is of value in seeking to clarify the nature of the consequences for students seeking to combine employment and studying. Furthermore the paper builds on our understanding of the continuing growth of student part‐time employment.
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The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a survey of part‐time employment among university students. The survey seeks to establish the nature and characteristics of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a survey of part‐time employment among university students. The survey seeks to establish the nature and characteristics of that employment, and to determine the extent to which it is comparable to similar institutions. The research also aims to examine the possible consequences of combining part‐time employment with full‐time study, with particular reference to stress.
Design/methodology/approach
The research consisted of a web‐based survey of full‐time undergraduates within the business school of a post‐1992 university in the UK.
Findings
The survey found that 68 per cent of the sample currently holds at least one part‐time job during term‐time and that the majority are employed in excess of ten hours per week. Employment is concentrated in a small number of sectors such as retailing, service and call centres. Previous studies report that combining a degree with employment can have negative consequences with students missing classes, doing less reading and experiencing higher levels of stress.
Practical implications
The growth of student employment is eroding further the concept of the full‐time student and universities may need to consider adaptations to their current programmes to accommodate students. From a recruitment and retention perspective, institutions may also need to consider the mechanisms they can offer to support students working part‐time.
Originality/value
The paper is of value in adding to the existing knowledge base about student part‐time employment, which continues to be a growing phenomenon. It also sheds further light on the consequences of working while studying and the negative outcomes that may arise. In particular it examines the relationship between part‐time employment and stress.
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