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The Working Time-Poor: Time Poverty Implications for Working Students’ Involvement

Mathuews, Katy B.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8813-6727
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1540829773983031

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Higher Education (Education).
With over 80% of undergraduate students working while enrolled in college (Bennett, McCarty & Carter, 2015; Darolia, 2014), it is important to understand how employment affects the college experience. Understanding working students is particularly salient in the face of popular involvement literature in higher education, which champions investing time and energy in curricular and co-curricular activities (Astin, 1984). Working students may experience time constraints from juggling the responsibilities of student and worker. In this study, Vickery’s (1977) time poverty theory was used to examine how working students experience work-induced time constraints and the related effects on curricular and co-curricular involvement. The findings of the study show that participants considered working while enrolled in college a financial necessity. Their schedules, however, were often challenging with long days and few days off. Work-induced time constraints led to little or no co-curricular involvement and compromised curricular involvement. Additional responsibilities, such as military duty or child care, magnified the effects of working while in college. Participants also often felt a lack of empathy or understanding from their faculty and advisors. Despite the challenge of working while in school, participants considered work a source of skills development, emotional support, and a motivator to stay on top of school responsibilities. Participants experienced negative wellness effects such as stress and inadequate sleep. The findings of compromised involvement and wellness indicate the participants experienced time poverty. To alleviate the effects of time poverty participants engaged in the use of planners, strategic scheduling, and online course options. In response to the findings described above, this study includes participant-informed strategies to influence institutional and governmental policy to support working college students. Governmental policies include reforming financial need calculations, increasing financial support, and employment reform. Institutional policies include reframing student employment as involvement with increased on-campus employment opportunities. Institutional strategies may also include reimagining the curriculum and practicing empathy for working students. These initiatives bolster higher education’s commitment to providing access to all students.
Laura Harrison (Committee Chair)
Nguyen David (Committee Member)
Anderson Cynthia (Committee Member)
Lee Elizabeth (Committee Member)
216 p.
Higher Education
time poverty; working students; involvement; curricular involvement; co-curricular involvement

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mathuews, K. B. (2018). The Working Time-Poor: Time Poverty Implications for Working Students’ Involvement [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1540829773983031

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mathuews, Katy. The Working Time-Poor: Time Poverty Implications for Working Students’ Involvement. 2018. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1540829773983031.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mathuews, Katy. "The Working Time-Poor: Time Poverty Implications for Working Students’ Involvement." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1540829773983031

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1540829773983031
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© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12