scholarly journals Working and learning? Features of student employment during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsófia Kocsis

 The literature contains ambivalent research findings on the impact of student employment on study careers. Previous findings also indicated that student employment plays a significant role in interrupting study (Kovács et al. 2019). In our exploratory research, we focused on exploring the employment characteristics of university students during COVID -19. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of the epidemiological situation on young people's work. To what extent did the epidemic change students' attitudes towards work and study? The research involved university students who regularly work alongside their studies. The online survey was conducted between January and March 2021 (N=235). The majority of the students worked during the epidemiological situation. Contrary to our assumptions, they had no major, long-standing financial problems. An important question for educational research is the relationship between work and learning. A quarter of the respondents had work related to their studies. Some of the undivided student teachers may be considered an at-risk group because they had experiences during their employment that made them insecure about their degree. Our results also showed that students who have study-related work are more committed to a degree and less uncertain about finding a job in their chosen profession.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Mayara Matos Fialho ◽  
Franca Spatafora ◽  
Lisa Kühne ◽  
Heide Busse ◽  
Stefanie M. Helmer ◽  
...  

Background: Results of previous studies examining the impact of the SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 on university students' mental well-being indicated severe mental health consequences. It is unclear how the current COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in study conditions due to federal regulations affected mental well-being in the German student population. We examined university students' perceptions of study conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated associations between study conditions and depressive symptoms.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Germany in May 2020 at four universities (N = 5,021, 69% female, mean age: 24 years, SD: 5.1). Perceived study conditions, as well as sociodemographic information, were assessed with self-generated items and the CES-D 8 scale was used to determine depressive symptoms. Associations between perceived study conditions (academic stress and academic satisfaction), in general, and confidence to complete the semester, in particular, and depressive symptoms were analyzed using generalized linear regressions.Results: Fifty-four percent of survey participants felt that the university workload had significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic; 48% were worried that they would not be able to successfully complete the academic year; 47% agreed that the change in teaching methods caused significant stress. Regarding depressive symptoms, the mean score of the CES-D 8 scale was 9.25. Further, a positive association between perceived study conditions and depressive symptoms was found (p < 0.001), indicating that better study conditions were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Results of the generalized linear regression suggest that better student mental well-being was related to higher confidence in completing the semester.Conclusions: This study provides first insights into perceived study conditions and associations with depressive symptoms among students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Findings underline the need for universities to provide intervention strategies targeting students' mental well-being during the course of the pandemic.


Author(s):  
Caitlin R. Semsarian ◽  
Gabrielle Rigney ◽  
Peter A. Cistulli ◽  
Yu Sun Bin

University students consistently report poor sleep. We conducted a before-and-after study to evaluate the impact of an online 10-week course on undergraduate students’ sleep knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours at 6-month follow-up. Data were collected via baseline course surveys (August–September 2020) and follow-up surveys distributed via email (February–March 2021). n = 212 students completed baseline surveys and n = 75 (35%) completed follow-up. Students retained to follow-up possessed higher baseline sleep knowledge and received higher course grades. At the 6-month follow-up, sleep knowledge had increased (mean score out of 5: 3.0 vs. 4.2, p < 0.001). At baseline, 85% of students aimed to increase their sleep knowledge and 83% aimed to improve their sleep. At follow-up, 91% reported being more knowledgeable and 37% reported improved sleep. A novel Stages of Change item revealed that 53% of students’ attitudes towards their sleep behaviours had changed from baseline. There was a reduction in sleep latency at follow-up (mean 33.3 vs. 25.6 min, p = 0.015), but no change in the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score. In summary, completion of an online course led to increased sleep and circadian knowledge and changed sleep attitudes, with no meaningful change in sleep behaviours. Future interventions should consider components of behavioural change that go beyond the knowledge–attitudes–behaviour continuum.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Evelina Francisco ◽  
Nadira Fardos ◽  
Aakash Bhatt ◽  
Gulhan Bizel

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home orders have disrupted all aspects of life globally, most notably our relationship with the internet and social media platforms. People are online more than ever before, working and attending school from home and socializing with friends and family via video conferencing. Marketers and brands have been forced to adapt to a new normal and, as a result, have shifted their brand communication and marketing mix to digital approaches. Hence, this study aims to examine the shift of influencer marketing on Instagram during this period and the possible future implications. By employing an online survey for exploratory research, individuals answered questions addressing their perceptions about the impact of the pandemic, brands and influencers&rsquo; relationship, and the overall changes made in marketing strategy.


Author(s):  
Kim U. Hoffman ◽  
Catherine C. Reese

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of changes to the Arkansas budget process brought about when the people of Arkansas voted to move from a biennial to an annual budget period in 2008. The paper describes the legislative changes necessary for annual budget review and explores the impact of annual budget review on revenue forecasting, supplemental appropriations, special sessions, legislative staff workload, executive branch oversight and state spending. This research assesses legislative perceptions of annual budget review across several factors including knowledge of the state budget, ability to check the powers of the governor and overall efficacy of annual budget review. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research uses interview data from the Legislative Fiscal Director and data from an online survey of Arkansas state legislators. The interview and survey data were supplemented by an analysis of documents produced by legislative staff regarding supplemental appropriations, special sessions and state general revenue. Findings The Legislative Fiscal Director interview indicates that the change in budget period had little impact on revenue forecasting, special sessions and state government spending, with the exception that supplemental appropriations for Big 6 agencies increased in a statistically significant way following the advent of the fiscal session. The legislative survey finds that the change in budget period is viewed positively by Arkansas legislators. Most legislators indicated that they prefer annual budget review to biennial budget review. Research limitations/implications Because of the exploratory approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Originality/value This paper surveys legislators on the efficacy of annual budget review which has seldom been done in previous research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 881 (1) ◽  
pp. 012014
Author(s):  
F Septiandiani ◽  
A Nurzukhrufa ◽  
H Munirwan ◽  
A Setiawan

Abstract The integration of theory and practice in the learning process has become the foundation of architectural education. In learning a sustainable environment, direct involvement of students in the environment to increase awareness of sustainable development is fundamental. Internship is a learning process where students can develop themselves outside of lecture hours. The impact of the COVID-19 storm demanded new education methods in the learning process. The architecture study program of the Sumatra Institute of Technology (ITERA) has started an internship on a research project for the past 1 year. This paper aims to investigate the extent of students’ awareness in terms of environment sustainability while they undertake the research-based internship. While the research objectives are: to examine the attitude of students in delivering sustainable thinking; to investigate the sustainability knowledge that obtained by the students during the internship, and to acknowledge the student skills regarding environment sustainability thinking This exploratory research uses content analysis method and conduct an online survey from students involved in the internship. It is concluded that the internship through research project improve social skills, context analysis and environmental awareness, but there is a need for improvement in the delivery of lectures related to real strategies and implementation in realizing environmental sustainability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Janna Olynick ◽  
Han Z. Li

Despite a recent resurgence in the study of organizational culture, insufficient attention has been paid to the impact of the types of organizational culture on employee well-being and productivity in Canadian settings. This study investigated which types of organizational culture are most closely related to employee levels of work-related stress, enjoyment of work and self-perceived productivity. A secondary research interest was to identify the dominant culture type at the studied university in northern Canada. A total of 193 staff members from various departments (e.g., academic services, facilities, student life) completed an online survey containing questions on organizational culture, stress, enjoyment of work and productivity. Three intriguing findings were generated from the data: (1) All four types of organizational culture &ndash; clan, hierarchy, adhocracy, market &ndash; were identified at the institution; (2) the hierarchy culture was most prevalent, followed by the adhocracy culture, the market culture and then the clan culture; and (3) the type of organizational culture was significantly related to stress, enjoyment of work and productivity. Employees working in a clan culture reported the lowest levels of stress, and highest levels of enjoyment and productivity, followed by those in the adhocracy and hierarchy cultures, lastly the market culture. Important implications include: (1) Organizational leaders need to take into account the role organizational culture plays in employee well-being and workplace functioning, and (2) Organizational leaders should implement strategies to create a workplace culture that promotes employee well-being and productivity.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Li Zhao

The study investigated how founders' personality traits impact Chinese apparel new venture performance. An online survey was conducted using founders' personality traits, the quality of firm network relationships, perceived competitive advantages, and perceived Chinese apparel new venture performance scales. Grounded in Barney's (1991) resource-based view of the firm, the study findings were expected to provide further evidence of the importance of the relationship between founders' personality traits and the quality of a firm's network relationships and, in turn, the impact on Chinese apparel new venture success. The findings may help people who are interested in starting new ventures in the Chinese apparel industry manage external network relationships that are critical for new venture success. Furthermore, the research findings would improve academic understanding of the Chinese apparel industry. Supply chain partners could also utilize these findings to make appropriate strategies for improving relationships with Chinese apparel new ventures to cope with the critical business challenges of globalization and collaboration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. p29
Author(s):  
Mary Helou, Ph.D. ◽  
Linda Crismon, Ed.D. ◽  
Christopher Crismon, M. S. P.

Consumers respond to their lack of satisfaction with service provision in a variety of ways. For instance, research findings indicates that consumers’ response options to service dissatisfaction is related to customer loyalty, which may impact their future repurchase intentions (Janjua, 2017). The current study investigates the impact of loyalty, and its cultural understanding, on dissatisfaction response styles of university students. In particular, it compares the variations in response options between Anglo-Saxon Australian students and international Middle Eastern students, attending Australian universities and other tertiary higher education Australian institutions, in an attempt to explore the impact of culture on dissatisfaction, and the resultant response options chosen by students, as guided by culturally defined perceptions and values (Newsome & Cooper, 2016). Findings indicate that there are significant variations in terms of the degree of ethnic loyalty and the response options that students engage in as a reaction to educational service dissatisfaction, mostly attributable to differences in cultural values. The contributions of this study are three-fold. First, the current research study further develops our understanding of cultural loyalty and its impact on students’ future repurchase intentions. Secondly, it provides an understanding of the dissatisfaction response styles of university students coming from different ethnic backgrounds. Finally, this study further contributes to our understanding of the relationship between students’ ethnic backgrounds and their respective repurchase decisions.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e026885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Lohaus ◽  
Florian Röser

ObjectiveSickness presenteeism (SP) is a well-documented phenomenon in the current workforce. However, little is known about the SP of future employees (Millennials). We investigated rate and propensity of presenteeism and health-related and work-related correlates in university students to obtain information about the relevance of SP in the future workforce. Sickness presenteeism (SP) refers to going towork while ill.1Design and settingWe administered a cross-sectional online survey in August 2018 involving self-assessments of health-related and work-related behaviour. As planned, we analysed rates, instances and propensities of presenteeism and absenteeism. The target population was Millennial university students.Results749 German university students, average age 24.7±3.6 years, 49.5% women, mean academic progress 4.5±2.7 semesters, <1% without work experience, 15.4±10.3 mean weekly working hours. Presenteeism rates in the complete sample were 64% at school and 60.4% at work. For the subsample of participants who reported sickness, presenteeism rates were 87.9% at school and 87% at work. Presenteeism propensity among them was 0.67±0.34 at school and 0.68±0.35 at work. SP at school and at work was significantly correlated with subjective health (r=0.29, p=0.000 and r=0.25, p=0.000) and locus of control (r=−0.20, p=0.000 and r=−0.26, p=0.000). Age and sex adjusted multiple regression analysis showed that subjective health explained 9.7% of the variance in SP at school (B=0.049, p=0.000) and 8.1% of the variance in SP at work (B=0.037, p=0.000).ConclusionsThe SP rates of the future workforce were in line with previous research on older employees, whereas the presenteeism propensities we found here were higher. Across all analyses, subjective health proved to be associated with presenteeism. Thus, the relevance of SP will remain constant or might even increase with regard to the future workforce. Programmes offering health education should be implemented to sensitise this generation as early as possible.


Author(s):  
Dr. Mee Jay A. Domingo ◽  
Harvey John Tolentino Aguillon

In the academe, stakeholders are starting to acknowledge the impact of social media in the teaching and learning process. Aware of this, the researchers conducted this study to determine the role of social media in the language learning experiences of students. Specifically, it identified the social media profile of the students and the platforms’ perceived use and advantages to vocabulary development. In realizing its objectives, the study employed a descriptive research design that involved 83 university students from a state university in the Philippines. Respondents answered an online survey questionnaire, which was tried out first to potential respondents before its actual use. The researchers used descriptive statistics to make sense of the data gathered. Results show that the students have high social media engagement as manifested by the number of social media accounts that they created for themselves (the majority have two or more accounts) and the number of hours that they spend a day online (majority are online for at least three hours a day). All the respondents use Facebook.com, making it the most commonly used social media platform among them. In addition, the study found that students perceive social media as contributory and effective applications for the enhancement of language and vocabulary skills due to the media’s accessibility, universality, ease of use, multimodality, general appeal, and its role in lowering communication anxieties. With these findings, educators are encouraged to explore the possibility of using social media platforms, preferably Facebook, as instructional media, specifically for the teaching of vocabulary. 


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