engleski

Part-time Working and Students’ Well-being, Flow and Academic Success

A substantial number of students take on a part-time job while pursuing a degree. Studies of consequences of part-time working suggest lower academic achievement, increased psychological distress and poorer mental health. With this in mind, the purpose of this study was to undertake a preliminary examination of the relationship between part- time working, well-being, flow experiences and academic performance in a sample of students at University of Zagreb. The first aim of the study was to compare the students with and without a part-time job, in terms of well- being, flow experiences and academic achievement. Since previous studies have proved that flow in activites that one finds important contributes more to well-being than flow in activities that one percieves as less important, the second aim was to investigate the role of flow experiences in different activities and of different importance for students' well-being. The sample comprised 563 first and second year university students with different majors (85% female), out of whom 208 (41.7%) had a part-time job. The following questionnaires were administered: the Swedish Flow Proneness Questionnaire (Ullen et al., 2012), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985), Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2009) and School Burnout Inventory (Salmela-Aro, Kiuru, Leskinen, & Nurmi, 2009). There were no significant differences in any of the measured variables suggesting no negative consequences of part-time working. Both groups of students assessed academic activities as most important for their future goals, and flow in academic activities was the only significant positive predictor of well-being and academic achievement, and a negative predictor of burnout. Although this study shows that having a part-time job is not related to negative outcomes, future studies should address the older students as well as the number of hours spent part-time working. Since students’ well- being and academic achievement were associated with experiencing flow during academic activities, introducing more activities/ assignments for students which are more enjoyable and more challenging are recommended.

burnout ; flow ; part-time working ; university students ; well-being

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