Date of Award

6-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Reader/Committee Chair

Kenneth Shultz

Abstract

To date, research that examines individuals who work and go to school generally aims to examine the effects of doing so on their academic performance. Little literature is available that examines the effects that these dual roles can have on the organization (e.g., lower levels of commitment and higher rates of absenteeism and turnover). Understanding such effects can assist organizations in managing their employees and developing programs tailored to them, such as career counseling. A literature review is presented which examines both the constructs of the multiple forms of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover, and the research currently available on student workers. A study was conducted which examined the differences in levels of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover intentions in employees who attend school as compared to employees who do not. It was hypothesized that student workers and participants enrolled in school would differ in their commitment levels, absenteeism rates, and turnover intentions. The sample consisted of 364 participants. In this sample, 314 participants were currently enrolled in college-level classes, where 169 of the participants were categorized as students who worked, and 85 participants were categorized as workers who studied. Results suggest that employees of an organization who are not enrolled in school are likely to have higher levels of affective commitment, lower turnover intentions, and are likely to miss work more frequently. Additionally, it was found that students who work have lower overall organizational commitment and higher academic commitment compared to workers who study. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Download

Share

COinS