A fine balance: understanding the influence of job, school and personal characteristics in predicting academic and job satisfaction amongst non-traditional students

Abstract

ABSTRACTWhile there has been a proliferation of interest and research into work-family studies we know little about how employees who study while working manage their multiple and sometimes conflicting roles. This research focuses on non-traditional students (NTS), whose representation in the general student population has increased, and explores how they attempt to balance their work and school responsibilities. The question of what factors potentially impact NTS’s academic and job satisfaction remains mostly unanswered and is the question this article attempts to address. Data were collected from over 200 non-traditional students studying across different regional campuses of a US university, testing several hypotheses including relevant demographic and non-demographic variables. Results revealed academic satisfaction was impacted by job-related factors while job satisfaction tended to be influenced mostly by factors in the general work domain. Demographic factors did not appear to predict job satisfaction and nor did they significantly predict academic satisfaction. The paper outlines some future opportunities for research to better understand the work-school dynamic in the lives of non-traditional students.