Social Psychology Thesis

Running head: WORK AND UNIVERSITY LIFE 1

Work and University Life Rachel Keller (Advisor: Mark Pancer)

Wilfrid Laurier University Undergraduate Psychology Thesis

Abstract University students today are putting a great deal of time into paid employment; 48% of full time students worked approximately 15 hours a week in the 2008 to 2009 school year. The amount of time students spend working, and the nature of their experience at work can be expected to spill over into other areas of their lives, including their life at university. The present study examined the hypothesis that the more positive a student’s work experience, the more successfully that student would adjust to university life. One hundred participants, all of whom had a paying job, completed an online questionnaire which included measures of the nature of their work experience (positive or negative), adjustment to university, self-esteem, stress and depression. As hypothesized, the more positive students’ experience in the workplace, the more successfully they adjusted to university (r(43)=.387, p=.009).

WORK AND UNIVERSITY LIFE 2

Introduction

The first year of university is a time that is a lot more stressful than many students expect.

Emerging Adulthood, a developmental period coined by Arnett (2000), describes people that are

approximately ages of 18 to 25. This period is marked by great change, as individuals have

newfound independence, yet they are not required to fully take on adult roles. During this time

emerging adults often explore different life directions, as a number of possibilities still remain. It

is a period accompanied by a lot of instability and a great deal of exploration and change.

During emerging adulthood there is often an increase in perceived stress, risky behaviors,

suicide rates, and mental health service utilization (Arnett, 2000). The shift away from home and

into college during this period is very common, with about one third of young adults making this

transition. However between 30-43% of students drop out of college before they actually

complete their degree, with attrition rates approximately 20% in the first year (Tinto, 1993). The

variables that predict a successful transition to college are therefore extremely important to

examine. In recent decades suicide rates and mental health utilization rates among college-

students have increased dramatically (Sax, 1997; Schwartz, 2006). There is great variance in the

decision to drop out of college, however a number of studies have found that academic and

social adjustment account for this variation (Gerdes & Mallinckrodt, 1994). As well, difficulty

with social adjustment has been linked to persistent loneliness, anxiety, and depression (Mounts,

Valentiner, Anderson, & Boswell, 2006).

There are a number of tasks that student’s partake in, some as mundane as doing their

own laundry, or complex tasks such as finding meaning in life and deciding a career path

(Bowman, 2000). The ability to cope with these new tasks can be challenging for students; some

people face these new challenges and cope easily, while others have more difficulties (Bowman,


2000). There are a number of factors that have been suggested that influence the way in which

student’s deal with these challenges and adjust to university.

Shifts in family relationships have been suggested as a reason that people struggle

through this transition (Johnson, Gans, Kerr, & LaValle, 2010). Perceptions of family

functioning have been linked to adjustment to university (academic, social and emotional well-

being). Individuals that perceived their families to be less cohesive before beginning college

report poorer academic adjustment, more dissatisfaction with social adjustment and more general

psychological distress while they transition to college (Johnson et al., 2010). Interactions with

other people have also been suggested to play an important role. Those that have hostile or

negative interactions have decreased psychological well-being, while those that form meaningful

relationships show higher psychological well-being (Bowman, 2000).

People have considered a number of factors that might account for differences in

students’ adjustment to university; however there has been relatively little consideration of the

fact that many of these students are working. It is common for people during this time period to

use their work experiences as preparation for adult work roles, and consider how these jobs may

lay groundwork for their future career (Arnett, 2000). They may consider questions such as: what

am I good at? And what kind of job will I find satisfying long term? Similar questions are also

explored through educational experience, as students often change majors and explore different

possibilities (Arnett, 2000). According to The Canadian Federation of Students, during the 2008

to 2009 school year, 48% of full time students in Canada worked during the school year, which

is a large increase from 1976 when only 26.6% of students were working. Full time students

work an average of 15 hours a week, which is approximately the same number of hours they


spend in class. For part time students there is an even greater number working, with 91%

working while in school for approximately 30 hours a week.

A large motivation for student’s to work may be tuition prices. Tuition prices are

extremely high. For a Canadian student in an arts and humanities program, attending a

University in Ontario costs approximately $5,200 to $5,500 per year. For International students

this number nearly triples, costing approximately $15,600 to 20,000 per year. These prices vary

by program and University, but overall students spend a great deal of money to get secondary

education.

There is a whole literature on older adults that concerns the way in which their work life

influences other aspects of their lives These studies have examined the concept of spillover,

which is when affect, skills, behaviours and values from one domain are transferred to another

domain. The idea of spillover is applied to work life, as what you learn through work and the

nature of your work experience can be transferred to other aspects of your life, such as your

home life. This spillover occurs when the work experience is both positive and negative, and

therefore the nature of one’s work experience can largely impact their personal life.

The majority of studies examining spillover have focused on work to family interaction.

There has been a number of studies examining positive spillover from work to family. Masuda et

al. (2012) conducted three studies to examine this spillover, and results demonstrated that this

type of spillover does occur. Carson et al. (2006) also found evidence that experiences at work

can enrich one’s family life A study done by Pedersen and Jeppensen (2012) examined how

schedule flexibility at work created positive spillover into other domains, determining that more

flexible schedules created work to life enrichment. In a study done by Culbertson, Mills and

Fullagar (2012), work engagement, which is a type of functional work that involves employees


working hard because they enjoy doing so, was examined with its relationship to work to family

interaction. The researchers predicted that positive affective spillover would be influenced by

two things: the extent to which individuals talk to loved ones about positive work experiences

and the personal relevance of one’s work. The researchers used self-report measures assessing

demographic data, work engagement, perceived workload and affect immediately after work, as

well as affect at home. The results of this study demonstrated that when employees have positive

experiences at work, the positive emotions derived from such experiences might serve to

enhance those individuals’ experiences in other domains, such as at home.

Ruppanner and Pixley (2012) also examined work to family spillover; however they

focused their investigation on negative spillover. The study aimed to look at both work-to-family

spillover, how work influences family, and family-to-work spillover, how family influences

work. This was examined by using the following measures: Negative Work-to-Family and

Family-to-Work Spillover, Childcare Policy, how work accommodates for family life, and

Maximum Work-Hour Legislation, which is the maximum hours employers can ask the

employee to work. Work Characteristics, Family Characteristics and Individual Characteristics

were also examined. The results showed that jobs that allowed flexibility with childcare and had

a lower maximum work-hour legislation resulted in less negative family-to-work spillover. It

was also found that there were a number of factors that were associated with higher levels of

negative spillover in both directions including longer work hours, job stress, job dissatisfaction,

home stress, and home dissatisfaction. This finding is consistent with the role strain theory,

which holds that anything that increases the total level of time demands, responsibilities, and

emotional stress could increase negative spillover to another domain.


As past literature has demonstrated, the nature of one’s work life can spill over into other

domains of their personal life. However, little research has examined how a student’s work life

can also demonstrate spillover. As many students put such a great deal of time into their jobs, it

can be expected that these experiences at work may spill over into other aspects of their lives,

including their academic life. Therefore the purpose of the present study was to examine the

interaction between students’ work life and their adjustment to university.

It was hypothesized that the nature of a students’ work experience would correlate with

their adjustment to university. Those that have had a positive work experience will have a more

positive adjustment to university and those that have had a negative work experience will have a

more negative adjustment to university.

Method

Participants

In this study, 99 participants (23 males and 76 females) from Wilfrid Laurier University

were recruited through the Psychology Research Experience Program (PREP). The study was

open to any students enrolled in an undergraduate psychology course if they had a paying job

sometime between June 2012 and the time they participated in the study. The participants were

ages 18-24 (M=19, SD=1.045) years old. Participants were between years 1-5 (M=1.45,

SD=.801) of their undergraduate degree. Participants were compensated by receiving 0.5 credits

(0.5% of their final grade) for the psychology course that they were enrolled in.

Materials

In this study participants responded to one questionnaire that was comprised of seven

different measures (see Appendix A for the full questionnaire).


Demographic Information. Participants were first asked about general demographic

information, including gender, age and year of study. They were also asked about the nature of

their work, including if it was part-time or full-time, if they were still currently working, how

long they had been working at their job, if they would return to this job; they were also asked to

give a brief description of the nature of their work.

Work Experience. To examine the nature of a person’s work and work experience, the

Inventory of Work Experience (IWE) scale was used. This scale is an adapted version of the

Inventory of Service Experience scale (ISE) developed by Taylor & Pancer (2007), which

includes 47 questions, each of which is rated on a 7-point Likert scale. The response anchors are

as follows; 1 for “strongly disagree”, 2 for “disagree”, 3 for “slightly disagree”, 4 for “neither

agree nor disagree”, 5 for “slightly agree”, 6 for “agree and 7 for “strongly agree”. Scores range

from 47-329, with higher scores indicating a more positive work experience. This scale includes

seven subscales. The following are the seven subscales and a sample item, respectively: relations

with others (“I have met a lot of nice people through my work”), family and friends (“My friends

think that my work is worthwhile.”), organizational support (“There is a true sense of teamwork

and camaraderie at the organization with which I work.”), making a difference (“I get a real

feeling of satisfaction from helping others in my work.”), learning skills (“I am learning how to

better interact with people through my work activities.”), exposure to career possibilities

(“Working is making me aware of career and job possibilities that I have not previously

considered.”) and enjoyment (“I generally find that after I work I feel happier and in better

spirits.”), see Table 1.

Transition to University. To study the participants’ transition to university, the Student

Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) developed by Baker and Siyrk (1989), was used.


This includes 67 questions about a person's adjustment to university, each rated on a 9-point

scale, with 1 for “does not apply to me at all” up to 9 for “applies very closely to me”. Scores

range from 67-603, with higher scores indicating a more positive adjustment to university. This

questionnaire includes four subscales. The following are the four subscales and a sample item,

respectively: academic (“I am satisfied with the level at which I am performing academically.”),

personal emotional (“I have been feeling in good health lately.”), social (“I am very involved

with social activities in university.”), and attachment (“I am meeting as many people, and

making as many friends as I would like at university.”). The Cronbach’s alphas range from .92 to

.95 for the full scale. The Cronbach’s alphas for the subscales range from .82 to .89. In this study

the total scale was found to be reliable (α=.930), as were all four subscales: academic adjustment

(α=.842), attachment (α=.878), personal emotional adjustment (α=.791) and social adjustment

(α=.892). The SACQ was also found to correlate highly (.66) with the Mental Health Inventory,

another measure of adjustment.

Self-esteem. To examine self-esteem, the Self-esteem Inventory developed by

(Rosenberg, 1965) was used. This scale includes 10 questions, each rated on a 9-point scale. The

response anchors are as follows; -4 for “very strongly disagree”, -3 for “strongly disagree”, -2 for

“moderately disagree”, -1 for “slightly disagree, 0 for “neither agree nor disagree”, +1 for

“slightly agree”, +2 for “moderately agree”, +3 for “strongly agree”, and +4 for “very strongly

agree”. This scale has high reliability and a test–retest correlation over 2 weeks of .85 (Silber

and Tippett 1965). This scale also displays high convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity

(Rosenberg 1965; Silber and Tippett 1965). Cronbach’s alphas for the RSES were .88 (Fleming

and Courtney 1984). In the present study, the scale was found to be reliable (α=.897). A sample


item from this questionnaire is “I feel I have a number of good qualities”. The scores range from

-40 to 40, with higher scores indicating higher self-esteem.

Perceived Stress. To examine perceived stress, a subset of items from the Perceived

Stress scale developed by Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein (1983) was used. This scale

included 4 questions regarding how the participant has felt in the past month, rated on a 5-point

scale. The response anchors are as follows: 0 for “never”, 1 for “almost never”, 2 for

“sometimes”, 3 for “fairly often” and 4 for “very often”. Values obtained from three samples had

Cronbach’s alpha values of .84, .85, and .86. The PSS has also been found to be correlated with

life-event scores, depressive and physical symptomatology, use of health services, and social

anxiety (Cohen et al. 1983). In the present study the scale was found to be somewhat reliable

(α=.514). A sample item from this scale is “During the past month, how often have you felt that

difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?” The scores ranged from 0

to 16, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress.

Depression Scale. To examine depression, a subset of The Center for Epidemiologic

Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), developed by Radloff (1977) was used. This scale included 8

questions regarding how the participant has felt in the past week, rated on a 4-point scale. The

response anchors are as follows: 0 for “rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)”, 1 for “some

or a little of the time (1-2 days)”, 2 for “occasionally or a moderate amount of time (3-4 days)”,

and 3 for “most or all of the time (5-7 days)”. A sample item from this questionnaire is “During

the past week, I felt that I could not shake off the blues even with the help from my family or

friends”. The scores range from 0-40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of depression.

The scale was found to be reliable (α=.756).


Open-ended Question. Participants were asked to fill out one open ended question:

"Please describe how your work experience has influenced your transition to university”.

Procedure

Participants signed up for the present study and were given the Informed Consent Form

online (see Appendix B). They were told that the purpose of the study was to examine the nature

of one's work experience and how this influences their transition to University. Once consent

was given, participants proceeded to fill out the online questionnaire. This included the following

measures; Demographic Information, Inventory of Work Experience (IWE), Student Adaptation

to College Questionnaire (SACQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), The Center for Epidemiologic

Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and one open-ended question. Once participants completed

the questionnaire, they were given a debrief form (see Appendix C) and they were finished.

Results

Demographic Data. Participants were asked questions regarding the job in which they

were reflecting upon. The results showed that 82 participants (83%) worked part-time, 16

participants (16%) worked full-time, and 1 participant (1%) reported working a combination of

part-time and full-time. Of all the participants, 51 of the 99 participants indicated that they were

still currently working at their job at the time they completed the questionnaire. This is 52% of

the total. 59 Fifty-nine of the 99 participants reported that they would consider working at this

job again in the future, which is 60% of the total. 10 participants (10%) reported they would

maybe consider working at their job in the future, while 30 participants (30%) reported they

would not consider working at this job again. Participants were also asked to provide a brief

description of the type of work they did at their job. The results to this questioned varied. Some


examples of job descriptions were: working at an Aboriginal Student Centre helping first year

students accustom to university life, a cashier, a camp counselor, and a retailer.

Scale Analysis. The Inventory of Work Experience (IWE) scale, an adapted version of the

Inventory of Service Experience scale (ISE), including 47 questions, was found to be highly

reliable (α = .959). This scale included 7 subscales that were also all found to be reliable: relation

with others (α = .824), family and friends (α = .752), organizational support (α = .799), making a

difference, (α = .848), learning skills (α = .863), exposure to career possibilities (α = .859), and

enjoyment (α = .900).

Correlations. Correlations were conducted to examine the relationships between the

variables of interest in this study. A number of significant relationships were found with respect

to the work experience variable. The Inventory of Work Experience (IWE) was significantly

positively correlated to the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (r(43)=.387, p=.009).

The IWE also significantly positively correlated with three subscales of the SACQ: academic

adjustment (r(63)=.366, p=.003), social adjustment (r(48)=.464, p=.001), and attachment

(r(51)=.359, p=.008). The IWE showed a positive correlation with the fourth subscale of the

SACQ, personal emotional adjustment (r(65)=.381, p=.109), but it was not significant. The IWE

significantly positively correlated with the Self-esteem Inventory (r(67)=.372, p=.002). There

was a significant negative correlation between scores on the IWE and the Perceived Stress scale

(r(68)=-.396, p=.001). However, there was no significant correlation between the IWE and the

Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CED-S) (r(68)=-.050, p=.684), see Table 2.

Correlations were also conducted to examine the relationship between the Student

Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and the 7 subscales of the Inventory of Work

Experience (IWE). The results demonstrated there was a significant positive correlation between


the SACQ and the following subscales: relations with others (r(54)=.346, p=.009), family and

friends (r(56)=.388, p=.003), organizational support (r(54)=.398, p=.002), and learning skills

(r(55)=.311, p=.018). There was a positive correlation between the SACQ and the following

subscales; however these were not significant: making a difference (r(57)=.231, p=.078),

exposure to career possibilities (r(55)=.582, p=.074), and enjoyment (r(56)=.257, p=.051), see

Table 3.

ANOVA. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the relationship

between the open-ended question “Please describe how your work experience has influenced

your transition to university” and the Inventory of Work Experience (IWE). Responses were

grouped into three categories. The first category consisted of responses that reported work

experience positively influenced the transition to university. An example response is “I think

being in a working environment and gaining experience and confidence has definitely helped

with my transition to university. I think I am more independent and confident in my abilities”.

The second category consisted of responses that reported work experience negatively influenced

the transition to university. An example response is “I feel that my work experience has

negatively impacted my university. I find that I am often overwhelmed with my work load and

constantly am falling behind”. Finally the last category consisted of responses that reported no

relationship or a mixed relationship between work experience and the transition to university. An

example response is “My work experience has not really influenced the transition to university”.

The results of the demonstrated that the perceived relationship between one’s work experience

and transition to university did relate to the Inventory of Work Experience, F(1, 67) = 3.936, p =

.024 (positive experience; M=250.38, neutral/missed experience; M=224.83, negative

experience; M=206.20).


Discussion

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between students’ work life and

their adjustment to university. The results demonstrated that overall those that have had a

positive work experience had a more positive adjustment to university, and those that have had a

negative work experience had a more negative adjustment to university. The subscales that

correlated most strongly with one’s work experience were social, academic and attachment. This

demonstrates that work life may be related to multiple dimensions of adjustment to university.

There was a positive correlation between one’s work experience and personal emotional

adjustment to university, however it was not significant. This suggests that there are many other

variables that may influence one’s personal emotional adjustment.

There was a significant correlation between one’s work experience and a measure of self-

esteem suggesting that a positive work experience may help increase one’s self esteem and a

negative work experience may actually decrease self esteem. Both a measure of perceived stress

and depression were examined to see if either of these measures correlated with one’s work

experience. These variables were not significantly correlated to the measure of work experience,

suggesting that these variables may be related to other factors that were not measured in the

present study. The perceived stress measure only used 4 items, and the measure of depression

used 8 items, and therefore there may not have been enough items to fully assess participants’

perceived stress or depression.

Previous research demonstrated that work life for adults may spillover into their family

life. This study demonstrated that although students do not spend as much time at work as many

adults, their work life may still have a strong impact on their adjustment to university.

Adjustment to university was the only dependent variable measured in the present study, and


therefore additional types of spillover from one’s work experience were not examined. However

it is expected that if one’s work experience may influence their adjustment to university, this

work experience may have an influence on many other aspects of one’s life.

This study has added to the body of research in this field, as most research has focused on

adult work life. Since students do spend a great deal of time working, and the number of students

that are working is increasing, it is important to recognize this work experience as an important

aspect to a student’s life. This study provides a basis for future research by providing preliminary

evidence that a student’s work experience shows spillover into other domains. The Inventory of

Work Experience (IWE) scale that was developed was found to be very reliable and therefore

could be used in future studies examining a student’s work experience.

There are some limitations to the present study. All of the data were collected from

undergraduate university students at Wilfrid Laurier University, and therefore the results may not

be generalizable to the broader population. The perceived stress scale did not show high

reliability, and therefore results regarding perceived stress may not truly represent the

participants. Finally the results showed a correlation between one’s work experience and

adjustment to university; however it is not possible to know the direction of causality in this

relationship, or if there are other variables that influence both of these variables.

Despite the limitations, this study provides evidence that one’s work experience may

influence adjustment to University. This suggests that it is very important for students to be in

positive work environments in order to increase their success at University. As well, a positive

work environment may spill over into multiple domains, so creating a positive environment at

work could benefit students in multiple ways.


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Table 1 Inventory of Work Experience (IWE) Subscale and Item M SD Item-total r α Relations with Others .824 1. I have met a lot of nice people through my work. 5.5269 1.39558 .672 2. I have become friends with new people through my work activities.

5.5806 1.46942 .493

6. The people I come in contact with through working are often quite nasty. (R)

4.6344 1.47283 .466

10. The people I work with are not very supportive. (R) 5.5914 1.37712 .665 11. I feel that the people within the organization with which I work are not open to my ideas (R)

5.2796 1.51346 .554

13. I feel that the people within the organization with which I work care about me and enjoy my company.

5.2366 1.33023 .603

15. The people I work with are not very nice to me. (R) 5.4839 1.60578 .545 Family and Friends .752 3. My family is very supportive of my work involvement.

5.7813 1.24987 .569

5. My friends think that my work is worthwhile. 4.9583 1.52810 .507 9. My friends do not support me in my work efforts. (R) 5.4167 1.63943 .497 12. My family disapproves of the work that I do. (R) 5.8854 1.39072 .647 Organizational Support .799 4. My values are in line with those of the organization for which I work.

5.2609 1.48893 .595

7. I feel a part of the organization with which I work. 4.9457 1.51450 .688 8. The organization with which I work is well organized.

4.7500 1.55221 .600

17. I do not feel as though I am a real part of the “team” at the organization with which I work. (R)

5.2065 1.68730 .503

21. There is a true sense of teamwork and camaraderie at the organization with which I work.

4.8913 1.47101 .671

48. The values of the organization for which I work clash with my own personal values. (R)

4.9674 1.64718 .317


Table 1. Continued Subscale and Item M SD Item-total r α Making a Difference .848 14. I get a real feeling of satisfaction from helping others in my work.

5.1771 1.60915 .668

16. The work I do does not have much of an impact. (R) 4.6354 1.78956 .562 18. People will remember the work I do. 4.1979 1.76289 .606 22. I feel that my work helps to make a difference. 4.1563 1.70651 .687 28. The duties I perform at my workplace are not very important. (R)

4.5000 1.72901 .520

33. I feel that I have changed people’s lives through my work.

3.4375 1.80533 .590

35. I feel appreciated by the people with whom I work. 5.0625 1.40535 .638 Learning Skills .863 19. I am broadening my problem-solving skills through my work experience.

5.1011 1.33182 .552

24. I am not really learning any new skills through my work. (R)

4.7978 1.53874 .546

29. Working helps me learn skills that will be useful in my career and work life.

5.0112 1.60606 .658

32. I am learning how to better interact with people though my work activities.

5.5730 1.45296 .588

34. I am learning to better organize my time due to my work involvement.

5.2360 1.42241 .584

36. Working is helping me learn skills that will be useful in my personal relationships.

4.8989 1.48512 .534

39. I feel that my work experience is helping me to develop skills that will be useful to me in the future.

4.9213 1.60415 .707

41. My work exposes me to new ways of doing things. 4.7528 1.54685 .657 44. My work does not really allow for personal skill development. (R)

5.1236 1.52122 .504


Table 1. Continued Subscale and Item M SD Item-total r α Exposure to Career Possibilities .859 20. My work experience is providing me with information about possible careers.

3.9130 1.80142 .742

23. My work experience makes me realize that I have the ability to do work in that field.

4.6413 1.52331 .441

27. I am developing useful contacts for future employment through my work experience.

4.3478 1.76930 .606

31. My work experience has not supplied me with any new information about potential careers. (R)

4.5000 1.74469 .497

38. Working is making me aware of career and job possibilities that I have not previously considered.

3.9674 1.75694 .729

42. My work experience has led me to explore new career possibilities.

3.9239 1.82313 .725

45. My work has not made me aware of any career and job possibilities I had not already previously. (R)

4.4239 1.82915 .633

Enjoyment .900 25. I often find myself laughing and smiling while at work.

5.1915 1.53298 .758

26. The organization with which I work has a very fun atmosphere.

4.9043 1.57309 .790

30. The organization with which I work does not have a very fun environment. (R)

5.1064 1.73805 .644

37. I don’t really get to do anything meaningful or interesting in my workplace. (R)

4.5000 1.70231 .435

40. I have a lot of fun working. 4.7021 1.68376 .813 43. I do not look forward to going to work because I know I am not going to have a good time. (R)

4.7660 1.76236 .792

46. The organization with which I work promotes fun activities.

4.5851 1.49845 .573

47. I generally find that after I work I feel happier and in better spirits.

4.3830 1.61383 .607

49. The people at my workplace really promote having a good time.

4.6915 1.48850 .626


Table 2 Correlations between IWE (total) and other measures Measure r p-value SACQ – Total score .387 .009 SACQ – Academic adjustment .366 .003 SACQ – Social adjustment .464 .001 SACQ – Personal emotional adjustment .381 .109 SACQ – Attachment .359 .008 Self-esteem Inventory .372 .002 Perceived Stress Scale -.396 .001 CES-D -.050 .684


Table 3 Correlations between SACQ (total) and Subscales of IWE Subscale r p-value Relation with Others .346 .009 Family and Friends .388 .003 Organizational Support .398 .002 Making a Difference .231 .078 Learning Skills .311 .018 Exposure to Career Possibilities .372 .003 Enjoyment .257 .051


Appendix A

Work Experience and University Life The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of one’s work experience and how it influences their transition to university. The following questions have to do with your experience at your paid work and your experience transitioning into university.

Demographic Information What is your gender? ______ What is your age? ______ What year of study are you presently in? ______ In this study you will be asked to reflect on your previous or current paid work-‐experience. If you have been involved more than one paid work experiences since June 2012, please reflect on the job you feel has had the greatest impact on you. Was your job full-‐time or part-‐time? ______ Are you currently working at this job? ______ How long have you been working at this job (months)? _____ Is this a job you would consider working at again in the future? ______ Please provide a brief description of the type of work you did at this job. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Inventory of Work Experience (IWE)

Below you will find a number of statements about your feelings towards your work experience. There are no right or wrong answers. Please read each statement carefully and indicate your agreement or disagreement with each statement using the following scale: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strongly Disagree Slightly Neither Agree Slightly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Nor Disagree Agree Agree ____ 1. I have met a lot of nice people through my work.


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strongly Disagree Slightly Neither Agree Slightly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Nor Disagree Agree Agree ____ 2. I have become friends with new people through my work activities.

____ 3. My family is very supportive of my work involvement.

____ 4. My values are in line with those of the organization for which I work.

____ 5. My friends think that my work is worthwhile.

____ 6. The people I come in contact with through working are often quite nasty.

____ 7. I feel a part of the organization with which I work.

____ 8. The organization with which I work is well organized.

____ 9. My friends do not support me in my work efforts.

____ 10. The people I work with are not very supportive.

____ 11. I feel that the people within the organization with which I work are not open to my ideas.

____ 12. My family disapproves of the work that I do.

____ 13. I feel that the people within the organization with which I work care about me and enjoy my company.

____ 14. I get a real feeling of satisfaction from helping others in my work.

____ 15. The people I work with are not very nice to me.

____ 16. The work I do does not have much of an impact.

____ 17. I do not feel as though I am a real part of the ‘‘team’’ at the organization with which I work.

____ 18. People will remember the work I do.

____ 19. I am broadening my problem-‐solving skills through my work experience.

____ 20. My work experience is providing me with information about possible careers.

____ 21. There is a true sense of teamwork and camaraderie at the organization with which I work.

____ 22. I feel that my work helps to make a difference.

____ 23. My work experience makes me realize that I have the ability to do work in that field.

____ 24. I am not really learning any new skills through my work.

____ 25. I often find myself laughing and smiling while at work.


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strongly Disagree Slightly Neither Agree Slightly Agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Nor Disagree Agree Agree

____ 26. The organization with which I work has a very fun atmosphere.

____ 27. I am developing useful contacts for future employment through my work experience.

____ 28. The duties I perform at my workplace are not very important.

____ 29. Working helps me learn skills that will be useful in my career and work life.

____ 30. The organization with which I work does not have a very fun environment.

____ 31. My work experience has not supplied me with any new information about potential careers.

____ 32. I am learning how to better interact with people through my work activities.

____ 33. I feel that I have changed people’s lives through my work.

____ 34. I am learning to better organize my time due to my work involvement.

____ 35. I feel appreciated by the people with whom I work.

____ 36. Working is helping me learn skills that will be useful in my personal relationships.

____ 37. I don’t really get to do anything meaningful or interesting in my workplace.

____ 38. Working is making me aware of career and job possibilities that I have not previously considered.

____ 39. I feel that my work experience is helping me to develop skills that will be useful to me in the future.

____ 40. I have a lot of fun working.

____ 41. My work exposes me to new ways of doing things.

____ 42. My work experience has led me to explore new career possibilities.

____ 43. I do not look forward to going to work because I know I am not going to have a good time.

____ 44. My work does not really allow for personal skill development.

____ 45. My work has not made me aware of any career and job possibilities I had not already previously.

____ 46. The organization with which I work promotes fun activities.

____ 47. I generally find that after I work I feel happier and in better spirits. ____ 48. The values of the organization for which I work clash with my own personal values.


____ 49. The people at my workplace really promote having a good time.

Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) The 67 items included in this survey are statements that describe university experiences. Read each one and decide how well it applies to you at the present time (within the last few days). For each item, record the appropriate number in the space next to that item. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 < ------- ------- > Doesn't apply to me at all Applies very closely to me 1. ______ I feel that I fit in well as part of the university environment. 2. ______ I have been feeling tense or nervous lately. 3. ______ I have been keeping up to date on my academic work. 4. ______ I am meeting as many people, and making as many friends as I would like at

university. 5. ______ I know why I'm in university and what I want out of it. 6. ______ I am finding academic work at university difficult. 7. ______ Lately I have been feeling blue and moody a lot. 8. ______ I am very involved with social activities in university. 9. ______ I am adjusting well to university. 10. ______ I have not been functioning well during examinations. 11. ______ I have felt tired much of the time lately. 12. ______ Being on my own, taking responsibility for myself, has not been easy. 13. ______ I am satisfied with the level at which I am performing academically. 14. ______ I have had informal, personal contacts with university professors. 15. ______ I am pleased now about my decision to go to university. 16. ______ I am pleased now about my decision to attend this university in particular. 17. ______ I'm not working as hard as I should at my course work. 18. ______ I have several close social ties at university. 19. ______ My academic goals and purposes are well defined. 20. ______ I haven't been able to control my emotions very well lately. 21. ______ I'm not really smart enough for the academic work I am expected to be doing now. 22. ______ Lonesomeness for home is a source of difficulty for me now. 23. ______ Getting a university degree is very important to me. 24. ______ My appetite has been good lately. 25. ______ I haven't been very efficient in the use of study time lately. 26. ______ I enjoy living in a university residence. (Please omit if you do not live in a residence;

any university housing should be regarded as a residence.) 27. ______ I enjoy writing papers for courses. 28. ______ I have been having a lot of headaches lately. 29. ______ I really haven't had much motivation for studying lately. 30. ______ I am satisfied with the extracurricular activities available at university. 31. ______ I've given a lot of thought lately to whether I should ask for help from the

Psychological/Counselling Services Centre or from a counsellor outside of university. 32. ______ Lately I have been having doubts regarding the value of a university education. 33. ______ I am getting along very well with my roommate(s) at university. (Please omit if you do

not have a roommate.) 34. ______ I wish I were at another university. 35. ______ I've put on (or lost) too much weight recently.


36. ______ I am satisfied with the number and variety of courses available at university. 37. ______ I feel that I have enough social skills to get along well in the university setting. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 < ------- ------- > Doesn't apply to me at all Applies very closely to me 38. ______ I have been getting angry too easily lately. 39. ______ Recently I have had trouble concentrating when I try to study. 40. ______ I haven't been sleeping very well. 41. ______ I'm not doing well enough academically for the amount of work I put in. 42. ______ I am having difficulty feeling at ease with other people at university. 43. ______ I am satisfied with the quality or calibre of courses available at university. 44. ______ I am attending classes regularly. 45. ______ Sometimes my thinking gets muddled up too easily. 46. ______ I am satisfied with the extent to which I am participating in social activities at

university. 47. ______ I expect to stay at this university for a bachelor's degree. 48. ______ I haven't been mixing too well with the opposite sex lately. 49. ______ I worry a lot about my university expenses. 50. ______ I am enjoying my academic work at university. 51. ______ I have been feeling lonely a lot at university lately. 52. ______ I am having a lot of trouble getting started on homework assignments. 53. ______ I feel I have good control over my life situation at university. 54. ______ I am satisfied with my program of courses for this term. 55. ______ I have been feeling in good health lately. 56. ______ I feel I am very different from other students at university in ways that I don't like. 57. ______ On balance, I would rather be home than here. 58. ______ Most of the things I am interested in are not related to any of my course work at

university. 59. ______ Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to transferring to another university. 60. ______ Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to dropping out of university altogether and

for good. 61. ______ I find myself giving considerable thought to taking time off from university and

finishing later. 62. ______ I am very satisfied with the professors I have now in my courses. 63. ______ I have some good friends or acquaintances at university with whom I can talk about

any problems I may have. 64. ______ I am experiencing a lot of difficulty coping with the stresses imposed on me in

university. 65. ______ I am quite satisfied with my social life at university. 66. ______ I am quite satisfied with my academic situation at university. 67. ______ I feel confident that I will be able to deal in a satisfactory manner with future

challenges here at university.

Self-‐Esteem Inventory Below you will find a number of statements about your feelings, your ways of coping with day to day events, and your personal attitudes. There are no right or wrong answers. Please read each statement carefully and indicate your agreement or disagreement with each statement using the following scale:


-‐4 -‐3 -‐2 -‐1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 very strongly strongly moderately slightly neither agree slightly moderately strongly very strongly disagree disagree disagree disagree nor disagree agree agree agree agree 1. _____ I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal basis with others. 2. _____ I feel that I have a number of good qualities. 3. _____ All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure. -‐4 -‐3 -‐2 -‐1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 very strongly strongly moderately slightly neither agree slightly moderately strongly very strongly disagree disagree disagree disagree nor disagree agree agree agree agree 4. _____ I am able to do things as well as most other people. 5. _____ I feel I do not have much to be proud of. 6. _____ I take a positive attitude toward myself. 7. _____ On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. 8. _____ I wish I could have more respect for myself. 9. _____ I certainly feel useless at times. 10. _____ At times I think I am no good at all.

Perceived Stress Scale 0 1 2 3 4 never almost never sometimes fairly often very often During the past month, how often have you: 1. _____ Felt that you were effectively coping with important changes that were occurring in your life? 2. _____ Felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems? 3. _____ Felt that things were going your way? 4. _____ Felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them? 0 1 2 3 rarely or none some or a little occasionally or a most or all of the time (less of the time moderate amount of of the time than 1 day) (1-‐2 days) time (3-‐4 days) (5-‐7 days)

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-‐D)

During the past week: 1. _____ I was bothered by things that usually don't bother me. 2. _____ I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor. 3. _____ I felt that I could not shake off the blues even with help from my family or friends. 4. _____ I felt that I was just as good as other people. 5. _____ I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing. 6. _____ I felt depressed. 7. _____ I felt that everything I did was an effort. 8. _____ I felt hopeful about the future.


Open-‐Ended Question Please describe how your work experience has influenced your transition to university. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Appendix B

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENT

Work Experience and University Life Student Researcher: Rachel Keller, Honours Psychology BA

Supervisor: Mark Pancer, Professor INFORMATION You are invited to participate in a research project being conducted by Rachel Keller under the supervision of Mark Pancer, Professor. This project is being completed in partial fulfillment of Rachel Keller’s undergraduate thesis course. In this study, we are interested in the quality of one’s paid work experience and how it influences their transition to university. Participants must have had a paying job between sometime between June 2012 and the time they participate in the study to be eligible. The study takes place completely online and will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour to complete. It consists of a questionnaire that examines past work experience and transition to university. You will also be asked to provide basic demographic information, such as age and gender. 100 participants will be recruited for this study via PREP, with an expected age range of 17-‐25 years. RISKS Participants in this study may feel sadness, anxiety or discomfort while they reflect upon their work experience and transition to university and while completing the self report measures. Participants may also experience boredom or fatigue while completing the questionnaire. These feelings are normal and should be temporary. Please know that you are free to skip any question or procedure and/or withdraw from the study at any time. If any negative feelings persist or worsen after the study, we encourage you to contact the researchers and/or Counselling Services (2nd floor of the Student Services Building, 519-‐884-‐0710 x2338, [email protected]). BENEFITS As a participant in this study, you will contribute to the development of knowledge in social psychology. You will also learn about the research methods used by social psychologists. You will be given the opportunity to reflect upon your work experience and university experience, giving you the ability to examine how to make these experiences positive. CONFIDENTIALITY Your data will be confidential, which means no one other than Rachel Keller and Mark Pancer, and the psychology department computer technician (Andrew Piatek) will see your responses and/or have access to your data. Please note, however, that while in transmission on the internet, confidentiality of data cannot be guaranteed. All data will be stored on a password protected computer in Mark Pancer’s locked lab at Wilfrid Laurier


University. Your personal information will be stored in a separate file on the same computer and will be deleted by Rachel Keller by April, 1, 2014. Rachel Keller will delete any identifying information from the data file by April, 1, 2014. The anonymous data file will be maintained indefinitely. Data will be presented in aggregate (e.g., means) in any publications resulting from this study. COMPENSATION For your participation, you will receive 0.5 research credits. An alternative way to receive the same amount of research credit is to complete a critical review of a journal article (instructions are available on the psychology department website: http://www.wlu.ca/documents/50647/PREP.alt.assignment.pdf). If you withdraw from the study prior to its completion, you will still receive the same amount of research credits. CONTACT If you have questions at any time about the study or the procedures (or you experience adverse effects as a result of participating in this study), you may contact the student researcher, Rachel Keller, [email protected] or the supervisor, Mark Pancer, (519) 884-‐0710 ext 3149, [email protected]. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University Research Ethics Board (REB 3410). If you feel you have not been treated according to the descriptions in this form, or your rights as a participant in research have been violated during the course of this project, you may contact Dr. Robert Basso, Chair, Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Board, (519) 884-‐1970, ext 4994 or [email protected]. PARTICIPATION Your participation in this study is voluntary; you may decline to participate without penalty. If you decide to participate, you have the right to skip any question or procedure you choose. You may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty and without loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. If you begin the study, but withdraw prior to completion, your data will be destroyed. If you withdraw from the study, please contact the researcher so that the debriefing can be emailed to you. Your data cannot be withdrawn once data collection is complete because data are stored without identifiers. FEEDBACK AND PUBLICATION The results of this study may be presented at conferences or published in scholarly journals. The results will be part of Rachel Keller’s undergraduate thesis and will be presented at the Wilfrid Laurier University undergraduate poster conference on April 4, 2013. A summary of the results will be emailed to you via the PREP system and will be posted on the research bulletin board in the hallway beside room N2006 in the Science Building by March, 31, 2013. CONSENT (Please check the appropriate box) I have read and understand the above information. I agree to allow quotes I give to be anonymously used in the final research report. ___


I have read and understand the above information. I agree to participate in this study. ___ [clicking here will lead to study] I have read and understand the above information. I do not want to participate in this study.___ [clicking here will return to browser] We recommend that you print or save a copy of this form for your records.


Appendix C

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY PROJECT SUMMARY

PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Work Experience and University Life

Student Researcher: Rachel Keller, Honours Psychology BA Supervisor: Mark Pancer, Professor

PURPOSE The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the nature of students’ work experience and how that relates to their transition to university. Data was collected on work experience as well as the experience transitioning to university to see if these two factors correlate with one another. Demographic information was needed to see if any type of demographic information correlates with the two previously mentioned factors, work experience and transition to university.

HYPOTHESES The hypothesis of the study is that the nature of a students’ work experience will correlate with their transition to university. Those that have had a positive work experience will have a more positive transition to university. Those that have had a negative work experience will have a more negative transition to university. RISKS Participants in this study may have felt sadness, anxiety or discomfort while reflecting upon their work experience and transition to university. Participants may have also experienced boredom or fatigue while completing the questionnaire. These feelings are normal and should be temporary. If any negative feelings persist or worsen after the study, we encourage you to contact the researchers and/or Counselling Services (2nd floor of the Student Services Building, 519-‐884-‐0710 x2338, [email protected]). CONTACT If you have questions at any time about the study or the procedures (or you experience adverse effects as a result of participating in this study), you may contact the student researcher, Rachel Keller, [email protected] or the supervisor, Mark Pancer, (519) 884-‐0710 ext 3149, [email protected]. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University Research Ethics Board (REB 3410). If you feel you have not been treated according to the descriptions in this form, or your rights as a participant in research have been violated during the course of this project, you may contact Dr. Robert Basso, Chair, Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Board, (519) 884-‐1970, ext 4994 or [email protected]. FEEDBACK AND PUBLICATION


The results of this study may be presented at conferences or published in scholarly journals. The results will be part of Rachel Keller’s undergraduate thesis and will be presented at the Wilfrid Laurier University undergraduate poster conference on April 4, 2013. A summary of the results will be emailed to you via the PREP system and will be posted on the research bulletin board in the hallway beside room N2006 in the Science Building by March, 31, 2013. FURTHER INFORMATION For further information on this topic, please look at Chapter 8 Behaviour in Social and Cultural Context, pages 281-‐288 and Chapter 12 Motivation, pages 481-‐486, in your Psychology textbook. Wade, C., Tavris, C., Saucier, D., & Elias, L. (2012). Psychology (4th Canadian Ed.). Don Mills: Pearson. Thank you for your participation in this study. We recommend that you print or save a copy of this form for your records.

Documents

Social Psychology Thesis