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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).
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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,
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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
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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
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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 corre- lation 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
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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).
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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
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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
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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).
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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
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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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References
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Baker, R. W., & Siryk, B. (1984). Measuring adjustment to college. Journal of
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Bowman, N. A. (2010). The development of psychological well-being among first-year
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Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., Wayne, J. H., & Grzywacz, J. G. (2006). Measuring the
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Johnson, V. K., Gans, S. E., Kerr, S., & LaValle, W. (2010). Managing the transition to
college: Family functioning, emotion coping, and adjustment in emerging
adulthood. Journal of College Student Development, 51(6), 607-621.
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sociability, and parental support for the college transition: Relation to adolescents’
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Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
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Ruppanner, L., & Pixley, J. E. (2012). Work-to-family and family-to-work spillover: The
implications of childcare policy and maximum work-hour legislation. Journal of Family and
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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
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   19	
  
	
  
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
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   20	
  
	
  
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
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   21	
  
	
  
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
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   22	
  
	
  
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
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   23	
  
	
  
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.	
  	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   24	
  
	
  
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.	
  	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   25	
  
	
  
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.	
  	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   26	
  
	
  
____	
  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.	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   27	
  
	
  
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:	
  	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   28	
  
	
  
	
  
	
   -­‐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.	
  
	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   29	
  
	
  
Open-­‐Ended	
  Question	
  
	
  
Please	
  describe	
  how	
  your	
  work	
  experience	
  has	
  influenced	
  your	
  transition	
  to	
  university.	
  	
  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   30	
  
	
  
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,	
  counselling@wlu.ca).	
  
	
  
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	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   31	
  
	
  
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,	
  kell1360@mylaurier.ca	
  or	
  the	
  supervisor,	
  Mark	
  Pancer,	
  (519)	
  
884-­‐0710	
  ext	
  3149,	
  mpancer@wlu.ca.	
  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	
  
rbasso@wlu.ca.	
  
	
  
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.	
  ___	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   32	
  
	
  
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.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   33	
  
	
  
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,	
  counselling@wlu.ca).	
  
	
  
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,	
  kell1360@mylaurier.ca	
  or	
  the	
  supervisor,	
  Mark	
  Pancer,	
  (519)	
  
884-­‐0710	
  ext	
  3149,	
  mpancer@wlu.ca.	
  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	
  
rbasso@wlu.ca.	
  
	
  
FEEDBACK	
  AND	
  PUBLICATION	
  	
  
WORK	
  AND	
  UNIVERSITY	
  LIFE	
   	
   34	
  
	
  
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.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

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Social Psychology Thesis

  • 1. 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).
  • 2. 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,
  • 3. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     3     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
  • 4. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     4     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
  • 5. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     5     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.
  • 6. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     6     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).
  • 7. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     7     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.
  • 8. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     8     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 corre- lation 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
  • 9. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     9     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).
  • 10. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     10     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
  • 11. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     11     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
  • 12. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     12     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).
  • 13. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     13     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
  • 14. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     14     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.
  • 15. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     15     References Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469-480. Baker, R. W., & Siryk, B. (1984). Measuring adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31, 179–189. Bowman, N. A. (2010). The development of psychological well-being among first-year college students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 180-200. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0118 Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., Wayne, J. H., & Grzywacz, J. G. (2006). Measuring the positive side of the work-family interface: Development and validation of a work-family enrichment scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(1), 131-164. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.02.002 Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396. Culbertson, S. S., Mills, M. J., & Fullagar, C. J. (2012). Work engagement and work- family facilitation: Making homes happier through positive affective spillover. Human Relations, 65(9), 1155-1177. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726712440295 Gerdes, H., & Mallinckrodt, B. (1994). Emotional, social, and academic adjustment of college students: A longitudinal study of retention. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72, 281-288.
  • 16. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     16     Johnson, V. K., Gans, S. E., Kerr, S., & LaValle, W. (2010). Managing the transition to college: Family functioning, emotion coping, and adjustment in emerging adulthood. Journal of College Student Development, 51(6), 607-621. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/csd.2010.0022 Masuda, A. D., McNall, L. A., Allen, T. D., & Nicklin, J. M. (2012). Examining the constructs of work-to-family enrichment and positive spillover. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 197-210. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.06.002 Mounts, N. S., Valentiner, D. P., Anderson, K. L., & Boswell, M. D. (2006). Shyness, sociability, and parental support for the college transition: Relation to adolescents’ adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 71-80. Pedersen, V. B., & Jeppesen, H. J. (2012). Contagious flexibility? A study on whether schedule flexibility facilitates work-life enrichment. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 53(4), 347-359. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2012.00949.x Radloff LS. The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psych Meas1977;1:385–401. Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Ruppanner, L., & Pixley, J. E. (2012). Work-to-family and family-to-work spillover: The implications of childcare policy and maximum work-hour legislation. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 33(3), 283-297. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-012-9303-6 Sax, L. T. (1997). Health trends among college freshmen. Journal of American College Health, 45, 252-262. Schwartz, A. (2006). Four eras of study of college student suicide in the United States:
  • 17. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     17     1920-2004. Journal of American College Health, 54, 353-366. Taylor, T. P., & Pancer, S. M. (2007). Community service experiences and commitment to volunteering. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37(2), 320-345. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-9029.2007.00162.x Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • 18. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     18     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
  • 19. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     19     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
  • 20. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     20     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
  • 21. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     21     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
  • 22. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     22     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                                                                    
  • 23. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     23     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.    
  • 24. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     24     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.    
  • 25. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     25     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.    
  • 26. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     26     ____  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.  
  • 27. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     27     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:    
  • 28. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     28         -­‐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.    
  • 29. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     29     Open-­‐Ended  Question     Please  describe  how  your  work  experience  has  influenced  your  transition  to  university.     __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________                                                                              
  • 30. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     30     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,  counselling@wlu.ca).     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  
  • 31. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     31     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,  kell1360@mylaurier.ca  or  the  supervisor,  Mark  Pancer,  (519)   884-­‐0710  ext  3149,  mpancer@wlu.ca.  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   rbasso@wlu.ca.     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.  ___  
  • 32. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     32     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.                                                                              
  • 33. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     33     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,  counselling@wlu.ca).     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,  kell1360@mylaurier.ca  or  the  supervisor,  Mark  Pancer,  (519)   884-­‐0710  ext  3149,  mpancer@wlu.ca.  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   rbasso@wlu.ca.     FEEDBACK  AND  PUBLICATION    
  • 34. WORK  AND  UNIVERSITY  LIFE     34     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.