Working and learning? Features of student employment during COVID-19

Abstract

 The literature contains ambivalent research findings on the impact of student employment on study careers. Previous findings also indicated that student employment plays a significant role in interrupting study (Kovács et al. 2019). In our exploratory research, we focused on exploring the employment characteristics of university students during COVID -19. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of the epidemiological situation on young people's work. To what extent did the epidemic change students' attitudes towards work and study? The research involved university students who regularly work alongside their studies. The online survey was conducted between January and March 2021 (N=235). The majority of the students worked during the epidemiological situation. Contrary to our assumptions, they had no major, long-standing financial problems. An important question for educational research is the relationship between work and learning. A quarter of the respondents had work related to their studies. Some of the undivided student teachers may be considered an at-risk group because they had experiences during their employment that made them insecure about their degree. Our results also showed that students who have study-related work are more committed to a degree and less uncertain about finding a job in their chosen profession.