Work participation and academic performance: a test of alternative propositions

Increasing numbers of full‐time university students mix their studies with paid employment. The current research examined the nature, extent and correlates of paid work amongst a sample of 246 university students. Approximately 85% of the sample reported having a paid job during semester, a figure that exceeds that found in previous studies. Five propositions regarding the relationship between work participation and academic performance were tested, and none was found to adequately account for the relationships observed. Rather, Grade Point Averages were relatively high amongst two groups of students: those who did not work, and those working more than 20 hours per week. Future research should explore the strategies through which students who work long hours manage to perform well academically.