Effect of Employment on Subjective Academic Performance Among Students:

Abstract

Excellent academic performance is the mission of most education institutions including universities around Uganda however, academic performance can be affected by a number of factors including student employment. Due to socio-economic changes within the community there by; undergraduate students rather than their parents have to finance their education programs, the number of undergraduate students who are getting employed is steadily increasing. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the effect of employment on subjective academic performance of undergraduate students at International Health Sciences University. A descriptive cross-sectional study was therefore carried out involving 282 undergraduate students of International Health Sciences University. Data was collected on the demographic statistics, the employment status of students, factors that led to student employment among employed students and the effects of such employment on different academic aspects using interviewer administered questionnaires. The data was then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 16.0. The results of the findings indicated that undergraduate student employment was high at 20.10% and the most pertent factors leading to undergraduate student employment were having income needs and having to contribute on tuition fees and other academic expenses. Chi-square tests showed that there is a statistical association (p<0.05) between employment and subjective academic performance. In conclusion, the study revealed that undergraduate student employment was high at International Health Sciences University. Despite the negative effects of employment such as; late submission of individual assignment, never being involved in the preparation of group presentations, performing fairly well in end of semester examinations, having at least one retake per semester, and poor classroom attendance, employment has a positive effect on subjective academic performance in that employed students scored higher GPA than unemployed students. Moderate student employment is important for academic knowledge, academic motivation, career development, employment prospects, problem solving skills, time and priority management, independent working skills, and their social and interpersonal skill.