Employment during High School: Consequences for Students' Grades in Academic Courses

Revisiting the Impact of Part‐Time Work on Adolescent Adjustment: Distinguishing Between Selection and Socialization Using Propensity Score Matching

“…Measurement issues may also explain why Warren et al (2000) found no impact of highintensity employment on schooling. In that study, the only academic outcome of interest was GPA; we also found no effects of employment on GPA.…”

“…In another study, researchers estimated fixed-effect logit and random-effect probit models to account for unobserved heterogeneity and similarly found no significant within-individual variation in delinquent behaviors as a result of employment status (Paternoster, Bushway, Brame, & Apel, 2003). Finally, Warren, LePore, and Mare (2000) estimated a simultaneous equations model looking at both short-and long-term effects of employment, as well as the potentially reciprocal relations between employment and academic achievement, and found no negative effects of employment on school grades.…”

“…First, both the Paternoster et al (2003) and the Apel et al (2007) studies focused exclusively on delinquent behavior and substance use, and it is plausible that intensive employment during the school year might have a negative impact on other domains, including academic and psychosocial functioning. And although Warren et al (2000) examined how employment affects grade point averages (GPAs), and Lee and Staff (2007) examined high school dropout, neither study tested how employment might impact school engagement more broadly (e.g., paying attention in class, spending time on homework), which may be important to assess if working students are able to protect their GPAs by taking easier classes or by cheating, as some studies have reported (Steinberg et al, 1993). Another limitation of these newer studies is that they do not examine the effects that leaving a job might have on psychological and behavioral outcomes.…”

Adolescent work intensity, school performance, and substance use: Links vary by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

“…There are two exceptions to the general conclusion that less is better when it comes to student work intensity: First, those working zero hours report poorer outcomes than those at low or moderate levels of paid work; and second, among those who did hold paid employment in 12 th grade, longitudinal analyses show little distinction in long-term educational attainment whether they had worked 1–5, 6–10, or 11–15 hours (Bachman et al, 2011). Another key finding from MTF and most other research is that although adolescent work intensity during the school year is correlated with negative outcomes, at least a good deal of the association seems attributable to prior more fundamental differences, i.e., selection effects (Apel et al, 2007; Bachman, Safron, Sy, & Schulenberg, 2003; Paternoster, Bushway, Brame, & Apel, 2003; Mortimer, 2003; Rothstein, 2007; Schoenhals, Tienda, & Schneider, 1998; Staff, Osgood, Schulenberg, Bachman, & Messersmith, 2010; Staff, Schulenberg, & Bachman, 2010; Warren, 2002; Warren, LePore, & Mare, 2000). Nevertheless, there is also evidence suggesting that high work intensity has negative impacts on educational attainment and may also contribute to long-term cigarette smoking (e.g., Bachman et al, 2011).…”

Does Student Work Really Affect Educational Outcomes? A Review of the Literature

“…One aspect of student employment has been investigated across various disciplines in the social and behavioural sciences: its impact on educational behaviour and performance (Carr et al, 1996;Warren et al, 2000;Stinebrickner and Stinebrickner, 2003;Bachman et al, 2011). The central position of these outcomes in the academic literature on the impact of student labour supply decisions on later outcomes in youth is not surprising.…”